Great Road Trip (got an education)

[Melbo]

Took an annual road trip that covered 2755 miles and only had one minor inconvenience.

I was parked for about 20 hours at westbound exit 107 on Interstate 44 in Missouri.

The brainbox for my transmission took a vacation to visit the scarecrow in the land of OZ and now the scarecrow would be considered shiftless (at least my transmission was).

Cruising down the road at slightly over 60 miles an hour and everything seemed to be working but there was no power to the drive wheels.  I coasted up an exit ramp and parked in a safe place and tried every thing I could think of to make my transmission go into gear but all to no avail. I made a call to my transmission specialist and wouldn't you know it he had just left for the day. I called another person who might be able to help and he told me if I could wait til the morning to do so and get the best information.

We had plenty of water in the tanks -- satellite tv -- internet access and a full load of diesel to keep the genny running. The next morning I tried my same old routines again to no avail and then I sat and waited for people to arrive at work so I could get the best information -- made arrangements to park the coach and rent a car if necessary and all the other JUST IN CASE plans you can make while waiting for your specialist to call. Well I finally got the call and he told me I was running an antique transmission that would tax his memory of what to do. I had the manual for the trans and the trouble shooting guide and had done all the appropriate stuff to help him out. Long story short we made a lot of phone calls and did a lot of trouble shooting ( the transmission was doing everything it was supposed to ) and he explained to me how to bypass the brain box and by connecting wires in different sequences I was able to engage  the transmission and drive the coach.  The only unusual moments came when we drove through cities (try to disconnect and reconnect as fast as the brain box when you are in traffic) and up mountains ( a good copilot is important at these moments ).

Made it home safely and MUCH wiser and I now know how to solve one more on the road problem.

I did not post here while I was parked because I did not think that I would find any ZF help here -- I may have been wrong but it all worked out just fine.

Melbo

[Stormcloud]

Hi, Mel:
Glad you and Billie made it home, safe and sound.
All I can offer is moral support in your quest to resolve the problem.
Keep smiling!
mark

[DMoedave]

Good job. where did you travel and how were the temps? Glad you had a good time.

[bobofthenorth]

I knew there would be no good ever come from them fancy new-fangled otttomattical transmissions. 

Glad to hear you made it home in one piece without having to get out any of that moldy money.

[JohnEd]

Might ONE ask what the jumping and disconnecting amounted to in terms of terminal numbers and such?.  That should be a contingency plan for any with that trans.  I heard that ZF parts were spendy and hard to come by....how are you doing with the fix.

The main difference between you and me is that mine would have crapped out on the Long Island Expressway.  That's the interstate with the 12 inch parking shoulders...where they have any at all.

Glad you are all OK and cheaply home at last.

John

[Melbo]

Mark -- Billie didn't take this trip with me it was my son Robert

Dave --- I went from Albuquerque the northern route Denver Nebraska Iowa Illinois Missouri Oklahoma Texas back to New Mexico

Bob --- Otttomattical transmisssions work better than standard transmissions when you don't know the shiptting pattern on the standard

John --- as you know all the wires have numbers on them -- this is from memory 18 is forward 14 is reverse 5 is low (used for both forward and reverse) 8 is second 11 is third 17 is high and 2 is lock up --- so seven long jumpers and a 24 volt power source with multiple taps (3) engage the direction connection then change through the gears as necessary and don't change gears when you have wire number two engaged (lockup) worked pretty well for 800 miles or so. 

Now just send in the parts for refurbing or locate some other old part (I think I already have)

Melbo

[JohnEd]

Melbo,

With those wires run to switches mtd on a board, the driver could operate the trns with a tach from his seat.  Have you considered what else you might purchase with the money you had set aside for the trans CU?  I don't see the problem.   We are all striving to be unique....right?

John

[Melbo]

John

I did make a switch console that I have used since I got home and it works just fine but is not as easy as the push button -- load sensor and brain box set up -- I think I will go back to the original setup and add a set of led's (with resistors ) that indicate the status of the transmission

Melbo