Allison Rebuild help with Banks Stinger Kit

I installed the banks stinger system (with dial switch not PDA) on my 2005 CC D/A with 90,000 miles on it. i tow our 5'r about 3,000 miles a year, drive solo the rest to work, etc. I just fried the C3 pack and have the tranny torn apart at the dealership for extended warranty work (fingers crossed and damn glad i'm covered until 100,000).
What upgrades can i look at to enhance the performance and longevity of the Allison? I'm not wanting to break bank but figure there could be something to help a little. Just for a budget i don't want to exceed $1,500 extra (Vegas is calling)
The dealer is great and will bring the tranny to factory specs, i'm just looking for anything a little extra along the way.
Also, any recommendations on settings for the Banks Economind while towing vs. daily driving? The rep i called wasnt very helpful, just said leave it at 6 and forget about it. He told me the Allison tested well with their tuners under all conditions and is virtually bullet-proof . . . i told him i shoot silver bullets :)
Thanks

Welcome aboard!

Have a look at www.suncoastconverters.com.

They have lots of options.

I would also add a C3 oiler kit to help cool the C3 clutch. This will make it last longer as it is used for 3rd and 5th gear.

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Also, any recommendations on settings for the Banks Economind while towing vs. daily driving? The rep i called wasnt very helpful, just said leave it at 6 and forget about it.

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I've been communicating with a snowbird member who is currently in FL with his 2005 3500 and fifth-wheel travel trailer, and is in the process of having his Allison rebuilt. He also has the full Banks system with PDA, larger intercooler, air intake, exhaust and many other items. He'd been towing on level 3, and experienced a P0735 a number of times. In his particular case, his Allison first set this code once while completely stock when the truck was nearly new, so the Banks system may have just brought out the problem sooner. He's a retired trucker, so he knows how to take care of his equipment.

A typical 2001-2005 Allison can usually handle 50-75 additional horsepower while towing without a problem. The newer Allisons (with the higher stock HP Duramax) don't seen to have quite the cushion because the engine is already more powerful than the earlier engines.

I've towed quite a lot with my 2001 and an additional 50 hp, and not had a problem. So, I'd recommend not exceeding that, and be a little more careful while towing.

Jim

All- Thanks for the suggestions

Jim- You were right on the money, the code i had was the same, PO735. I'll try to lighten my foot, otherwise the wallet will be lighter on any work next time. i think the PDA might allow tighter monitoring but i didn't want to risk having long term issues with the PDA (kids, dust, handling, etc). I'm running naked on boost and egt, do you think monitoring guages would help?

Gauges are always a good idea if towing and running extra fuel/boost, but I don't believe gauges would have indicated your problem. Did you ever experience a 'limp' while towing, or please explain how the transmission failed. Any overheating or burnt, stinky fluid?

We just roasted a 115K mile 2006 Allison that had the snot towed out of it, about 80K miles in 18 months all towing moderately heavy stuff, random drivers, and a 70hp tune thrown on top of 360hp LBZ...Call it asking for trouble. $3000 later, I am cured of turning up the later model trucks. I'll be leaving my new(er) 2006 K3500 stock for the time being.

It hauls butt just fine - straight and bone stock from the factory.

Mark-

The transmission was downshifting as we traveled down a small hill in East Texas to a stoplight. The shift felt like it went from 5th straight to 3rd and then the code was thrown and limp mode kicked in. It was the classic, hours from home and gotta get to the end of line that day, i "overrode" limp mode by manually shifting 1-2-3 and kept speed very slow. I had a horrible experience at the local dealer the next day and opted to drive away and then tow my rig 300+ miles back home. Trust me, it was the best decision. i hope i never encounter another dealer service dept like that ever again.

Joe

-no fluid burn or smell

Actually, it was the torque converter that failed on our truck. There was one overheat event in the mountains with a large boat, followed by stinky burnt fluid. The shifts were harsh and it felt like too much power for the load, based on experiences with 3 other Duramaxes towing over a couple hundred thousand miles. The 'ragged edge' was apparent...and returned it to stock, changed the fluid.

Some ~20K miles later, during winter snowplowing, the converter completely failed, and the fluid was so bad that we opted to swap in a used converter/tranny out of a 65K wreck - $1600 for used parts, $900 labor. So far so good, the truck is back to normal and was immediately subjected to lots of snowplowing in sub-zero temperatures.

Nice thing was the failure happened blocks from home. This same truck made two FL to Vancouver roundtrips last summer...lucky...

Def do a new convertor from the likes of Suncoast,, but that alone will eat your $1500 budget. IMO it's the best improvement to be made.

Mike L has a budget kit for the allison. Single disc tc and the clutches. I am not for sure on all the specifics i believe he said it would hold around 425 hp. Might want to look into that, i believe that was close to your price range minus the R&R.

I may be out on a limb here, but it sure seems to me that the very harness boxes that are supposed to have built in trans protect seem to tear them up with time. My guess is that it has a lot to do with the fact that the ECM does not know what it is doing due to the intercept nature of these devices.

The banks system was only on the truck for a week, best my group of folks looking at the truck can figure is that i had a weak tranny prior to banks system installation. i never really felt slipping but again, i don't pull everyday.

now, any advice on the rebuild? I'm thinking of going with a transgo shift kit and z-pack. This seems to be WELL within my budget and beyond these adds, i don't gain much while staying in my budget.

Thanks

How are the repairs going? Any update?

Sorry for no update until now. Vegas Vacation had the wife and i out west. Fun time but tired and it's always hard to catch up even after only 4 days.

Picked truck up early last week. Went with the Transgo shift kit and z-pack. Tranny shop rebuilt with everything else new per extended warranty. i stayed under $500 for the goodies.

I've only had 3 days to break in tranny, shifts are getting better but are still a little hard, i believe this will be a characteristic the shift kit.

So far so good, i expect to put Banks tuner back on in a week or so after a good 500 miles or so.

Thanks all for your input.