Full LCD Gauge Replacement

[cadillackid]

I dont do the Heavy hitting of the J1939 data bus.. lots of timing and handshake to deal with... I use the BB-electronics box because it handles all the data coms to the J1708 / J1939. and I just get serial data that I requested.. the BB box throws some extra things in like time stamping. and can push out Hex or just character representations.. I run the interface in 460,800 baud. as my J1939 is only 250k .. running it in Hex you'll eventiually crash the buffer.. i just did it for ease of experimentation...



a sample of the data my Adapter sent to me over the serial port..

01 05 02 29 81 28 8D 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 D4 14 03 2C 

01 05 02 29 81 2A 1D 0D 67 80 60 18 08 F5 03 FF FF FF FF FF FF 5F 

01 05 02 29 81 2B AD 0D C7 80 28 18 08 7D 00 00 7D 4E 20 4E 43 1F 

01 05 02 29 81 2D 74 0D C7 F2 50 18 08 0F 1F 4C FF FF FF FF FF FE 

01 05 02 29 81 42 00 0D 67 80 20 00 08 F1 FF FF FE 15 FF FF FF 0F 

01 05 02 29 81 43 6B 0D 67 80 18 00 08 FD 00 16 FF FF FF FF FF 82 

01 05 02 29 81 44 D5 0D C7 80 00 78 08 F1 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 89 

01 05 02 29 81 46 43 0D C7 F7 88 00 08 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 8E 

01 05 02 29 81 47 AB 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 D4 14 03 69 

01 05 02 29 81 65 92 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 CE 14 03 68 

01 05 02 29 81 67 2A 0D 67 80 60 18 08 F8 03 FF FF FF FF FF FF AC 

01 05 02 29 81 6F 09 0D 67 80 20 00 08 F1 FF FF E8 15 FF FF FF 2F 

01 05 02 29 81 84 2C 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 CE 14 03 21
01 05 02 29 81 9F A9 0D 67 80 20 00 08 F1 FF FF FC 15 FF FF FF 13 

01 05 02 29 81 A2 B5 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 C6 14 03 C0

a REALLY RUDE CRUDE PHP script to parse it and print it out on the screen.. (runs in php-cli in linux).

#!/usr/bin/php
<?php
## saved data from the HDV
$rr = file_get_contents("j1939-raw-cruiser30-s.txt");
# every message starts with 01 05 02 hex so we break apart our message there and get our data.
$ggg = explode("01 05 02",$rr);
## hex data provided by my HDV100 serial to J1939 device.
##     [13090] =>  0D 48 7A 2F 0D 67 80 60 18 08 00 FB FF FF FF FF FF FF 6F
##     [13091] =>  0D 48 97 30 0D 67 80 10 18 08 C0 00 00 FF F7 00 00 03 01
#                 | timestamp |DL| PGN ID    | SPN DATA & node ID       |CS|
#                                |  data specified by DL(data length    |

# timestamp - 4 byte HDV originated time.
# DL - number of data bytes (includng PGN ID) in Hex (0D = 13)
# PGN ID - 18 bits
foreach ($ggg as $raw1939) {
  # get rid of any mis spaces at begin or end of string
  $rawbreak = trim($raw1939);
  # echo "|".$rawbreak."|\n";
  ## get our data length.
  $hexdl = substr($rawbreak,12,2);
  # make it decimal
  $decdl = base_convert($hexdl,16,10) * 3;
  ## get the data minus the 4 PGN ID bytes
  $rawhexdata = trim(substr($rawbreak,30,($decdl - 16)));
echo "RAW: $raw1939\n";

  # to get the PGN ID we need to be after the Data length and timestamp and just the 4 bytes (32 raw bits)
  # which contains the PGN ID.
  $rawpgn = substr($raw1939,15,12);
  # delete the spaces in the record format
  $drr= str_replace(" ","",trim($rawpgn));
  $rawpgn = $drr;
  # convert the 4 byte Hex number to Binary.
  $binpgn = base_convert($rawpgn,16,2);
  # base convert leaves out the leading 0, so we add it if the value doesnt start with a 1.
  # for a total of 32 bits to work with.
  $binpgn = str_pad($binpgn,32,'0',STR_PAD_LEFT);
  echo $binpgn."\n";
  # echo "67 - ".base_convert("67",16,2)."\n";
  # echo "C7 - ".base_convert("C7",16,2)."\n";
# below is the Binary breakout of the first 4 bytes after DL.

