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LMTV M1078 Transmission Fluid Change To ATF Write Up

tburk49760

Member
398
10
18
Location
spokane washington
Another testimonial about lubing the pedal hinge.... So we are talking about the hinge that holds the pedal to the floor correct? And I see that it is encased in rubber/plastic. What lube are you guys using for this thing? This is amazing if it is what is causing the 3-2 lurch.

Thanks for the info.
correct. Where the pedal attaches to the floor. Wd40 then lithium spray.
 

aleigh

Well-known member
1,040
52
48
Location
Phoenix, AZ & Seattle, WA
I had the lurching problem, thudding 3->2 shifts, and sometimes, it would fight the brakes at stops Stopping I looked like a teenager driving a garbage truck for the first time it would bounce so much. It got to the point where I would lift the pedal at stops. Before I got around to lubing anything, the problem solved itself I think by just driving the truck enough and loosening up whatever in the pedal & linkages.

I figured it was just hungry after sitting idle and wanted to eat the car in front of it ...
 

osagehargraves

New member
19
0
1
Location
Burbank, Oklahoma
Another testimonial about lubing the pedal hinge.... So we are talking about the hinge that holds the pedal to the floor correct? And I see that it is encased in rubber/plastic. What lube are you guys using for this thing? This is amazing if it is what is causing the 3-2 lurch.

Thanks for the info.

Yes that's we are talking about, I used a silicone lube spray
 

Overdrive

Active member
411
96
28
Location
Wentzville, Missouri
220 Mile run after ATF switch over and Trip Report

Trip report...

Successfully made a 220 mile round trip to Ft. Leonard Wood in MO to pickup an M1082 trailer for a fellow SS member with the LMTV. Truck seems to like 52 to 53 mph on the highway. Transmission shifted great with a LOT of small hills all along the route. It downshifted well and had no driveline issues. Temps on the engine gauge hovered around 190 degrees with an ambient temp around 67 degrees. I had never had the fan clutch engage up till now so I had an eagle eye on the temp gauge on the return trip pulling the trailer. Clutch engaged once on the return trip at around 205/210 degrees. Heard the under dash solenoid release air and the clutch engaged like a frickin' freight train. Temps dropped almost immediately and the fan stayed on for less than a minute.

Have not messed with lubing pedal or linkage so still had the 3-2 downshift lurch on most of the trip. Played with feathering the pedal and pulling up on it with my foot before stop. Sometimes that worked and sometimes not.

Successful 220 mile test drive after the ATF swap with no negative results. Checked the trans and tcase temps with a laser meter and both were just fine. Trans running about 141 degrees on the case and tcase around 161 after I returned home pulling the 1082.

towing001.jpg

Other stuff

Had an issue with trailer lights on the return trip. ALL the lights on my truck were working but when I connect the trailer using the 24v side connector I only had a left turn signal and no brake or driving lights on the trailer. Checked bulbs and the trailer junction box but everything looked fine. Broke out the multi-meter and tested the pins on the truck side 24v connector and only picked up the left turn signal. NOTE: Put a multi-meter in your toolbox for your truck right now! Trailer did not have a 12v cable so no alternative. Hazards also did not work on the trailer. So, my truck was the culprit. Checked relays and circuit breakers but all seemed fine so just had to roll with it. Will break out the -20 and go thru the troubleshooting procedures. NOTE: Check the output at the trailer plugs on your truck before towing anything ;)


Air brakes are a beautiful thing...
Primary, above all else, was to make sure the air brakes on the trailer worked. Before the trip I checked my rear gladhands and did have a rotted seal on the emergency side so I replaced that and I had 3 more spares if needed. Hooked up the trailer and engaged the trailer brake knob in the truck and a woosh of air filled the trailer air tank. Did 3 or 4 brake checks in the GP motorpool for both trailer brake release and apply everything was a go! Brakes worked fantastic on the trip home and felt the same braking with a 6500lb M1082 as if I wasn't pulling anything. Fantastic!

