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Old 01-21-2018, 08:58 AM   #41
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
if we look at this from a Pure Reality standpoint, internally repairing ANY diesel engine in a school bus is going to stress the budget of most people on this forum..
whether it be navistar, cat, Mercedes, cummins etc..

so you go out and find a bus with a healthy, good running engine in it, take care of it, and you probably drive your bus for many years..

theres only a few on here racking up serious miles and hours on their rigs.. many only put a few thousand on per year.

rather than avoid certain brands, id say avoid engines that appear to be ragged out or abused.. or have issues from the beginning.. "oh it just idles rough when its cold".. or "check engine light is on".. would be things that the average skoolie buyer should click 'Next' on the auction site..
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Old 01-21-2018, 09:04 AM   #42
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1000s were stock in the IC BE series

-Christopher
Ah, was that with the VT365?
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Old 01-21-2018, 09:14 AM   #43
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Ah, was that with the VT365?
all of the ones ive seen with the 1000s had the VT365. one thing i never paid attention to was whether they ran it as a 6 speed or not.. they were 2006's so perhaps the 1000s were allowed to be 6 speed.. could use lower ratio rear ends and with 6 gears give the bus a little more spunk.
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Old 01-21-2018, 10:15 AM   #44
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This is all good trans information.

What I've been seeing is a 2500 behind a 466 in several instances. To me that means a stout transmission.
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Old 01-21-2018, 10:25 AM   #45
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This is all good trans information.

What I've been seeing is a 2500 behind a 466 in several instances. To me that means a stout transmission.

allison released a 2000 series version called a 2500 PTS.. (PTS = Pupil Transport System).. it is the one most commonly found in school busses.. I believe the gear ratios were a little wider if memory is correct..

the 2100 was one used behind a lot of 444E's and VT365s (other than the 1000 in the IC BE).. 2400's were in a lot of the Medium duty trucks.. (4700, 4900)... im not sure of all the differences between each "hundreds" designation .. some of them are mentioned in allison's documentation.. but since the 2000 series was designed to essentially be an OEM version of the 1000.. it makes sense that each OEM would get its own number for the trans they had spec'd.

I forgot to mention you'll find 1000's in some of the heavier GMC cutaway busses... especially if they had the 8.1 or duramaxx 6.6 diesel engine in them.. the GMC Medium durty trucks.. 5500-8500 also had 1000's.. I have only ever seen a few busses built on those chassis.. there are a couple party / shuttle style busses that ive seen on the GMC MD chassis..

if you are going to do a tranny swap, the 1000 is often chosen as there are many companies building very stout versions of this transmission, so choices are abundant if you want a reman instead of used.. there are adapter rings, spacers, etc to put a 1000 behind about any diesel engine.
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:06 AM   #46
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That's what's been confusing me. I keep seeing the 1000 in what I consider a medium duty application where I would expect to see a heavier transmission.

I'm likely going to get a used takeout 1000/2000 depending on what's available. Other than reading ratios and weights I have nothing to base a preference on. Honestly it doesn't sound like driving a 1000 series would feel substantially different than driving a 2000 series. Some have said the 2000 series is built a bit huskier than the 1000, aside from the slight gearing differences. I prefer the 2000 series on that basis, but for all other practical purposes I'm thinking they are virtually equal.
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:10 AM   #47
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That's what's been confusing me. I keep seeing the 1000 in what I consider a medium duty application where I would expect to see a heavier transmission.

I'm likely going to get a used takeout 1000/2000 depending on what's available. Other than reading ratios and weights I have nothing to base a preference on. Honestly it doesn't sound like driving a 1000 series would feel substantially different than driving a 2000 series. Some have said the 2000 series is built a bit huskier than the 1000, aside from the slight gearing differences. I prefer the 2000 series on that basis, but for all other practical purposes I'm thinking they are virtually equal.
well if you are swapping out an AT545, then you need to be careful of the 1000 you choose, you need an SAE3 bell.. which many of the 1000s will have the GMC bell.. I had my 1000 custom built with what i needed for my swap.. plus I had ot built heavy so if i choose to turn up the smoke on my engine I dont need to worry about the transmission.. your best bet is to find a complete 2000 setup from another school bus with an SAE3 bell.

that is what Kubla from this forum is doing.

-Christopher
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:39 AM   #48
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well if you are swapping out an AT545, then you need to be careful of the 1000 you choose, you need an SAE3 bell.. which many of the 1000s will have the GMC bell.. I had my 1000 custom built with what i needed for my swap.. plus I had ot built heavy so if i choose to turn up the smoke on my engine I dont need to worry about the transmission.. your best bet is to find a complete 2000 setup from another school bus with an SAE3 bell.

that is what Kubla from this forum is doing.