#     67       80       60       18
#  01100111 10000000 01100000 00011000
#  011 0 0 111 10000 01100000 00011 000
#     |   PGN here 18 bits   |       |Ign|

#     67       80       10       18
#  01100111 10000000 00010000 00011000
#  011 0 0 111 10000 00010000 00011   000
#     |   PGN here 18 bits   |       |Ign|
# 001111000000000011 - this is the binary of the 18 PGN ID bits
# DECIMAL IS 61443
# get the 18 bits we need from the 4 byte (32 bit) piece
$binpgnbreak = substr($binpgn,3,18);
# turn it to decimal since PGNs are listed in the book as decimal numbers.
$sourcebrak = substr($binpgn,24,5);
$decsrc = base_convert($sourcebrak,2,10);
$decpgn = base_convert($binpgnbreak,2,10);
# echo $binpgnbreak." - ".$decpgn."\n";
/*

Electronic Engine Controller # 2 – EEC 2
Transmission Rate : 50 ms
Data Length: 8 bytes
Data Page: 0
PDU format: 240
PDU specific: 3
Default priority: 3
PGN: 61,443 (0x00F003)
Byte: 1 Status_EEC2
    Bits: 8-5 Not Defined (Transmitted as 1111)
    Bits: 4-3 AP Kickdown Switch (SPN 559)
        00: Kickdown Passive01: Kickdown Active
        11: Not Configured
    Bits: 2,1 AP Low Idle Switch (SPN 558)
        00: Not In Low Idle Condition
        01: In Low Idle Condition
        10: Error Detected
        11: Not Configured
Byte: 2 Accelerator Pedal Position (TPS) (SPN 91)
    Resolution: 0.4% / Bit, 0% offset
Byte: 3 Percent Load At Current Speed (SPN 92)
    Resolution: 1% / Bit, 0% offset
Byte: 4 Remote Accelerator–N/A
Bytes: 5-8 Not Defined


