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Old 12-28-2017, 12:05 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Hello again! A reintroduction from sunny southern CA!

Hi again! As it’s been a while since I had the time or the desire to log in & post I wanted to reintroduce myself & our bus, the SuzieBee, now that we made it all the way to sunny southern CA from the frozen tundra of Maine. Our loose plan is to winter here, spending our time on farms, in state parks, with friends, & occasionally boondock.

As we hauled our Jeep Liberty out here behind us, I only have one serious question for you all; anyone know a good mechanic that could bump our measly 175HP 7.3 T444e up a few few notches in the Riverside, CA area? It was a LOOOOOONG drive!

Thanks!


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Old 12-28-2017, 12:28 PM   #2
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Hey Megs,

I sure wish I was in SoCal for the winter

What transmission do you have in your bus? If it is an AT545, I would tread cautiously regarding power upgrades. Max spec on an AT545 is around 230hp. The MT643/647 and the MD3060's will both handle more power.

Good luck!!

S.
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Old 12-28-2017, 12:35 PM   #3
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yes what transmission and what was the issue? losing speed on the hills? having your RPMs drop-off when you reached a certain speed like 50 or 55?

reason I ask is you may have an internal speed limit set on the computer that is easily removed..

if you are running at 2600 RPM or so then you are maxxed out on your gearing..

losing speed and RPM badly on hills? that tends to mean lack of Horsepower.. getting a Horsepower upgrade is something ive bene working on for awhile now and it seems darn near impossible .. Navistar doesnt like to do them!! ive even swapped to a heavier transmission and thats thropwn the navistar people for an even greater loop it seems.. mine is a 190 and i want it to be a 210.

first thing is to know what your bus is or isnt doing..
-Christopher
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Old 12-28-2017, 02:48 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
yes what transmission and what was the issue? losing speed on the hills? having your RPMs drop-off when you reached a certain speed like 50 or 55?

reason I ask is you may have an internal speed limit set on the computer that is easily removed..

if you are running at 2600 RPM or so then you are maxxed out on your gearing..

losing speed and RPM badly on hills? that tends to mean lack of Horsepower.. getting a Horsepower upgrade is something ive bene working on for awhile now and it seems darn near impossible .. Navistar doesnt like to do them!! ive even swapped to a heavier transmission and thats thropwn the navistar people for an even greater loop it seems.. mine is a 190 and i want it to be a 210.

first thing is to know what your bus is or isnt doing..
-Christopher


We do indeed have an AT545, and I’ve read that it’d be best to not get too ambitious with the engine upgrades elsewhere. With our Jeep behind anything greater than a 3-4% grade above 2000’ ASL is too much. It seems to me that a mild, 50-55HP upgrade should do the trick.


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Old 12-28-2017, 02:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Megs_PB View Post
We do indeed have an AT545, and I’ve read that it’d be best to not get too ambitious with the engine upgrades elsewhere. With our Jeep behind anything greater than a 3-4% grade above 2000’ ASL is too much. It seems to me that a mild, 50-55HP upgrade should do the trick.


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That much extra power would require an upgraded transmission. Max input torque on the AT545 is only 445 lbs

Have you considered towing the bus with the Jeep?
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Old 12-28-2017, 03:01 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Megs_PB View Post
We do indeed have an AT545, and I’ve read that it’d be best to not get too ambitious with the engine upgrades elsewhere. With our Jeep behind anything greater than a 3-4% grade above 2000’ ASL is too much. It seems to me that a mild, 50-55HP upgrade should do the trick.


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Oh.. regarding our ECU limits, they were all set to the max by a fantastic dealer we stopped at on the way home to ME from GA when we bought the bus. Thanks for the tip just the same though!


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Old 12-28-2017, 03:02 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Megs_PB View Post
We do indeed have an AT545, and I’ve read that it’d be best to not get too ambitious with the engine upgrades elsewhere. With our Jeep behind anything greater than a 3-4% grade above 2000’ ASL is too much. It seems to me that a mild, 50-55HP upgrade should do the trick.


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50hp in a bus isn't "mild".
Transmission upgrades are way more useful than more HP in a bus.
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Old 12-28-2017, 03:59 PM   #8
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What is your max fuel pressure and turbo set for. Use a scan tool on the road to see if your fuel pressure actually gets up high enough when going up hill. May be filters are getting clogged.
With 50 Hp I would not get that worried as long as you keep track of your tranny oil temp and your EGT's

Later J
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Old 12-28-2017, 04:10 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
50hp in a bus isn't "mild".

Transmission upgrades are way more useful than more HP in a bus.


That’s your opinion, mine differs. Thanks for your input just the same.


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Old 12-28-2017, 05:25 PM   #10
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You'd be amazed how much better it would pull with ANY transmission other than that 545. Uphill AND down.
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Old 12-29-2017, 11:06 AM   #11
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Hmmmm....,

If I had to choose between 175hp with an Allison 2000/3000 transmission or 200+hp with an Allison AT545 I would pick the 175hp & 2000/3000 without a moment's hesitation.

Just my $0.02
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Old 12-29-2017, 01:23 PM   #12
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I'll second the above. Gears and torque win out over HP in these rigs. Nice if you have both but...
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