Possible Allison bug in 139?

[Big Mike]

Possible Allison bug?

Flashed a tune in my AL5 (which has been perfectly successful many time before) that I made a few minor TCC release/apply speed adjustments to and now I have no TCC function when in tow/haul and I can't figure out why, didn't even make any adjustments to any T/H tables. After discovering I had no TCC function, as a test I reflashed the last perfectly working tune back in and still have no TCC operation in T/H?

It had been a while since the last flash on the trans and between those points I updated from build 133 to the current build 139. Could it be a bug in the build 139?

Should I try a full flash? Never had to do that on this trans before but I'm not sure what to do next.

I'm including the tunes. First one is the one I ran for over a year that worked fine. Second one is the one I flashed in with the current 139 build that'ss caused the TCC issue and I also included the stock tune just in case someone wants to compare the two previous tunes with the stock one.

[joecar]

Hi BM,

Try with latest software/firmware: March-05-2011-release-candidate-2 (http://forum.efilive.com/showthread.php?15845-March-05-2011-release-candidate-2)

[Big Mike]

Excellent Joe and quite honestly I don't know why I didn't think to do so. I'll give it a go and post back with an update. Thank you.

[joecar]

Mike, if it still fails with the latest software, I'll notify Paul.

[Big Mike]

It's still a no go Joe. Updated to build 155 and updated firmware to the requested 2.07.07 and flashed the last known good tune in (marked as "current" in the tunes I posted above) and still have no TCC function what so ever in tow/haul. It still works perfect in normal mode though and have no DTC codes of any kind. In fact if you wasn't aware the TC is supposed to apply in 2nd thru 5th in tow/haul you'd never even know there was anything amiss, everything else works fine as it always has.

[ScarabEpic22]

Flash the stock tune back in and see if it comes back, sometimes tune files can get corrupted and starting from scratch eliminates some weird issues.

[Big Mike]

That's the next move I was planning unless a different/better idea was recommended first. I also plan to use the original tune file that I have backed up on a flash drive just in case a possible file corruption was caused by an issue with those I store on the laptop itself (BTW, anyone ever have that happen?)

And thanks a bunch guys. I'l post an update as soon as I have one.

[Big Mike]

Tried a known previous good trans tune (stored on an external drive from a year ago) and also tried flashing with the high speed unchecked this time although that was never an issue, and still no improvement. I'm at a loss at this point but I think if I could revert to a previous build it would be back to normal. IIRC build 133 was the one that always worked fine. Never had the issue until the build 139 update and the current 155 release hasn't resolved it. :help2:

[GMPX]

Big Mike, I downloaded your previous working modified tune and the one that is causing you problems.
The only changes I see in the tune (viewing the files in a Hex editor, not EFILive) appear to be the TCC tables you have changed, which means it's not the software making some random change to some other calibration. Don't bother with a full flash, it won't make any difference. But I am also at a loss to explain why the TCM is doing what it's doing even after you put the other 'working' tune back in.
The other thing is, a flash either takes 100% or it doesn't, there is many checks done before the TCM (or ECM) can run as normal, if the tune did not flash properly (even one little bit of data wrong) the trans would be in limp mode.
Perhaps it might be time to check current (if any) DTC's, that might point you to the problem.

[Big Mike]

Thank you for looking. I have been watching for any DTC's but I've yet to have any either before or after any flashes or test drives to date and as I mentioned before everything works perfectly other than the lack of TC in T/H. It operates just as it should in normal mode so I have no reasons to indicate an issue with the trans itself. That's why I'm lost. The only things I have left to try is a full flash (which you now stated won't help) or try disconnecting the batteries for the heck of it or try an older build.

Can I back up to build 133 if someone has it to share? I know it's not listed on the download page any more. I have a second laptop so I can keep it separate from the current build but what about the firmware in the V2?

[Big Mike]

An update for today, and I'm happy to say a successful one although it also brings with it another question.

Simply because it was an easy test, I first left the batteries disconnected overnight but there was no positive change today. Which I pretty much expected buy hey it was an easy test. :grin:

So next I used my other laptop (running W7 build 154) and flashed the same stock tune in from the external drive I used yesterday (same one I tried yesterday with no success) and now it works fine?? TCC functions work perfect in both normal and tow/haul so everything is back to normal. My question is- what is or was the issue? Possibly something on my other laptop (running XP BTW) that I have always used with no issues? Perhaps I should un-install everything on it and re-install? Could all the tunes on it be compromised as well?

Sorry, I guess that's more than a single question. :thankyou2:

[ScarabEpic22]

I highly doubt its the laptop screwing something up, you would have more errors popping up. How old is the Windows XP install on your laptop? Might be time to rebuild it, I usually only let my XP machines go for 8-12mo before I rebuilt them. My W7 install on my old laptop has been hacked up mercilessly by me and after 2.25 years is still going strong (started with W7 beta, then RC, then RTM, then SP1 without formatting plus messing with lots of different software/registry hacks/etc) so Id say its a little more stable haha.

Does it work when you flash the TCC updated tune in with your W7 laptop? Why not try BBF'ing it too.

[Big Mike]

Although at this point I don't feel its a computer issue either, I have to say for my XP being nearly 5 years old now (without a single issue ever) I first suspected it may be the cause. However after doing some additional testing today I'm still not certain what the cause is. I've tried several different tunes that have been stored in various places (one from each computer and also from an external drive) and as long as it's a modified tune I lose TC function again. If I reload a stock tune in again it goes back to working fine. Although the stock tune I've used every time is from my external drive so that may be skewing my results a little.

I also made a script from my last known good tune and applied it to a stock tune (again from my external drive) and it was still a no go. So currently I'm back to running a stock tune again for now since this truck is my daily driver.

The next test I'm going to try is hand copy the tables from a modded tune to a stocker (again from the external drive) and give that a try to see the results.

-Mike

[Big Mike]

Spent a little more time today trying to get to the bottom of this and successfully found the root issue. Turns out that between build 133 and 154 the TC tables for “normal” “hot trans” “4low” and “tow/haul” switched. I know these tables have been an ongoing issue back and forth with certain years and OS’s for a long time so perhaps I should have caught it sooner but for mine they have always been correctly labeled throughout all updates. But after the update to 154 (and 155) they are now incorrect for my OS. I’ve had the TC apply speeds in both the hot and 4low columns set at 158 MPH for well over a year but with the build update reversing the tables the “new” tow/haul tables were now populated with a value of 158 MPH…...thus no TC apply in T/H.

Since discovering this I returned all columns back to stock except normal mode and it works fine regardless of which tune I use, where it’s been stored, which computer I use or which current software version I use (154 or 155).


And just this evening I went back to my original adjustment I was attempting to make when this all first began, which was adjusting TC release to throttle input to get the TC released sooner during throttle roll on and I’m happy to report it’s working sweet.

Thank you all for the help, it's invaluable.

- Mike

[ScarabEpic22]

Glad you got it sorted, Ive heard that everyone wants those tables a different way so EFILive's switched them around a few times. Hope they stay the same now!