Electronic Transmission Controller #1 ETC1
Reception Rate : 10 ms
Data Length: 8 bytes
Data Page: 0
PDU format: 240
PDU specific: 2
Default priority: 3
PGN: 61442 (0x00F002)
Byte :  1 - Status_ETC1
   Bits: 8,7 - Not Defined
   Bits: 6,5 - Shift in Progress (SPN 574)
     00: - shift is not in process
     01: - shift in process
     11: - N/A
   Bits: 4,3 - Torque Converter Lockup Engaged (SPN 573)
     00: - Torque Converter Lockup Disengaged
     01: - Torque Converter Lockup Engaged
   Note:  Rel 38.0 or later
   Bits: 2,1 - Driveline Engaged
     00: - Driveline Disengaged
     01: - Driveline Engaged
     11: - N/A
Byte:  2,3 - Output Shaft Speed (SPN 191)
   Resolution: - 0.125 rpm / Bit, 0 rpm offset
Byte:  4 - Percent Clutch Slip - N/A
Byte:  5 - Command_ETC1
   Bits: 8-5 - Not Defined
   Bits: 4-3 - Progressive Shift Disabled (SPN 607)
     00: - Progressive Shift Is Not Disabled
     01: - Progressive Shift Is Disabled
     11: - N/A
   Bits: 2,1 - Momentary Engine Overspeed Enable (SPN 606)
     00: - Momentary Engine Overspeed Is Disabled
     01: - Momentary Engine Overspeed Is Enabled
     11: - N/A
Bytes: 6,7 - Input Shaft Speed - N/A
Byte:  8 - Source Address of Controlling Device for Transmission
   Control N/A
*/
## now lets try to break apart a PGN because its
## Transmission related info from the ECM.
switch ($decpgn) {
  case "61440":
    ## the SPN's in this PGN use 8 bytes per the spec.
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61440 - $rawhexdata\n";
    # grab byte 1 - supported by Navistar.
    # last 6 bits are of use.
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);
    $byte1 = str_pad(base_convert($byte1,16,2),8,'0',STR_PAD_LEFT);
    echo "SPN: 572 Trans Retarder shift assist: ".substr($byte1,0,2);
    echo "  SPN: 571 Trans retarder brake switch: ".substr($byte1,2,2);
    echo "  SPN: 900 Retarder mode: ".substr($byte1,4,4)."\n";
    break;
    break;
  case "61442":
    ## the SPN's in this PGN use 8 bytes per the spec.
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61442 - $rawhexdata\n";
    # grab byte 1 - supported by Navistar.
    # last 6 bits are of use.
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);
    $byte1 = str_pad(base_convert($byte1,16,2),8,'0',STR_PAD_LEFT);
    echo "SPN: 574 Trans Shift in Progress: ".substr($byte1,2,2);
    echo "  SPN: 573 Trans TCC Lock call: ".substr($byte1,4,2);
    echo "  SPN: 560 Trans Engaged status: ".substr($byte1,6,2)."\n";
    break;
  case "61443":
    ## the SPN's in this PGN use 8 bytes per the spec.
    # FD 00 3D FF FF FF FF FF
    # 11110001 00000000 00111101 11111111 11111111 11111111 11111111 11111111
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61443 - $rawhexdata\n";
    # grab byte 1 - supported by Navistar.
    # last 4 bits are of use.
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);
    $byte1 = str_pad(base_convert($byte1,16,2),8,'0',STR_PAD_LEFT);
    echo "SPN: 559 Trans KickDown call: ".substr($byte1,4,2);
    echo "  SPN: 558 Engine Low Idle status: ".substr($byte1,6,2);
    # TPS
    $byte2 = substr($rawhexdata,3,2);
    $byte2 = base_convert($byte2,16,10);
    echo "  SPN: 91 TPS: ".($byte2 * 0.4);

    # engine load
    $byte3 = substr($rawhexdata,6,2);
    $byte3 = base_convert($byte3,16,10);
    echo "  SPN: 92 Engine Load: ".$byte3."\n";
    break;
  case "61444":
    # F1 FF FF 04 10 FF FF FF #
    #  11110001 11111111 11111111 00000100 00010000
    ## the SPN's in this PGN use 8 bytes per the spec
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61444 - $rawhexdata\n";

    # grab byte 1 - supported by Navistar.
    # last 4 bits are of use.
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);
    ## pad the Binary numbers with 0's or the Bin to Hex / decimal converter gets lost
    $byte1 = str_pad(base_convert($byte1,16,2),8,'0',STR_PAD_LEFT);
    echo "SPN: 899 Engine control mode: ".substr($byte1,4);
    ## bytes 2 and 3 unsupported. they are sent as FF in all of my captures

    ## bytes 4 and 5 are the engine RPM data.
    $byte4 = substr($rawhexdata,9,2);
    $byte5 = substr($rawhexdata,12,2);
    ## get a decimal number for our hex. bytes need reversed per spec
    $rpmdec = base_convert($byte5.$byte4,16,10);
    echo "  SPN: 190 Engine RPM Raw: $rpmdec  Real RPM:".$rpmdec*.125."\n";
    break;
  case "61445":
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61445 - $rawhexdata\n";
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);

    echo "SPN: 524 Trans Sel Gear:".base_convert($byte1,16,10);

    ## bytes 2 and 3 are gear ratio.
    $byte2 = substr($rawhexdata,3,2);
    $byte3 = substr($rawhexdata,6,2);
    $tratio = base_convert($byte3.$byte2,16,10) * .001;
    echo "  SPN: 526 Trans Ratio:".$tratio;
    $byte4 = substr($rawhexdata,9,2);
    echo "  SPN: 523 Trans run Gear:".base_convert($byte4,16,10);
    $byte5 = chr(base_convert(substr($rawhexdata,12,2),16,10));
    $byte6 = chr(base_convert(substr($rawhexdata,15,2),16,10));
    echo "  SPN: 162 Trans Req Range:".$byte6.$byte5;