Side note pulling an M1082 with an A0 LMTV...
Overall impression is, the trailer is obviously made for the LMTV with tracking, braking, and turning just phenomenal. However, the truck really feels underpowered on the highway pulling that much weight. Hills are an immediate slowdown. Didn't have any lugging or temp issues but it just feels like the truck doesn't have enough power for this setup. In town towing was just fine on acceleration. Couldn't imagine having a load in the truck and trailer without some seriously slow hill runs.

OD
 
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Lmtv772

Banned
651
18
0
Location
Florida
So I did the transmission fluid change as its described by overdrive and it worked out great, the transmission shifts a lot smoother. Thank you for this intelligent and useful post Overdrive.

Now here is a word of warning. Maybe you have purchased the same kit , I have bought, so you want to look for the fuel filter and transmission filter that fits LMTV , because the one provided in the kit does not fit.
View attachment 621519
I have purchased a STEWART AND STEVENSON M1078 4x4 LMTV FILTER KIT by a seller on eBay called tkssales3. the kit is NOT for an LMTV. the fuel filter is too long to fit in the spot, where it is supposed to fit.
The transmission filter is much longer than the one that came out of the transmission.
View attachment 621517
 
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Gearhead01

New member
5
0
1
Location
Potomac/MD
Great info! I have four buckets of Mobile ATF D/M and filters ready to go. How do you put the transmission in Calibration / Learn Mode?

Gearhead01
 

Overdrive

Active member
411
96
28
Location
Wentzville, Missouri
I don't want to misquote the relearn procedure. It's in the same -20 as the filter change, 2320-365-20-3. If I remember right it is mentioned in several procedures dealing with changing out the trans shift controller. Master power on wait for trans control light to show current gear, rinse repeat two or three more times. Don't trust my memory check TM. If I remember I will check TM.
 

Bikermoon2

New member
4
5
3
Location
Las cruces
I have a 1997 Stewart & stevenson m1078 with an Allison 7 speed. My trans fluid is red like trans fluid. The trans level is low, the manual says to use tes 295. Can I use ATF to top off the fluid?
 

Levelox

Member
33
4
6
Location
Montgomery Texas
Do you need to follow this same procedure if you are changing regular trans fluid to new trans fluid. In other words not going from oil to trans fluid? If I am changing trans fluid to trans fluid do I need to do a relearn?
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
5,150
3,466
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
I’m not recommending anything but the army still uses 15w40 in the older ones and dexron 6 in the new ones
Correct but as stated many times they do so not for performance or longevity but simply to keep across the board one lube for their multiple number of vehicle engines AND Transmissions . Too many in here along with transmission professionals have noted much improvement in longevity and drivability when using tranny fluid instead.
 

Levelox

Member
33
4
6
Location
Montgomery Texas
My LMTV had engine oil in the transmission and I wanted to go to Shell Spirax. I found a place in Houston, Reliable Transmissions, that only deals with Allison Trans. They did not have to do multiple fill and drains, They did a transmission flush after they drained the engine oil out of my trans and put in new filters and everything works way better. No more slamming into 4 gear when accelerating, and no more hard downshifts. I provided the trans oil and they only charges 395 to do the drain, flush and refill with the spirax.
 

Levelox

Member
33
4
6
Location
Montgomery Texas
Post edit

When I first picked up my truck it seemed to shift smoother, but after driving it over 50 miles it seems to shift like it did before. Driving it home it seemed not to slam so hard but maybe that was wishful thinking. I posted that it shifted smoother before I had a chance to put more miles on it. Still shifting pretty hard but as this thread states, I am sure it is because of low gearing. I was able to change the shift points in my Dodge truck with a programmer, I know a totally different animal, but has anyone ever heard of being able to change Allison shift points electronically with a programmer? I was hoping to get smoother shifting from it but my main goal was to get the oil out and get trans fluid in to make the trans last longer. During Hurricane Harvey me and 3 other guys with big trucks rescued 156 patients from an old folks home that were wheel chair bound or otherwise compromised. They swat team drowned out their high water vehicles and they were happy we showed up on the scene. Another reason I changed ALL fluid was because we were in 5' plus water for 8 hours that day.
 
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