I did a search last night and couldn't find this discussed, so I thought I'd bring it up here. Has anybody heard about problems with the Allison Autos? I heard that they kind of like to down shift to much with a heavy load and cause the motor to blow. I was also told that is a reason they don't use them in over-the-road trucks is because they will do the same thing when pulling mountain passes. So I was wondering if anybody else had hear about this, and if they think Ford could have the same problems with their autos. I'm not to big on automatics so I don't know a lot about them and the different technology in the different makes.

 

The chevy dealer that is on the other site I visit frequently says that they are haveing some minor problems with the tranny. Most problems seem to be with the electronics with few problems with the tranny its self. All in all it is a good tranny only problem is that when you exceed the Hp limit of the tranny getting aftermarket parts to make the tranny stronger is very $$$$ if you can find any at all.

 

my cousin blew his duramax in his dually because of the tranny at 8000 miles. the thing dropped down into low gear on a hile the thing just burried the tach. traded it for a 03 duramax this one made it to 6500 miles and back to the shop. it's amazing how someone will buy something just because it says chevy on it.

 

That works for all models. would you buy another Ford if it did the same? I would buy a Dodge again. why Because I had better luck with them more than chevy and Ford.

 

no I would start looking elsewhere

 

i'd just buy somthing that didn't have a computer on it

 

my torque shift doesn't tach out the truck the thing works great.I pull a 10000lb trailer.

 

I know there are Diehard Blue Ford guys just like Dodge and Chevy. Most of the guys on this site are diehard ford guys thats why they spend so much time on here. I spend alot of time on Dodge sites. But I would be safe to state that if i started haveing problems one after another out of my Dodges that I would go else where. I like the looks of a dodge better than a ford or chevy but if it WAS broke down all the time it would not get the work done I need it to.

 

Yeah, but the point is, if I bought a $40K truck and it blew the engine in 8,000 miles....and then I got another one and it was in the shop at 6,500 miles....I'd buy something different. I don't care which company makes it, if it's that junky I don't want it. Hearing this story about a GM truck doesn't surprise me one bit. But if one day in the future Ford trucks become low quality like that too, then I'll quit driving them. It's plain and simple...I just want trucks that are dependable, and so far Ford has been just that. So I'm a Ford fan.

 

My point to the tee. I just bought my King Ranch F-350 crewcab in april.The 6.0L is awesome, well the whole truck is actually. Always had good luck with my ford's.And the way I abuse them it says alot to me.I had a 2000 silverado, tranny started slipping at 15000 miles. all that money you can keep it!

 

heavy duty transmission. My dad fixed the county dump-truck allisons in Boulder, Colorado. He dropped the trans by using the normal car lift as a trans jack... Heavy. Was a very simple and strong design, and made the trucks and engines last a lot longer than if the idjuts driving them had to figure out when and how to shift...
Can't comment on the newer models durability or longevity. Allison made a good turbine engine, too. Weighed about 200 pounds and put out LOTS of torque.. enough to run a helo.
Overall, I'd trust the Allison more than a Hydramatic behind a large engine.. but the TH400 was a GOOD transmission...
tom

 

Allison Is a great tranny. If I could get an allison in my truck that would be nice. NOT worth the money but it would be nice. For less money I could take a stock Dodge tranny and $4k later It would be bullet proof. I don't like autos so I will stick with my 5spd soon to be 6spd truck.

 

Yeah dman but youd be stuck with 4 gears and lockup. There are advantages to having more gears. The disadvantage I see is it eats up 10% more torque than a 4 speed.

 

Ok, I got to thinking more about this, and I guess I can see how any auto would shift down to low to blow the motor, even though they shouldn't. We have a '97 Chevy with a 454 and auto. If you are going 65 towing and try to maintain that speed up a hill and put your foot into it while in 3rd gear, it will down shift into 2nd and send the tach up around 4500 rpm. I don't like that which is why I bought my Ford. I can see how a 5 speed auto would be more of a problem because of the closer ratio's so it might down shift one more gear, say into 2nd from 3rd, and cause things to blow. I'm not trying to pick on Chevy, it's just what I've had experience with and I heard the stories about the Allison. Does anybody know if Ford has a way to keep that from happening and does it work?

 

But If I was going to pull that kind of loads all the time I would have a 6spd or 5spd so that I could use max HP instead of letting the TQ and tranny lose it throught the drivetrain.