    $byte7 = chr(base_convert(substr($rawhexdata,18,2),16,10));
    $byte8 = chr(base_convert(substr($rawhexdata,21,2),16,10));
    echo "  SPN: 163 Trans run Range:".$byte8.$byte7."\n";

    break;
  case "61452":
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT 61452 - $rawhexdata\n";
    $byte1 = substr($rawhexdata,0,2);
    $byte2 = substr($rawhexdata,3,2);
    $tccratio = base_convert($byte2.$byte1,16,10) * .001;
    echo "SPN: 3030 TCC Ratio: $tccratio\n";
    break;
  default:
    echo "SOURCE:  $decsrc   GOT Uncaught PGN - $decpgn - $rawhexdata    FULL: $raw1939   BIN: $binpgn\n";
    break;
}
}
# print_r($ggg);

#  01100111 10000000 00010000 00011000
#                    00010111
#     C7      F7       88       00
# 11000111 11110111 10001000 00000000
# 11000111 11110111 10001111 11111000
#                      143     248
#                       8F      F8
#                C7 F7 8F F8 08 FF 00 00 FF FF FF FF FF
# 38 99 80 8A 0D C7 F7 88 00 08 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 36
#|  TS       |DL|           |ML|   00 00               |
?>

I attached a sample of the test file.. and a PDF with some of the 1939 SPECs.. the forum only let me put small files up./


DDEC IV CAN bus J1587 J1922 J1939.pdf

j1939-raw-cruiser30-s.txt


-Christopher

[Dbacks2k4]

This thread is so cool - glad to see other techies like myself doing more with the electronics in the buses! I'm an infrastructure engineer by day... mostly network, firewalling/security, and server/storage solutions for small to mid-size enterprises and financial institutions. Coding isn't really my thing, but I can usually get by with tweaking stuff I find online - that's how I did my smarthome automation on SmartThings with WebCore.

Question - has anyone tried using a Nexiq usb-link with a digital dashboard software?

I already have a legit (not a chinese clone) one I bought for doing diagnostics on my commerical fleet. Would love to task it for everyday use in my coming-soon conversion (2006 IC CE300 - DT466e and 3000PTS). Was planning on putting in a windows or android tablet (or two or three) for a few different pilot seat functions... things like rear-view camera, Google Maps (I can't stand my Garmin anymore ha ha), and running the TSD OpenRoads app for finding fuel stops.

I would love to see a few other parameters that aren't on my factory dashboard in real-time and maybe a generic DTC error code box for anything that gets thrown. Servicemaxx isn't exactly tablet friendly and doesn't really do any dashboarding so was thinking of making my own dashboard to show a few parameters that my bus' dashboard doesn't have. I'll shell out some $ if I have to but always like using what I've got first

-Kevin

[cadillackid]

I havent seen any out of the box digital dashboard solutions that use the nexiq (the standard is RP1210A for the software).. Bluefire comes as close as any but manufacturers have proprietary data in their links that isnt always displayed.. the 2006 Navistar will have both J1708 and J1939 protocols in use.. the servicemaxx program uses J1708 to diagnose the engine.. several of us a while back figured out how to rip open Servicemaxx and find the IH specific data points.. they dont come across in the general stream.. many opf them need to be requested.. or you use a sequence of commands that starts a much more detailed data flow. something bluefire doesnt do (but it could).. Bluefire gives the source code away for windows and android.. (but not iOS).. and its commented pretty well.. pretty easy to modify it once you learn it..



your navistar communicates on J1939 for transmission / ABS / BCM (some of the IC busses have a BCM) related info.. servicemaxx will show the J1939 ID's online but doesnt display or diagnose any of those components.. though there is useful data there.. the Nexiq is capable of reading both datalinks simultaneously as it has wires for both in its connectors..



my situation is a little unique as I not only wanted the ability to display but to change things without a big fanfare.. esp as I dialed in my allison (that bus had an AT545 that i swapped out).. so I run an EFIlive on a windows surface 3 for my trans data as i can stop at a rest area and change a shift point or load my "mountain" tune as I go into the mountains which holds my allison in lower gears.. (ive since learned that I could change my whole shift pattern by inserting a couple more pins into my TCM and activiating an alternate Shift program... or by sending a J1939 command to the trans to engage such mode)...


