Spicer 7-sp Trans

[guest]

I'm looking for negative/positive feed back regarding the seven sp Spicer. I am in the buisness and getting ready to order a few FL-70's. Tell me what type of Engine your running, along with its torque rating etc.

Thanks For your Help,

Mark [email protected]

 

[guest]

The pro's and con's on the 7-speed spicer are endless.So is the gamble.I have yet to hear from any driver's with this set up how happy they are with it.Economically it seems to work well for mpg,
light loads and level terrain,and short hauls.Easy to shift and popular with ladies.Repairs though seem to be endless from conversations with O/O and Drivers.I run the 7-speed Fuller, maintenance has been non-existant except for fluid level checks and
have required no adjustments to clutch after 60k miles,(have heard from one owner of a Spicer 7-Speed having his transmission replaced
3 times with same mileage)I run with the Cummins ISC 285,3;21 rears
cruises well at 70,with full load,clutch pedal will give you cramps
in Chicago Rush Hour Traffic,economy less than a 215hp or 250hp
but will make time up much faster over 300-700 miles over hilly terrain.Very slow out of the gate to 45mph,and doesn't get into it's
power til 55mph.But when your an Expeditor delivering to a different
state every day,highway travel is where you will see the differance.
No time for naps going up long grades,has plenty of power to cruise
the steepest Mountains east of the Mississippi at 65mph. but you
will die if a you loose your momentum any time going up.Keep the speed and RPM"s up and you'll love this choice.

 

[guest]

I use same engine and gear as Brian, except I have spicer 7 speed. There is 114500 mi. on truck and have not had any trouble with trans. yet. Probably will blow up next time out now. Truck runs just like he said.

 

[guest]

I have the Spicer with the Cat 3176 engine. The only way mine pulls well up a mountain is if I am carrying sailboat fuel. If I get on a grade higher than a childs sandbox I am constantly grabbing gears (this is with 3,000 lbs. not a heavy load)

The only other thing I will say is it is hard to put in 1st gear. You either grind it into first while moving or it goes into 1st with a truck shaking "clunk" when you are stopped. If I had it to do over again I would get a nine speed

 

[guest]

Bill,if you put it in another gear and then pull it back into first while sitting still it will mesh the gears better and should not "clunk" on you.Hope that helps,it worked for me.

 

[guest]

Recommend you at least consider the Eaton-Fuller FSO-8406A.

It's a fully synchronized 6 speed with a .78 OD. This lashes up very well with the Cummins ISC series turning a 3.90 rear on 22.5" LP rubber.

A Cummins ISC rated at 285 HP (800 ft lb touque) with the FSO-8406A 6-speed and 3.90 rears with 22.5 LPs will give you an honest about 9-11 MPG (assuming the FL70 frame and a 22' box) at 65 MPH.

For what it's worth, I've found the Cummins to be more fuel efficient than CAT engins -- 15,000 mile oil drains vs CAT's 8,000 mile limit is helpful, too.
Rams Fan

 

[guest]

Rams Fan

Your recommendation of the FSO-8406A, which is rated 860 lbs. torque
capacity, and my FSO-6406A, rated at 660 lbs, are the first medium
duty overdrives in the Eaton Fuller lineup. Both offer a .78 overdrive
top gear that allows for cruising at lower engine speeds under most
conditions. (Eaton Press Release)

I have mine combined with an ISB 260 a 4.33 rear-end.
It is configured for maximum 33,000 lbs. and maximum "expected"
grade of 8%

If you would like to see the expected performance report for my
drive-train, then visit:
http://jroman.com/VE-VMS.html

Ask your dealer to print a report for whatever drive-train
combination, you may be considering, then perform a "what-if"
scenario, by changing some it's components, until you arrive at
the combination that is best for you, or, you & the company you are
leased to.

Do your research "Before" you take the financial risk encountered by
such a purchase or investment.

