# Allison MD3060 shut down



## jrdragdad

We have a 1997 Discovery motorhome with 5.9 Cummins and an Allison MD3060 six speed transmission on a Freightliner chassis. Yesterday we loaded up the motorhome and was backing up to hook up a trailer. The transmission went into neutral and the shift panel display for the Allison went blank. The engine and all other electrial systems continued to work. I pulled the parking brake. I shut the engine off. Then I could not restart. I checked all the fuses I could find. I even opened the cover to the VIM and verified those fuses. I measure 12.4 V on the Ignition fuse and 3.4 V on the ECU power fuses inside the VIM. Is this normal? What else can I check?


----------



## tommyruso

Allison MD3060 shut down

i have the same problem my do not shift lite came on and my computer went blank the touch pad has no power it happened when it got cold i can not even find my vim i want to hot wire that transmission and throw away the computer i wonder if it can be done or maybe put a old mt643 transmission in it that just had one cable to shift it like a normal tranmission i am tired of this transmission it makes me want to sell this deisel and buy a gas rv i have a 92 coachman royal it has a c 8.3 cummins and a spartan chassis md3060 allison transmission. who ever had the idea of puting a computer on a automatic transmission as if they are not already complicated enough should have their head examine. my reason for buying a deisel was to save money on fuel and maintence but the transmission has caused me to change my thinking. i could have bought a gas for half the money i payed for the diesel . know i would tell anyone dont worry about saving money on fuel .buy a gas they cost half as much and do not have the costs of these expensive repairs on diesel .because of this i would tell anyone not to buy a diesel. if u find out what could be wrong with it i mean the power lose to the cpu/cumputer please let me know thanks tom ruso 734-578-2872


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

I have the exact same problem with my MD3060 ECU (1994 Fleetwoot 5.9 Cummins) It goes completely dead when it's cold. I am able to reproduce the problem on demand by placing the ECU in the freezer for 5 min. It goes dead then I heat it with a hair dryer for about 5 min. and it comes back alive!
The sad part is I went to an Allison repair shop and they said it was $2500.00 for the ECU and $1500.00 for the control panel. $4000.00 and that's remanufactured with my exchanged unit. Ouch!

I searched information for several days on the net and I just happen to stumble upon one lone post with no replies. The guy said...."Allison ECU's repaired on the cheap.....under $500.00" and gave the web address for the company. I checked their site and they are an actual Allison approved repair facility. I called and they said it's a $370.00 flat rate repair for those ECU's. Wow what luck. I even talked to the repair tech and he sounds very confident in repairing my issue.

I have spent hours trying to find that lone post that tipped me off for this affordable repair service. I wanted to thank the guy for literally saving me thousands. I can't find it any where. It was on some RV forum I think.

My ECU is at DMR electronics right now being repaired (I hope). 
www.DMRElectronics.com The ECU is actually called a WTEC-II controller. I hope this helps someone else.

Jon


----------



## dbarton291

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

jrdragdad:  3.4V at the ECU power is too low.  ECU power should be 12V


----------



## dbarton291

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

jeeper:  who was it that quoted $4000 for an ECU and a shift pad?  Is this the same vehicle with the cruise control problem?


----------



## DL Rupper

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

Is this the same 6spd Allison that GM put in the 2006 Duramax/Allison combo? :dead:


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down



> dbarton291 - 9/16/2006  1:29 PM
> 
> jeeper:  who was it that quoted $4000 for an ECU and a shift pad?  Is this the same vehicle with the cruise control problem?



The quote was from a local allison dealer in Tacoma WA. I can find the name if you want. I found them from the Allison web site for service. I also read on the web somewhere that  is was this high. Do you know something different? 
I also read on an allison memo that they were not being manufactured any more (WTEC-II) due to no availability of certain chips

Yes the same coach that has the cruise issue.

Jon


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

The quote for $4000.00 was from 

Courtwright Diesel & Machine, Inc. 
Dealer 

1601 Bay Street East 
Tacoma, WA 98421 
Phone:  253-383-4888 
Fax:  253-572-4257


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down



> DL Rupper - 9/16/2006  3:21 PM
> 
> Is this the same 6spd Allison that GM put in the 2006 Duramax/Allison combo? :dead:



I don't know. Mine is an MD3060 from 1994. I would guess not.

Jon


----------



## dbarton291

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

WTEC II is not current production.  WTEC III has also come and gone.  Allison is now producing fourth gen controls.
The Allison behind the Duramax is the 1000 series.  It replaced the AT545.  The 1000 was originally sold as a five speed and is now available as a six speed.  The MD3060 was introduced in 1991 and is considerably larger than the 1000.


----------



## dbarton291

RE: Allison MD3060 shut down

I am not aware of any authorized remanufacturer of Allison WT controllers except the original manufacturer, and they're sold through Allison dealers and distributors.  Some 1000/2000 series ECUs were made and remanufactured by Delphi.  The other WT controllers were made and remanufactured by Motorola.  If DMR can fix that ECU for that price that sounds like a good deal.  It will most likely be warranted by DMR and not get the normal Allison parts warranty.  Maybe what they do will fix the cruise issue, too.  That would be a bonus.