I started on a complete glass dash (ditch the crappy bluebird push / pull switches ) but work projects took a precedence last year when intel announced the sudden EOL of the i210 / i211 ethernet chips.. the maker of my embedded server boards came out and said "we're in trouble".. so I went into full-bore to rebuild our software loads to run on other hardware in case his development cycle to the new ethernet chips resulted in a gap.. Luckily in 2020 when we were facing a downturn my biz partner and I made the decision to Buy Buy Buy while hardware was cheap rather than take big $$ from our banner 2019 year.. wow thats saved our arses.. nevertheless i can see the light so its time to strt back into roadtripping and building on my busses again.. alas I can travel to the mask-free states and enjoy life!



i'd love to know if you've found any good windows tablets that are 12 inches or larger to use in a bus.. my Asus 10 inch tablet is just a little smaller than id like.. and it doesnt have auto brightness.. I tried a surface PRO 4 in place of it but found that it didnt handle heat at all and shut down if I drove into bright spring / summer sun or had the defrost and heat on High even in winter.. the Asus fails to charge when it gets warm / cold so its issue becomes that the micro USB on it sometimes isnt enough to power it while reading and displaying data.



the surface 3 doesnt have that issue and has been pretty good so far but the software for the engine display uses more CPU than efilive so not sure if a surface 3 can do it or not..



I liek the bigger screens..



id also thought of putting a NUC under the dash and running an industrial style touch screen but havent got too far into that yet..



ive been driving my DEV bus more than the red one lately.. theres no digital dash in that as the engine / trans are all mechanical.. but it has ice cold dashboard A/C and better heat than the red one so its been my bus of choice lately. . the red one (electronic stuff) can get warm in hot summer as the road A/C is in the back.. I need to add another unit to the front..





I use some "bb-electronics" devices to read out raw data and parse it..

[Dbacks2k4]

Good write up, I always enjoy reading your posts.
I went ahead and bought a bluefire to play with. While I'd love monitor icp and the HPOP I may dig into the android versions source code a bit and see if I can make it do what I want. Otherwise I'm always going to have the nexiq and my laptop with me to fire up servicemaxx if I suspect something janky under the hood while driving. Will probably start with a cheap Samsung 8" tablet and see how it goes. Can always upgrade later and retask the 8" to victron management. Just won the auction for my bus tonight so trying to contain my excitement and go nuts buying toys when I've got a conversion ahead of me with material prices still sky high!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Dbacks2k4

Good write up, I always enjoy reading your posts.
I went ahead and bought a bluefire to play with. While I'd love monitor icp and the HPOP I may dig into the android versions source code a bit and see if I can make it do what I want. Otherwise I'm always going to have the nexiq and my laptop with me to fire up servicemaxx if I suspect something janky under the hood while driving. Will probably start with a cheap Samsung 8" tablet and see how it goes. Can always upgrade later and retask the 8" to victron management. Just won the auction for my bus tonight so trying to contain my excitement and go nuts buying toys when I've got a conversion ahead of me with material prices still sky high!

ha!! true that.. for me my busses arent converted so its all toys.. the DEV bus has a sort of mini conversion that gives me work space and a nice mobile network setup.. im waiting for musk to release starlink for mobile use... until then my Dual SIM Mikrotik router handles my network needs..


8" screens are small to me.. I like Big screens.. I love the fact my new RAM truck and my new Hybrid car have Dual screens... the car has no gauges.. the cluster is a screen..



the truck has tach and speedo but between and around them is all screen..