Drive Safely
Joe

 

[guest]

Thanks, Happy New Year

 

[guest]

My 7 speed Spicer was jumping of sixth gear. It started about 150,000 and continued to get worse. My first visit to the dealer they tried to fix it by adjusting the clutch. Now they have replaced a fork and bar assy and a syncro assy. The work was completed under warranty. I had printed a number of entries about Spicer problems from the Joe Roman website Forum which I showed the dealer. You may want to checkout the many entries on that website about this problem. There is a request for drivers to complete a complaint form on the government website www.nhtsa.dot.gov which can be found under Feedback.

 

[guest]

I got FL70 with 250hp 3126 with 7 speed Spicer. I got 180,000 miles on it trouble free. It seems to be a fairly good combo. However, I must agree with some of the others in that goes into 1st gear hard,even with the clutch properly adjusted. I find myself grabbing gears on the big hills,But I think the engine is under powered. Also as someone else mentioned, the clutch is stiff as a board at red lights. I worked for over 15 years at a Freightliner dealership. I reccomend thta you go with 7 speed Spicer, but I would opt for the Cummins ISC engine which has a higher horsepower rating then the Cat 3126. I also highly reccomend that you spec with the spicer easy pedal clutch, Cause it will save you leg from cramps in stop and go traffic. Hope ths info was helpful to you...

 

[guest]

If you wish to spend most of your time in the repair shop or at home waiting for repairs, get the Spicer 7 speed if you can find one. Most dealers are no longer selling this junk because of the many problems with them. Some dealers have told me that this tranny wont be around much longer because of law suits and a possible re-call order from the government. I have had 3 Spicer replacements on a 99 FL70 within 190,000 miles. Also, just try to sell a used truck equipped with this tranny; no one wants it!

 

[guest]

The spicer 7 in mine had to be replaced totally at 120,000 and 20,000 miles later this one is giving us trouble. A possible reason for the "clunking" is there is no clutch brake. After pressing clutch wait a couple of sec before putting in first gear. At least that was one opinion at the dealership to explain the noise. course if I hung around I'm sure I would have heard a hundred more

 

[guest]

Sorry to learn of your Spicer troubles. You should go to
www.nhtsa.dot.gov and file the on-line complaint form or call 888
327-4236. If enought of us do this maybe we can force a re-call so that when your Spicer goes out again, they'll have to put in a reliable tranny. I have dozens of reports from owners which I will be forwarding in the near future. Good luck!

 

[guest]

Go to www.jroman.com For the expediters forum before you choke on Spicer 7 Speeds. May I suggest the ISC Cummins or a Detroit with a Super 10 or Allison 6 speed Auto. That seems to be the best setup. LOL Ed

 

[guest]

I had my Spicer transmission in the shop to repair the jumping out of 6th gear. They repaired it, and two days later it began jumping out of 7th gear. It is in the shop now. I hope I don't lose too much revenue over this problem.

 

[guest]

Get rid of the Spicer or you'll lose your butt for sure!

 

[Fr8 Shaker]

Hey Lawrence, I was just wondering since when can a guest post on here.

 

[Jefferson3000]

Hey Lawrence, I was just wondering since when can a guest post on here.

Since this post started in the year 2000, and the sceen names have been completely revamped. At one time, you could actually read the screen names on this thread.

 

[TwoMotherTrkrs]

Every time I have a 'close encounter' with a Freightliner Dealership they tell me I have the BIG Spicer. 1R-7F gears. Is this the Spicer you're talking about? Doesn't seem like it could be because I have a '99 FL-70, ISC with 1, 167, 470 miles and have NO complaints! At 800k miles I didn't like a noise I was hearing and was told it was the trans. They took the trans off and delivered it to a Spicer shop where they were told it was like new inside. Come to find out, the ISC/Spicer combination likes to be idled at about 700 rpm and I was idling between 500 and 600 rpm. Once I adjusted my behavior re: idle, the noise went away and the Spicer just keeps going and going and going.