Eco Hub install

[Mk23]

So my Eco Hubs are mounted. I still need to relearn transmission, since it feels like all my shift points are now wrong, but other than that, I am super impressed. Took a 20min quick test drive, accelerates to 65 fairly quickly (GPS verified, I still need the correct setting on the switches of the speedo). Truck is a 98 A0 1079, need to make the gov tool and turn up the screw a little. But even with the A0, speed wants to keep climbing!

I do have the bigger Turbo, but yet to install it or find the governor that goes with it. I would also love to install a PacBrake, because as I said, the truck actually coasts now, when you let off accelerator. A very strange sensation, I have to say, in a good way, until you are faced with a significant downhill!

I can't even begin to describe how QUIET it is though. I am going to have to address the wind noise around the doors now too. Had never heard it before. I did also install a set of the prototype metal/rubber gaskets on one side of the truck to test them out. One thing I do what to add, it might seem obvious to everyone else, but first adapter plate, I actually installed the wrong direction. Had to clean off RTV and all and re-install it. All and all, it took me about 6-7 hours. Wasn't dithering, but most of the time was spent cleaning surfaces.


3m product, great for cleaning flat gasket surfaces. Been suing it for years on transmission pans and sealing surfaces.

Clean!

Attached the wrong way, time to swap it around. DOH!!!!


One more tip, on the new design with the threads to the outside for removal purposes. Put the bolt on "before" you RTV it in place, otherwise you will be cleaning RTV out of the hole/threads. New fill hole design works perfect too, put a a quart in each hub in no time. Need to get a bigger pump to refill rear diff though. That was tedious.

Finished product! Love the clean look.
Man, I can't wait for some longer trips now!

Gaskets used for testing purposes. So far, so good. No leaks. Will report back.


So questions remaining. Speedo reads exactly 50% of GPS speed. Does someone have a link for changing speedo switches?



Anyone have a line on a 290hp governor and or pacbrake to go with my 290hp turbo?

 

[Ronmar]

Howmuch did you put in the front hub?

 

[Mk23]

Howmuch did you put in the front hub?

I put a quart in which is what my instructions said.. On the rear, I had not put the drain plug on the diff in, and I noticed when I put a quart in the hub, it was enough to flow back to diff. Just a little trickle though. Truck was perfectly level on concrete pad.

 

[Keith Knight]

I’m curious on real world power. I’m running a 2003 M1078A1. I had caterpillar change the engine ECU to 330 HP. Converted into a RV with high speed gears and 28,000 lbs and getting 6.5mpg. Just finished a 3,500 mile road trip on windy mountain roads and honestly not totally impressed with the up hill power. So I can’t imagine the power loss with this set up. Would love to hear real world results after a couple 1,000 miles.

 

[Mk23]

Yeah, I'll let you know. I plan on driving it more now, with the Eco hubs. I usually daily drive a HMMWV most year round, so I am used to military vehicles...

I’m curious on real world power. I’m running a 2003 M1078A1. I had caterpillar change the engine ECU to 330 HP. Converted into a RV with high speed gears and 28,000 lbs and getting 6.5mpg. Just finished a 3,500 mile road trip on windy mountain roads and honestly not totally impressed with the up hill power. So I can’t imagine the power loss with this set up. Would love to hear real world results after a couple 1,000 miles.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I’m curious on real world power. I’m running a 2003 M1078A1. I had caterpillar change the engine ECU to 330 HP. Converted into a RV with high speed gears and 28,000 lbs and getting 6.5mpg. Just finished a 3,500 mile road trip on windy mountain roads and honestly not totally impressed with the up hill power. So I can’t imagine the power loss with this set up. Would love to hear real world results after a couple 1,000 miles.

I don't have any problems with power at all. With being able to load the torque converter it effectively replaces the 2:1 hubs for light weight applications (and by "light" I mean not 60k lbs).

I'm running the 370/931 map on my C7 but my friend with a 2003 M1078A1 doesn't have any complaints about power.

I would say you would likely want to switch back to the 3.90's. But totally worth the +3 MPG and drivetrain longevity. I can honestly say with an overland LMTV I can't imagine you not being happy with the upgrade. You'll just have to keep reading about success stories I guess or try someone's truck that's done it. I don't know how else to convince you.

 

[Lostchain]

I’m curious on real world power. I’m running a 2003 M1078A1. I had caterpillar change the engine ECU to 330 HP. Converted into a RV with high speed gears and 28,000 lbs and getting 6.5mpg. Just finished a 3,500 mile road trip on windy mountain roads and honestly not totally impressed with the up hill power. So I can’t imagine the power loss with this set up. Would love to hear real world results after a couple 1,000 miles.

My observation is that the uphill performance doesn’t change. What gear you need to maintain the previous speed does. So if you used to climb the hill in 7th gear, you might be down in 4th or 5th for the climb. I have the same truck as you minus the high speed gears, and I put my M1082 trailer on my (slightly heavier) winch truck, which gets me within striking distance of your 28k and I pulled my test hill with no noticeable reduction in top speed up the hill. In general it may actually be faster up the hill. Before I was screaming the engine beyond its peak torque, and so basically on that particular grade the truck would generally bog back down to where it had more torque, which on the old hubs, wasn’t all that fast.

The last place I need to test these hubs is at the dunes. I would have done that this weekend but Mother’s Day got in the way

 

[Ronmar]

The fronts originally took 13oz each when empty. You confirm this ammount by setting the filler port to the 4 O'clock position and seeing if oil just starts to come out.

The gears have been removed, but the volume of the hub has also been decreased significantly.
It is not good to too deeply submerge wet bearings(oil level around middle of lowest ball or roller is typical). Now of course this sump is rotating, but they chose that 13oz and 4 O'clock static height for a reason…

I belive we should continue to use the same 4 O'clock fill method specified in the manual for the front hubs. This puts the fill level just under the bottom of the axle shaft and in the vicinity of the lower bearing roller...

You cannot overfill the rear hubs without overfilling the rear diff. Normal rear diff level (bottom edge of fill hole to 1” below), will yield below axle center height in the hubs. I don’t think we should go over that level in the front hubs…

 

[serpico760]

Where can I find the information how to do the transmission relearning sequence for the A1? Not that I need it at the moment because I can't afford this upgrade yet but when I do...

 

[Ronmar]

Where can I find the information how to do the transmission relearning sequence for the A1? Not that I need it at the moment because I can't afford this upgrade yet but when I do...

In the manual… Cycling the power on till you get a trans display, then off, 6 times in a row should do it. On the 6th power on, fully depress and release the gas pedal so the TCU can relearn the throttle min and max positions, then press the start button and go drive it.
i think this is as much for recalibrating the TCU min-max throttle position as anything else. From what I understand the Allison is always learning/refining its shifts…

 

[Mudbayoverland]

In the manual… Cycling the power on till you get a trans display, then off, 6 times in a row should do it. On the 6th power on, fully depress and release the gas pedal so the TCU can relearn the throttle min and max positions, then press the start button and go drive it.
i think this is as much for recalibrating the TCU min-max throttle position as anything else. From what I understand the Allison is always learning/refining its shifts…

You would be correct on the continuous learning. Resetting puts it back to a baseline to start from again. Often suggested after fluid changes or drivetrain changes. The 1000's are the same in terms of continually learning however they're rest via a scan tool.

 

[RandomThinker]

Probably dumb question but what oil did you use?

 

[Mk23]

75w90 Synthetic gear oil

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra1Plus-75W-90-Synthetic-Gear-Gallon/dp/B0885YTHKG

They also sell it in Qts.

Probably dumb question but what oil did you use?