[cadillackid]

I know ICP is PID 164.. ive actually read it with a Bluefire.. but they refused to add it as a displayable parameter.. I think duty cycle for IPR is 154 and desired ICP is 155.. ill have to look those up again to be sure..



sniffinf the data link using a device like this.
https://www.advantech.com/products/e...4-40907dded911


formerly called an HDV100A3 is really useful as you can watch the various modules talk back and forth...



ive got a few of the HDV100A3 for J1708 sniffing.. and also some copperhill J1939 to USB boards that ive used to play..



you can learn alot by sniffing data as the engine idles.. then change something.. like unplug the ICP and see which data parameters stop changing, unplugging the IPR etc.. it will set codes which will show up in the data link but also certain parameters will become fixed so you know whatever you unplugged is the system related to the PID;s you saw go from variable to fixed..

[Dbacks2k4]

Haha I get big screens and toys. Love my Tesla Model S for that reason. My bus will be a full conversion so I can travel the country but a big chunk of floor space is going to be my mobile office so I can work from the road. Starlink will be part of that when I can get on. It's getting better but a ways to go. Will unfortunately be tied to lte for much more than ideal. I'll write up a post on my tech setup on my build thread soon. Ordered the parts last week, just waiting on everything to come in. Mostly fortinet based for the bus. My home office is a hodge podge...

[Dbacks2k4]

Originally Posted by Dbacks2k4

I'll write up a post on my tech setup on my build thread soon..

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/j...tml#post469733

[cadillackid]

you went a lot more involved than I did.. im using a mikrotik LTAP mini Dual SIM with an external 2x2 Antenna.. I have a Telit LM960 LTE modem that supports 4x4 LTE.. ive recently got it working nicely in MBIM mode and doing CA (carrier aggregation) I get really good LTE speeds.. the carriers charge a lot more for 5G service than they do LTE so im sticking with LTE for now.. the newer Modems utilize All of the extended LTE bands on CAT-12 and wor kreally well.. so far my antenna is just in the window.. I have a mast mount I'll mount to my mirror mast this summer.



I havent done much with wireless Client Access just because its a bit of a pain to write scripots for the MT to auto-login to Hotspot splash pages for things like starbucks.. if im in a Spectrum / Charter area then I can easily connect as a client to one of their hoitspots as it allows you on with just a password and if you have their home internet service its free and unlimited.



im with you on Wifi, 2.4 Ghz works better ive found.. 5 Ghz is fast but 2.4 has better range.. and when im on thwe road im not generally downloading Gigabyte sized files


my work is VoIP / Telecom / Software DEV / WebDEV for our own sites so I dont need alot of bandwidth.. I open a Tunnel to a DEV router in my NOC from the bus and thats how I access the bus remotely if I need to.. the Bus also reads the cellular signal and ping time to my NOC every minute while in motion and reports themn and GPS data back to the NOC.. this is helpful data when selecting LTE backups for customer sites .. if Ive travelled the area I know what the real-world carrier strengths are on either Tmobile or AT&T.



my switch is an off-brand POE managed Gig-E so I can have VLANs to be able to run multiple cloud-based and Hybrid phone systems in the bus..



the POE switch is standard 110 powered although if i had solar i could power it from 48 VDC.. but I dont camp or boondock really.. the bus is a mobile office and most nights when I sleep its parked in a hotel parking lot (im in the hotel business ,, most of our customers cut us deals on rooms.. esp if I fix minor issues or give them a little extra training or bump their feature version while on site.. often less than an hour worth of work and the customer is Happy)..



one of my customers insists on me putting my bus in their secure heated garage when i stay there.. which is nice since its in downtown chicago..



once starlink officially goes mobile ill get one.. right now i cant get one as they say my Ohio home address isnt schedule to be serviced until "sometime in 2023"... I could get it for my florida office address, however as i learned from someone that if an address isnt on their list they wont allow you to try and link it up.. which means it would be useless around home as nowhere in central ohio is "covered" yet.. although supposedly someone was able to link up and it does work here but their customer service wont turn it up here.. so until they officially go mobile im probably sunk for starlink. apparently if you try and roam too far from the current registered address it fails to operate even if the dishy can see the sats...