I can't find any record of DMR as a dealer, but I know they are recognized by Allison in their tech data package as a supplier of the digital display units.  I have never dealt with them, but my understanding is they are good people, and very knowledgeable in electronics.

Good luck on this one.  It sure is a stumper.  Let us know what the eventual fix it.  Maybe it will help somebody else.

Courtwright is indeed an authorized maintenance dealer.  Sounds to me like you found the way to go with DMR.


----------



## dbarton291

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

Well, it's been almost a couple of months.  Did DMR repair your ECU for $370 jeeper?


----------



## DNB

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

We purchased our 1995 Scenic Cruiser about 1 year ago and I was told by the selling dealer that the previous owner had spent about $4000 to have the transmission  electronic control box replaced md3060. We have not had any problems after putting on about 10,000 miles however we get the word"service" lighted up while at idle rpms. Once I touch accelerator word goes away.Whats up with this?


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down



> dbarton291 - 11/6/2006  2:35 PM
> 
> Well, it's been almost a couple of months.  Did DMR repair your ECU for $370 jeeper?



I just got it back on Monday. They were unable to repair it. There was no charge and they shipped it back to me for free. They said they replace several surface mount caps and cured the going dead problem when cold. But then the ECU developed a couple of codes that they could not fix. Codes that it didn't have when I sent it to them. They made an honest effort and spent time on the phone with me several times. I thought they were very fair about it. They did tell me that they did not have complete circuit diagrams for the WTECII's They are still waiting for Allison to grant those to them. So their troubleshooting is somewhat limited at this time. They are fully certified with the older controllers and only recently moving into the newer controls. This is what I understand they told me.

Yesterday I purchased a brand new unit from a local Allison dealer. $2895.00 with calibration and tax. (Calibration program was over $300) They claimed that they saved me nearly $2000 off the list price.  A better deal than the last dealer I went to, that told me that you can only get reman. units with exchange. (Said that new ones were not available) And they quoted it higher than I paid for a newer updated ECU. This new Allison dealer said they didn't know of any reman units and even called another dealer and no one knew of the reman units. Something fishy about that last place. I purposely didn't buy there because I just felt something dishonest about the guy that quoted me the price.  I will be installing the new unit it tomorrow. Hopefully no surprises.


----------



## dbarton291

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

Good.  Sounds like you should be in business soon.  There is a bit of confusion out there about replacement controllers.  When Allison transmissions first went electronic in 1982, the ATEC controller available for service was a reman.  Honestly, I don't remember anymore which generations of controllers are serviced with remans, and which ones are serviced with new units.


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

I just plugged the new ECU in last week and drove several (about 60) miles The new unit worked fine. A little rough shifting at first but it got better and better in a short time. I do have 1 code that was immediate and not able to clear. (23-12) "Sump Temp Hot" Obviously not true since it was dead cold at the time. I thought I would drive it for awhile to see if it clears over time. May be wishful thinking. Is this possibly just a bed sender on the sump?

PS This didnt fix the speed sensor issue on the cruise control. I will follow up on that repair later.


----------



## dbarton291

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

Yeah.  May be bad thermistor in sump.  You might find the WTEC II troubleshooting manual part number TS2470EN a worthy addition to your toolbox.  You can get it at a dealer or distributor, or order it directly from www.allisontransmission.com for $60.


----------



## jljeeper@msn.com

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down



> dbarton291 - 11/18/2006  12:57 PM
> 
> Yeah.  May be bad thermistor in sump.  You might find the WTEC II troubleshooting manual part number TS2470EN a worthy addition to your toolbox.  You can get it at a dealer or distributor, or order it directly from www.allisontransmission.com for $60.



Thanks for the advice. I will definitely be picking up that manual.

Jon


----------



## s.harrington

Re: Allison MD3060 shut down

jljeeper... check with freightliner on your repair.  I don't know where your closest is but we have one in Mt. Vernon Wa.
They can usually take care of that cheaper than most.


----------



## u2cmefly82

I know this is probably a really old thread, but I hope my information can help someone. I own a 1993 Gulf Stream Tourmaster. About 2 months ago I went on a trip to the border of Oregon and California. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and when I went to go start it back up I got nothing. I tried and tried and tried and finally she started up. I realized that when I turned the key the WTEC II controller for the 6 speed Allison transmission was not lighting up when I was having trouble starting it. Over a couple months time it got worse. The screen would glitch out and flash on and off. If I could catch it while it flashed I could start the coach. Well I took it to a Allison shop in Ridgefield WA and they said the computer was going out and quoted me $6000 to replace it and reprogram it. I couldn't believe how much money they wanted, but when I looked around I found out it was a normal price. I was about to shell out the 6k when I found this forum and saw that certain people were able to repair it. There are a few companies out there, but I looked at reviews and saw good things about a company called Transmission Instruments in Texas. I called them up and John seemed very confident that he could repair it. He even told me it was a 98% chance he could fix it and if he couldn't he had the ability to transfer my computers programming into a working one. So either way I end up with a working computer. So I over nighted it to them and they received it this morning. I already got a call for them saying it was repaired and they re-manufactured the entire unit! They put a two year warranty on it as well! They have already over nighted it back to me and I should receive it tomorrow. The repair only costed me $497.00 and I couldn't be happier. I have the MD3060 Allison 6 speed for reference. Don't spend $6000 dollars! Save your self some money!