-Christopher
Thanks Chris, yes it's the 545 from my '97 mechanical 5.9. So I'm definitely looking for a #3 bell housing, and yes ideally the 2000 series is my choice. I don't see the gearing differences as being significant compared to the 1000 series but I understand they are a heavier built transmission. I'm not quite sure exactly what is heavier duty.

It's pretty safe to say that any other auto from allison is better than the 545. I'm not trash talking the 545 because I've been putting it through its paces on steep logging roads. First gear really isn't low enough for mountain driving. I'll restrict my comments on the downhill capabilities of the 545.
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Old 01-21-2018, 12:00 PM   #49
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When you call on a 2000 tranny, try to find one still in whatever it is coming out of so you can rescue the wiring harness and TCU, you will need both, I am paying more for the wiring harness than I did for the transmission
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Old 01-21-2018, 12:32 PM   #50
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When you call on a 2000 tranny, try to find one still in whatever it is coming out of so you can rescue the wiring harness and TCU, you will need both, I am paying more for the wiring harness than I did for the transmission
Yeah, and in my case the TCU is about 36 feet away from the engine and transmission, so don't leave it behind
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Old 01-21-2018, 02:14 PM   #51
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Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
This is all good trans information.

What I've been seeing is a 2500 behind a 466 in several instances. To me that means a stout transmission.
The 1000's and 2000's are all essentially the same, in terms of strength. There are a few subtle differences but they're essentially all more or less the same transmissions.
My 466 has a 2200 or 2400, I can't remember.
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Old 01-21-2018, 03:41 PM   #52
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Thanks, that makes me feel better about taking whatever is available with the 1000/2000 series when that time comes.
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Old 02-11-2020, 08:33 AM   #53
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Seriously. Just don't. Get something with a Cummins or DT466 or T444e or anything else. Thanks. PM me with any questions.
Every engine has its own issues.
What issue is your 3126 having? Most skoolies don't get maintained very well mechanically once they're privately owned.
I've had a nightmare owning a DT466E, and this Cat motor has been great so far.

This brand pumping isn't really productive. Any pre-emissions diesel that's been taken care of properly can be a decent powerplant. Cummins have their own sets of issues that can pop up, and don't get me started on DT timing covers!
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Old 02-11-2020, 08:51 AM   #54
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Every engine has its own issues.
What issue is your 3126 having? Most skoolies don't get maintained very well mechanically once they're privately owned.
I've had a nightmare owning a DT466E, and this Cat motor has been great so far.

This brand pumping isn't really productive. Any pre-emissions diesel that's been taken care of properly can be a decent powerplant. Cummins have their own sets of issues that can pop up, and don't get me started on DT timing covers!
Porkchop hasn't been around in awhile. Last I heard his build was for sale which is a pity because his build thread was one of my favorites.
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Old 02-11-2020, 08:58 AM   #55
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Porkchop hasn't been around in awhile. Last I heard his build was for sale which is a pity because his build thread was one of my favorites.
Aye, I know. Was just "updating" since I'd stumbled across this when googling something about my engine.
There's a good amount of FAIL in this thread early on.
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Old 02-11-2020, 09:56 AM   #56
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There's a good amount of FAIL in this thread early on.
What do you think is failed back there? I mean, 5 years later and I'll still stand behind my comments/opinions.

One thing I will address/correct is that most heui engines I've worked on love synthetic 5w40 vs conventional 15w40 when operated below freezing. It's more of a thickness at that temp vs a synthetic/conventional difference. I don't advise people to increase the OCI's on a heui engine when running synthetic though. I'll say it again 5 years later, heui engines need clean oil.
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Old 02-11-2020, 11:36 AM   #57
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What do you think is failed back there? I mean, 5 years later and I'll still stand behind my comments/opinions.

One thing I will address/correct is that most heui engines I've worked on love synthetic 5w40 vs conventional 15w40 when operated below freezing. It's more of a thickness at that temp vs a synthetic/conventional difference. I don't advise people to increase the OCI's on a heui engine when running synthetic though. I'll say it again 5 years later, heui engines need clean oil.
Nothing wrong with anything you've said.
Lots of misinformation about synthetics, a thread about why not to buy but directing the reader to PM about it... just lots of fail. This is a scare thread with very little real info. The little bit of info was actually a contribution of yours, so kudos to you sir.
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Old 02-11-2020, 12:12 PM   #58
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Aye, I know. Was just "updating" since I'd stumbled across this when googling something about my engine.
There's a good amount of FAIL in this thread early on.
Yup...
Almost everything said on pg 1 is incorrect bs...

The best part of this thread is some useful comment comparing Allison transmissions -- of course the original thread was about Caterpillar eng. so you'll never find that in a search...

The best thing that could happen with this thread is for a moderator to completely delete it. I know I'd like my 5 minutes back...
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