[!eslie.brewer.me]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

there are ways to build a digital dash with a mechanical bus, however it involves either buying or building a module.. and installing transducers.. a lot of work...

After much time, research, laughter and tears, I've decided to stick with the 545.

I am pretty sure I ruined my last one, myself. Out of sheer ignorance. I've never had a vehicle this new or an automatic nor driven a bus. I had no clue what it should sound or feel like driving.

I also did not do my due diligence and look under the bus to see what trans it had, when I got it. I basically acted like a 16 yr old school girl, buying her 1st car.

The last owner said it was a 2000 Allison. So, I ran it like it had overdrive and towed a trailer, all with no trans gauge. I don't think he intentionally lied, I don't think he ever looked either.

It was noticeably very hot on the floor, I ignored it like a dead-beat dad.

So, this time I'm gonna try to do it right. I've heard a lot of folks say that the 545 is a solid trans if cared for properly. Suggestions on how to do this the right way...

I just spent $950 on a new Weller trans, $283 on a hyper cooler, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N0N75W0...roduct_details, $$ on a relay with dashboard switch, $210 for the BlueFire 9 pin adapter $50 on Amazon Fire tablet, plus all the nickel and dime stuff to do all of this.

Any suggestions on a thermal bypass valve?

Also, being that the 545 is mechanical and not talking to the computer, how expensive and difficult would it be to get it to?

If that's out of reach, suggestions on a good temp gauge...

[cadillackid]

the 545 cant talk to a computer its a mechanical trans.. without lockup.. made for taking kids to school not towing trailers across the mountain country in a converted bus loaded with water and people and supplies and belongings..



ditch the trailer and go REAL SLOW up the mountains and maybe it will stand a chance...



the 545 has no solenoids or abilities to be computer controlled, it never did so there is no way to retrofit it to take commands from the computer..



it measures its input RPM by main pump pressure and operates a throttle valve by way of the crappy electric modulator on the side which equates to nothing more than an electric kickdown...(I guess you could say that electric modulator is its form of "talking to the computer".. as the computer calls for that to come-on when the engine load is high which raises the shift points to maximum and the shift pressures.. in the older mechanical engines that modulator was a true modulation.. it varied the shift point and shift pressures in conjunction with throttle position (a cable going to your throttle pedal)... in gas engines they monitored vacuum which is a good indication of engine load and throttle position.



you can stick with the 545's.. drive slow, ditch the trailer (ie travel with less stuff).. put on a big cooler, change the filters regularly, and you'll do fine for awhile..



remember what a school bus did in its original life.. it ran through stop and go traffic and neighborhoods dropping off and picking up people.. in this capacity lockup is actually a hinderance ( why allison used to not shift the lockup in until 3rd gear in the 643 because a bus in a neighborhood rarely made it to 3rd..



the only reason I keep the AT540 in my superior is because its one of the good ones from the 70's that made much better than the later series 545's.. and because its purely nostalgia for me driving a bus identical to one I rode to school with exactly the same sound and feel...



in the other 2 busses that I trek all over the country in, they are whole different busses with their 545's gone..



if you were flat-landing at 60 MPH without a heavy load and trailer then id say yeah put in a reman 545 , a big cooler, and things will prob be fine.. at least until you hit upper 90s heat in the south where your big cooler doesnt do nearly as much... but even still you'd do fine..



as for a temp gauge I am a stewart warner / autometer kind of guy.. VDO gauges are good too.. I dont skimp out on gauges.. other than smell, vision, and sound they are my eyes into the workings of the machine.. so i want good ones..

