Well.. after flushing out my tranny a second time I'm still having sporadic shift issues & slippage under moderate acceleration. I also have some kind of trouble with the coast clutches I think. It has some hold back when In OD, but in the lower gears, the truck goes to idle. It doesn't cause problems in my every day travels, but I definately don't want to hook onto the 5th wheel & be stuck somewhere & need to get them both towed home...

So I figured, its time for a BTS.. I've read so many great stories.. like this one ( Here's a BTS story for ya... - Powerstroke Nation ) and I'm convinced this is the way I want to go. I called yesterday & have an appointment for Oct 5th. Its gonna be a long anxious month. I'm not sure about the drive out, mapquest shows it at 918 miles & just under 15 hours and i'm sure thats no stops..lol I just hope the tranny holds out to get there. I'm sure the trip home will be a lot more fun.

 

Good luck Gregg. I am jealous!! HAha

 

Hey Gregg. You will not be disappointed. I had a great time talking with and watching Brian build my trans. He don't mind answering any question you have. Ask him about the parts he has made, and who buys parts from him for their builds. While driving there, I didn't think there was a place flat enough to put a shop on. lol.

 

Very cool. You will love your unit.

 

Gregg,

I grew up near Irwin in the Penns Woods subdivision back in the 60's. You're probably coming down I-70 to I-70/I-55, jumping onto I-44 in St Louis, then heading to Springfield MO to catch Hwy 65. If you have any trouble, give me a call at (618) 530-4337; I'm just east of St Louis and I have a large trailer. I'm headed back to BTS for the third time.....I trust them when it comes to adding "stuff" to my truck. V/r Les

P.S. Congrats on the BTS tranny, you'll love it.

 

Im about 45 mnutes west of lead hill again as others have said if you encounter difficulty PM me and I will give my number. Rick- lol about the flat spot! gotta love these boston mountains!

 

When I went up there, I stayed in Harrison, at the HOTEL-8, I think it was. I did enjoy the ride up there.

 

BTS has built me 2 new trannies this year and Brian has been the best on the first one and rebuildiing it again.

I won't give you all of the details (its' on the forum), but the TC locked up, (we think the installer did not blow the cooler lines out) and the Center Shift broke (I think I broke this backing up to my camper to take it to Lead Hill). I drove this broken transmission 250 miles pulling a camper. I never put the RPMs over 2,000 on the trip... on the flats I could get it to 60MPH and on the hills (there are some big freaken hills in the Ozarks) I would get down to 20MPH. I had added 7 qts of ATF on the short trip and in talking with Brian along the way, he knew that the plan had changed from a 'repair' to a complete over haul.

We stayed at a campground about two miles away from his shop while he was to over haul it late on a Wed after noon and finish it up the next morning.

I had alsways wanted to have installed a 6.0 cooler and now was my chance (the wife was agreeing to 'fix it' so I was 'agreeing' to get the best toys). I called Brian the following morning about installin a 6.0cooler... He told me, "I have Already installed one", (before I had asked him to) he said, "I was not going to let you leave with your old cooler still in there in the condition that it may be in, weather you paid me for it or not. The 6.0 is installed in front of the fan and pulls air all the time, the 7.3 cooler is installed lower and only cools when you are going down the road".

I said that is why I called, I will gladly pay him for it.


Cost to rebuild a 3month old BTS (that was trashed by no fault of BTS) 0.00

cost of removal and install... 0.00

cost for 6.0 cooler 450.00

BTS even drained my transfer case and put new oil in it .... Free

They topped off my radiator over flow (I knew it was low before I got there)
They topped off my windshield washer tank (I knew it had been low)


My wife and I had a great time camping.

I got a new BTS built and installed to BTS standards

for the cost of a 6.0 (which i had wanteed for a long time.

I salute BTS For the service they gave me.

 

Thanks guys.. I'm sure I won't regret it & I look forward to watching him do the rebuild.. it will be a great learning experience. Up until recently, I didn't know much more about auto trannys other than you use the gearshift lever to make it go in the direction you want..lol


Les & Alan.. Thanks for the offers if I get in a bind.. I hope I can make it without problems, but it is good to know that I have someone for help if I get in a bind.. Thats what I love about FTE, a great bunch of guys always willing to help out a brother.

Les.. Its a small world huh? Have you been back this way at all? This area has GROWN so much.. not to much farmland left anymore.. housing plans & shopping malls popping up everywhere. All the Pittsburghers moving out this way into the new housing plans with $250k - $500k houses right on top of each other with no yards.. The route you said is the way mapquest plotted the route. Does 15 hours sound about right? I'm guessing more to figure in food/fuel stops..



Brother Les, thanks for the story.. Thats the kind of stuff that reassures me I am doing the right thing.. I wish we could make a little vacation out of it, but I am afraid to even attempt towing our 5th wheel that far. maybe another time

 

It takes me 4 hours from home to get to his place (no stops), I think approximately 15 -17 hours depending on stops, construction & traffic is a good estimate.

We moved back to Wilkinsburg from Penns Woods when I was young; it's were I graduated from high school. Served 30 yrs in the USAF after that. Been back to Pittsburgh many times to see the folks and 3 high school reunions. I was just there in June. GO STEELERS.....but shame on Roethlisberger!

 

Hmmm....Mapquest is showing 10 hours to St Louis... and then almost 5 from St Louis to Lead Hill.. I have to work until midnight on Sunday & be at BTS for 8'ish on Tuesday. Thats not leaving a lot of time for 2 nights sleep..lol How long does it take you to get home when you come back this way ?? I'm figuring on driving straight thru & spending the night in the area close to his shop... Maybe Branson off I 65??

 

there are a couple of small motels within a mile of his shop that fishermen use while they are there at the lake. that time of year should be no problem of getting a room cheaper than Branson/Holiday area. If your tranny is going out, I would not suggest pulling your 5-wheel that far. I went 250 miles in five hours and always on the look out for a place to drop my camper and have AAA tow me the rest of the way. The Hills going into Branson will kill what ever is left of your trans and Lead Hill is still 30-50 miles beyond that .

 

This is the place to stay: Sugar Loaf Inn - Welcome to Bull Shoals Lake

It takes me approximately 9 hours door-to-door from New Baden to Wilkinsburg; depending on traffic, road construction and the amount of bathroom breaks my wife needs.

 

Well, about 34 hours until the adventure begins (I hope) I'm figuring on leaving around 3 - 4 am on Monday & spending the nite in Branson. My TC has really been making noise lately when coming to a stop. I'm just hoping my luck holds out after work tonite & tomorrow nite & then on the trip out..

 

Have a good trip! I'm sure you will come back home with a smile on your face.