Hi All,
For nearly four years, shifting our 542 Allison transmission has been a chore. Presently, only an individual such as "Charley Atlas" could shift it, and also finding reverse is sometimes rather sketchy. I tried to adjust it but the 1/4" threads on the transmission end are corroded badly & I fear that the cable within the housing has seen better days. There's no problem removing the cable from the shifter & the transmission, however, it looks to me like Spartan has the housing really bundled in and routed above the fuel tank with other hoses & electrical wires & may be a real chore to remove & measure. Therefore does anyone know the length of the cable & housing? Do you think Spartan still has this information or possibly a new one? Lastly, there probably are businesses who would make a push-pull cable as this has just common 1/4" threads on the ends similar to the cables in my Chris Craft boat. Could you suggest such a business who you have used or heard good reviews about?

Any other input regarding this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks,
John

"Chris Craft caught my eye along with the cable being a current thread on that site. The shifting cables on the boat has a number stamped on the shifter end of the cable which is the length in inches and this seems to be standard for several suppliers. Hope this is the case for you.
Tim

Spartan may be able to tell you what cable you have from your VIN number. (Since they do not actually produce the cables themselves, their part number may not help, but they may be able to give you an idea of length.)

With any luck you may be able to run the replacement through a convenient route rather than try to trace and remove the original. When I replaced the heater hoses in the Monarch they were all built inside the frame. Fortunately I have a central heating air duct that runs just below the floor and I ran the hoses forward through there.

Please post what you find. Many of our coaches are getting close to needing cables!

The cable may depend on the wheel base. give Spartan that info.

Nick

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:

Please post what you find. Many of our coaches are getting close to needing cables!

I think I replaced the cables at about the 40 year mark. Mind you,these are hand operated throttle and transmission levers, after changing I moved them through the range and it so effortless I had to confirm they were connected.

Hi All,
From two weeks ago needing "Charlie Atlas" strength to now "Charlie Brown", this is an overview of the steps to get from there to here. First, I wanted to thank C.C.Commander Tim, Steve, & Nick for their input, but I wanted to resolve the issue & learn what I could before I responded. I initially called Spartan Chassis(not an easy thing to get through to a human being this time of the year) to see if they could tell me the part number for the cable by referencing only my VIN#, they said that while searching through vintage files for a cable number, may be possible but it could take considerable time to do so. Therefore, I decided to remove the cable immediately & although a "PITA", it did expose two important things. #1, was a part number which was stamped on the transmission end & without removal would have been obscured. #2, it explained the reason(aside from thirty years old) why the cable was so immobile, as it had chafed against the 2"x 2" Barth frame directly above the transmission. And when I say chafed, that's mild. The tension between the cable & steel tubing had rubbed a hole that a silver dollar wouldn't cover, completely through the housing, the outer cable, & had frayed the wires into a rusted tangled mess. The fact that it was at the apex of the cable's radius as it headed forward & between the rear dual wheels and all the water & grit they would pick up, it was a depository for corrosion & a wonder it worked at all.
The following may be helpful for all: The manufacturer & part # for the 30' Breakaway 360" long cable is FELSTED 45549-7 & as Tim said was stamped on the housing 1'above the transmission linkage. As Nick noted, there are different lengths. The part #45549 is the same for all lengths with only the last digits after the dash changing & there are twelve different lengths which Spartan lists in roughly 15"-30" intervals. Regarding Spartan, they have none of these cables in stock, but they informed me that they have a supplier who may provide that part. Again, nice people at Spartan but no definite time was provided. Therefore, I looked for a custom FELSTED ORSCHELN dealer who would be willing to make a custom order, and that was not without its frustrations. However, I finally found Chris @ Custom Clutch Joint & Hydraulics, Inc. in Canton, OH. Within three days, the cable correctly made, was delivered & then I put it in the coach!
Regarding the installation, above the transmission, there's enough slack to re-route it so it doesn't chafe on Barth's framework. Hard for me to believe that Barth would have routed the cable there, but if you have a Breakaway, you might want to check that possible contact point. Secondly, I changed the cable routing in the front under the shifter. The original cable(extremely springy & heavy) was cranked into a really tight radius under the shifter, then cranked again to go through the sub-floor near the front firewall into the electrical breaker storage box, & then again to go out of the box with the rest of the wiring harness. I very carefully drilled a 5/8" hole under & inline with the shifter, making sure I missed the 1"x 1" Barth structure & far enough away that it not interfere with the wiring, the breakers, or the aluminum door closing, therefore doing away with three very tight bends. Anyway, two weeks later, it's as good as new & 100 times better than it was.

Thanks again & good luck,
John

Thanks for the information . I'll have to give ours a good inspection .

Happy Motoring

Nice write up John.

As we have all work on our different coaches. We know no 2 are alike. Even things that you would think would be standardized.

Definitely check but we know it may be totally different.

Keep sharing it is helpful to everyone.