[!eslie.brewer.me]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

the 545 cant talk to a computer its a mechanical trans.. without lockup.. made for taking kids to school not towing trailers across the mountain country in a converted bus loaded with water and people and supplies and belongings..



ditch the trailer and go REAL SLOW up the mountains and maybe it will stand a chance...



the 545 has no solenoids or abilities to be computer controlled, it never did so there is no way to retrofit it to take commands from the computer..



it measures its input RPM by main pump pressure and operates a throttle valve by way of the crappy electric modulator on the side which equates to nothing more than an electric kickdown...(I guess you could say that electric modulator is its form of "talking to the computer".. as the computer calls for that to come-on when the engine load is high which raises the shift points to maximum and the shift pressures.. in the older mechanical engines that modulator was a true modulation.. it varied the shift point and shift pressures in conjunction with throttle position (a cable going to your throttle pedal)... in gas engines they monitored vacuum which is a good indication of engine load and throttle position.



you can stick with the 545's.. drive slow, ditch the trailer (ie travel with less stuff).. put on a big cooler, change the filters regularly, and you'll do fine for awhile..



remember what a school bus did in its original life.. it ran through stop and go traffic and neighborhoods dropping off and picking up people.. in this capacity lockup is actually a hinderance ( why allison used to not shift the lockup in until 3rd gear in the 643 because a bus in a neighborhood rarely made it to 3rd..



the only reason I keep the AT540 in my superior is because its one of the good ones from the 70's that made much better than the later series 545's.. and because its purely nostalgia for me driving a bus identical to one I rode to school with exactly the same sound and feel...



in the other 2 busses that I trek all over the country in, they are whole different busses with their 545's gone..



if you were flat-landing at 60 MPH without a heavy load and trailer then id say yeah put in a reman 545 , a big cooler, and things will prob be fine.. at least until you hit upper 90s heat in the south where your big cooler doesnt do nearly as much... but even still you'd do fine..



as for a temp gauge I am a stewart warner / autometer kind of guy.. VDO gauges are good too.. I dont skimp out on gauges.. other than smell, vision, and sound they are my eyes into the workings of the machine.. so i want good ones..

The cooler just showed up today. I'm working on figuring that thing out. Here is the one I got

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N0N75W0...roduct_details

From what I understand, I want to install it before the stock cooler.

I got this one because it can be installed anywhere, I don't want it under the hood, and I've read other members give it good reviews.

I was thinking in the skirting and making a scoop of some sort to catch air.

Coupled with that I got one of these too:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I picked up the reman trans for $500 and it will at least get me back on the road and out of the tiny town, Canadian Texas, that I've been stuck in for the last too many months.

It's just me and my two Frenchies, swf 41. Both my husband and my dad passed away this last year. So, I'm flying completely blind and dizzy.

I really wanted to put a different trans in but I'm in way over my head and need to get out of this town asap.

A little over a week ago, a local lit my bus on fire sometime before 2:30 am. Seems a bit counterintuitive to want someone to leave town but burn up their only way out.

Either way, I was fully insured but have to start my build, nearly completely over.

As far as I can tell, so far, the only real damage it did to the bus herself was the wiring in the rear.

I may not be great at trans knowledge but I'm one heck of a Shadetree electrician. So, I can fix the wiring lickety split.

I am also changing out the u joints while I've got the drive line down.

Any suggestions on them? I was thinking spicer specials, the greasable kind. Don't know the part # for them, yet.


I also ordered the Bluefire adapter.

After I get her road worthy enough to get out of here, I would like to find somewhere to go that I can focus on swapping out the reman 545 for something that fits my application better.

I'm savaging the trailer to help rebuild the interior of the bus and then scrapping it.

I have a 1981 Yamaha 550 that I was rebuilding that I really don't want to part with, in the trailer.

I was thinking about putting it on the hitch or even thru the back door. As I am turning the back into my workspace now.

I am a tattoo artist and Inventa Neer so the trailer was basically my shop/ workspace.

I don't know where to go from here but I do know that I need to get out of here and at least there is a little light at the end of the tunnel.

As always, suggestions and advice is beyond greatly appreciated and worth more than gold to me!

[cadillackid]

im a Big fan of derale coolers... never had a single issue with one and used many..



Ive never had an issue with a 545 not being warm enough.. even in subzero weather.. id not use the bypass block... locate your cooler underneath and it wont catch enough air to create an issue..



set up a thermostat for your fans (this unit doesnt include one).. id tend to locate the cooler back a ways so it doesnt catch engine heat..