Freightliner Columbia 13 speed flakiness

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by DonRobbie, Aug 4, 2010.

  1. DonRobbie

    DonRobbie Medium Load Member

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    Nov 26, 2005
    Midwest
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    Have a strange issue with a 2005 Columbia. When splitting 6th from lo to hi occasionally the check engine light will come on and the speedometer will stop working. It's sequential, the shift completes, a second or two later the light comes on, and a second or two after that the speedometer winds back to zero and stays there until the truck is turned on and off again. Since the truck's computer has been tweaked to encourage progressive shifting this also has the effect of governing the engine at 1400 RPM. Asked the mechanic about it and he shrugged. Anyone seen any thing similar?
     
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  3. country29

    country29 Medium Load Member

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    Feb 27, 2010
    Arkansas
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    it sounds like you may have either a glitch in the ecm since you say it has been tweaked, but it could also be a speed sensor on the tailshaft of the trans.
     
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  4. heavyhaulerss

    heavyhaulerss Road Train Member

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    2,038
    Dec 23, 2009
    AL/TN BORDER
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    A loose wire, battery cable, bad ground could cause this. I had my engine stop light come on only on sharp right turns, speedo kept going out, I replaced all battery jumper cables, along with new ground strap & new pos & neg main cables. never any more problems since. liquid salt from the north corroded my cables. it gets under the coating of the wires.
     
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  5. melpromud

    melpromud Medium Load Member

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    Jan 29, 2010
    camden ny
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    Sounds like a bad speed sensor. They make these new trucks with all the electronics do some screwy stuff when they go bad.
     
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  6. FYDA FREIGHTLINER CINCY

    FYDA FREIGHTLINER CINCY Light Load Member

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    Apr 28, 2009
    Cincinnati, ohio
    0
    check the tail shaft on trans to make sure it does not have up and down play. check tone wheel for the speed sensor to see if it spins on output shaft. thats the only thing i can think of if it only does it on a low to high shift.
     
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