Posted by Gordon Maney on Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 8:02PM :
Gradually over about 30,000 miles my 2001, Cummins powered, 6 speed trans truck went from proper clutch operation to an ever more frequent, intermittent failure of the clutch to disengage adequately to fully stop the input shaft of the transmission. This caused it to go from neutral to any gear with some difficulty, and finally, at times, not at all.
The problem was that it would not do it often enough so the dealer could see it, and by the time it did it often enough for them to see, it had ruined the synchronizers in the transmission. They decided it was cheaper to replace the entire transmission than to repair it.
In the course of their diagnosis, they replaced the so-called "clutch linkage," an assembly of the clutch master cylinder and the slave cylinder, along with the accompanying lines and fittings. It is apparently replaced as a non-serviceable assembly, requiring no bleeding, and, actually, has no bleeder valves.
It worked fine for a thousand miles or so, then the problem began creeping back. Three days ago it would not go into any gear. Yesterday it would not go into any gear twice during the same trip. I had to shut the engine off to get into gear, start it, then drive away. Careful shifting allowed it to shift while on the go, though, no surprise to you, it is not a best shift quality.
In each case, driving it for a while at highway speeds somehow ended the problem. When it did it last night, it had been idling for about ten minutes in a parking lot, as it was very cold. After a highway trip home of about 15 miles, it was fine, and went into any gear without difficulty.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS (and even the first failure time....) it shifts into gear just beautifully when it is first started and cold. The times it happens are when it is warm, and worse, during stop and go, city traffic.
It goes back to the dealer Tuesday morning. My concern is that I only have about 1,000 miles of warranty left. I can't afford one of these 6-speed transmissions on my own. It needs to be fixed correctly, and finally.
Any ideas?
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