----------



## jerryboone

I had a WTEC II that went to "Do not shift" on the dash when I went to put it in gear. It occurred after driving for about 20 minutes with the air conditioner on, which had a vent that was blowing down on my feet right over the transmission shift ECM unit. I was able to get back home by applying heat to the case (actually heated it with hair dryer periodically). Coming from a background of electronic engineering and repair, I took the cover off the unit, heated it until it worked, and using air guster I started chilling the board in different places until it acted up again, which can be done while powered up. I found a faulty solder joint in the middle of the circuit board just under the main cover. Once it would fail, I would heat the circuit board back up and pin point the cold spray further until I found the specific component/solder joint that had failed. Once the cold hits the bad solder joint, it shuts down. If yours doesn't shut down when chilled, you are probably facing a different issue than I had, but from what I read, this is a very common problem and sounds like a manufacturing problem that affected most of these units.

Some salvage yards want $2000 for these things and no guarantee. If you don't know what you are doing, send it off, but if you have a little spirit and have done this kind of stuff before you will save some money, no re calibration necessary, maybe even continue your trip in a couple of hours. After I had soldered one of these two resistors (see *http://www.soarkansas.org/wtec.solder.jpg*, outlined in red), I could no longer get the cold spray to shut the unit down and it has been working without trouble for almost a year now. I even went out during the dead cold of winter to test it and smiled each time it worked. Don't even have to remove the board from the unit, just take the metal cover off and check it out. If you decide to solder, make sure you have a quality fine point tip gun. You will have to use your fingernail to scrap back some of the rubbery protectant stuff they applied. Also, these are surface mounted resistors and you need a 3rd hand to hold the resistor in place while re-soldering because the other end of the tiny resistor will de-solder as well and it will be a full fledged resistor soldering rodeo.


----------



## FullGrown

HELP!!  A very old post indeed however, there are those of us that have been searching for a long time. I have a 1997 Fleetwood Discovery Diesel pusher with the MD3060 and the WTEC II shifter.  Two years ago after driving about 4 hours I hopped of in a Wally World parking lot for some supplies.  When I got back to the RV, cranked right up and had "CatEyes" in the display.  Could not do anything.  No shifting into drive or reverse.  After a few phone calls to Freightliner NDF some looking around for the (which to this day I still haven't found) TCM, I JD to give up for the night due to darkness.  By recommendation of Freightliner I hit the disconnects on all power for the night.  Woke the next morning and everything was fine.  Cranked up and drove the remaining two hours to my camp site but the display digits were flickering and would black out, then come back on. The trip home a weeks later and there were no problems.  Left it parked until Fathers Day last year.  On the one hour drive to the camp ground for Fathers Day, the display flickered and blacked out a couple of times but I made it ok.  Drove it home the following Monday without issues except a bit of flickering. I still haven't found the TCM but I did easily locate the VIM.  This is the black box forward of the driver area that contains the 6 relays and two 10 amp fuses.  The fuses are good.  The relays (according to how I checked them per the YouTube video) are good as well. I decided to go on the hunt again today for the TCM and again, I cannot locate it.  Much more reading today and I read that there's a third monster called the "ECU" and this rascal is supposed to be either a part of or on the back of the shifter?  My shifter appears to be 2 1/2 inches thick. Before I began looking at the shifter, I cranked up, raised the jacks and leveled.  When I did this the display was fine.  When I went back outside after more reading, I cranked up and "CatEyes" on the display.  I have never seen CatEyes until over an hour into the drive.  Anyway, I started in the shifter but had to stop to tend to something else and will either remove it tomorrow or Monday. Anyone know what exactly is going on here other than the "Failure to communicate"?  Is my ECU on my WTEC II shifter? Do I need to check the TCM? Where is my TCM? Did I properly check my VIM? Any help would be appreciated as this started in November 2013.  Thanks


----------



## FullGrown

After 1.5 years of intermittent searching I found the TCM by accident.  Standing in front of the RV, directly in front of the driver, open the access door (what you would call the "HOOD" if it were a gasser") and you will see a big black box labeled "Chasis Electrical".  Inside this box is where my TCM was.  After talking to John at "Transmission Instruments" in Flower Mound Texas and explaining my problems to him, he said that either my TCM, Shifter or wiring was bad but he could rule out two of three possibilities.  Per his request I removed the WTEC2 Shifter pad and the WTEC2 TCM (also referred to as an ECU) packaged them securely in a box with bubble wrap and shipped them to him.  They contacted me Friday and told me they had received the units. I will update this post when I receive information from John or when and if I have everything back in place and my issue is resolved. I tried to upload photos but the forum tells me "Invalid_attachment_storage", then as I try to post "reply", I get an error message asking me to please upload at least one photo, lol


----------

