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International 4700


Mikele

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Just purchased (sorta) more like traded for a 2000 International 4700 Lp. 124k mileage, Crew cab , Chassis. dt477e 230HP, 6+1 Manual. Air ride rear, 4w disc brakes Hydraulic.

Just looking any info from some who may have or had one. Fuel mileage, driving tips, equipment tips, issues to look for etc.

We will be pulling a 15k loaded 5ver. Ive only driven the truck empty and it ran 66/67 @2000rpm. Not sure about Gear ratio in rear end.

Will we have any concerns stopping with the disc brakes? it does have an exhaust brake and trailer brake so I would think not.

Like I said just some general info from those have actually operated one.

 

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Welcome to the forums, I had a 99 LP but with the 530 engine, 275 hp and 800 torque tied to an Allison six speed.

 

The hydraulic disc brakes should cause you no problems although at 15 years you should have them drained, flushed and topped off if that hasn't been done recently.

 

You should be able to take your VIN number to an IH dealer and get them to print you a build sheet so you know exactly what you have. It is interesting reading but if you need parts and are at a non-IH dealer it can save a lot of frustration.

 

We saw around 9 MPG with ours running at 63 and 30,000 pounds combined, about the same at 55 but dropping fast past 65. Bobtail it would touch 82 MPH at the redline but that was well over the speed rating of our fiver's tires.

 

Really not a lot to keeping it up, follow the service manual and you'll not go wrong. Start skipping and skimping on service and you can dig an expensive hole before you know it. If the CPS (cam position sensor) hasn't been replaced carry a spare, the originals aren't trustworthy but the replacements seem to last forever.

 

Our best driving trip is when you hit a big hill pick a decent climbing gear, run the engine up to 2000 RPM and set the cruise control. That leaves you free to steer and enjoy the sights, no worries about overspeeding the engine and no cramped toes from mashing the throttle.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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I agree with Stanley.

I have a 2002, 4400. At about 90,000 miles the CPS quit and I was 200 miles from a dealer. The CPS for a 7.2 (Ford pick-up) will work, just not as good. The 7.2 cost $31 and the one for the 466e cost $200.

My guess is you have a 4.88 rear-end. I have a 4.63 and 66 MPH is 1800 RPM on 22.5 wheels.

Best of luck with the new to you I-H.

 

safe travels




event.png

Glyn (KL0PG) & Diane Carson
2002 I-H 4400 Papa's Dream (Mama's Nightmare)
2015 Space Craft V400
Furkid Max

email: dlcarsonak@hotmail.com

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I had one back in 2010 when we went to Alaska. Got 7 mpg towing a 18K Mobile Suite. Combined weight I was at 32K. Truck ran great but was slow climbing the steep hills. Mine was and automatic. The other two posts have given you great advice regarding maintenance and the CPS. It is really easy to change and I used a Ford one with no problems after installing. Luckily mine quit in my driveway.

Gary & Penny

2015 Lance 1172

2005 Chevy 3500

2013 Bass Tracker 190 Pro Team

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The CPS for my 530 was about $30, makes carrying a spare sound like an even better idea if dealers are jacking the price when you have a dead truck.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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Thanks for the replies. Like I said it's a new to vehicle and was j731st curious. This is my first mdt vehicle. I have pulled 5Vera before as well as some heavy equipment but with a dually. Lost truck brakes one time coming down black mountain NC, and decided I wanted something a bit larger this time around. I do have the original build sheet that came with the vehicle,it was interesting to see how eeverything is broke down.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We're on our first long trip with our '98 4700. Not uneventful on so many fronts.

The truck has run very well. 2100 rpms at 65mph which is perfect for towing our 36' 5er. This 5 speed auto trans does have a 6th gear that is quite a hassle to get activated... and they want roughly $1000 when all is said and done to do it. Not worth it when towing. Not enough HP to really use a 6th gear unless you are running on flat land with a tail wind or bobtail. We pull hills in whatever gear works at 2000rpm. Some have been slow, 2nd gear grinds, but that be what it is.

 

Have not really checked MPG but it seems to be in the 9-11 range.

 

I have not purchased an air ride type hitch but it's on the list. Spendy. Did manage to add 450 lbs of lead to the rear of the truck. Adding more when we land back home in a few weeks. The weight does help with the ride as did the change out of the front shocks to Monroes. Stock shocks suck!

 

What I'm in search of is someone to install and tune a chip override computer to tweak the output of this motor. It's kinda wimpy but has potential.

 

Enjoy your truck. It's short comings will show themselves over time but it will pull you where you want to go and, in our case a really important feature, it will stop your setup. Stopping is good.

Robert & Lisa
'14 Keystone Fuzion 315 38' 5er

2015 Volvo VNL 670, D13, iShift 'The Tartis' (ours)

2013 Smart Fortwo Passion 'K-9'

2011 CanAm Spyder RT Limited (Ours)

We are both USAF vets.

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I already posted something on IH power mods to another topic, short version be cautious as the aluminum topped pistons are very sensitive to increased heat.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Had a 4700 with 444 and propane injection.

014.jpg

 

Propane injection made a big difference hill climbing, without it on it was a real dog going up hill.

Had to deal with all four hydraulic brakes, the previous owner went over the rockies with the Newmar with only two front brakes working properly. The right rear was burnt and the left rear had leaky oil seal in the axle which soaked that brake and made it useless. Anyway, because of that he warped the two front disks by overheating them.

The fix went as follows:

The two fronts were removed and turned on the disk truing machine, these suckers are big and they barely fit but they were able to cut them and save them.

Bought two disks for the rear ($200 bucks each back then, don't know current price), by the way all four disks are the same.

Oil seal was fixed and new disk and pads were put on the left rear.

Right rear was fixed twice, the caliper was burnt twice.

014c.jpg

 

Second time I went under there and fixed it myself. The caliper holding frame had a defect (a burr that was not ground down) so the caliper wound only go in one direction and not retract when the braking was done, holding the pads against the disk heating up everything and burning up the little pistons. Incidentally these are very clever, the pistons are made not out of metal they are made out of phenolic. Phenolic does not transfer heat as well as metal (steel, etc.), therefore under heavy braking the heat is not conducted as well into the hydraulic fluid causing it to overheat or boil, but in this situation so much heat was concentrated there that the tops of the pistons turned chalky white and the caliper had to be replaced (again), but after my dealing with the burr everything was OK.

I think the hydraulic brakes on the class 6 4700s are the real deal. With the oversize disks and the electric hydraulic pressure boost, four of these will give you adequate braking regardless of what you guys contemplate hooking up to the truck.

These things are about as close as you can get to performance of the air brakes of the class 7 MDTs.

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We were about 32 K combined and were happy with the hydraulic discs, they did an excellent job but needed the assistance of the exhaust brake on long hills. With the exhaust brake you could easily go down most interstate hills in 4th or 5th and feather the brake to control your speed. Without the exhaust brake you'd need 2nd or 3rd and end up moving very slowly.

 

We found that out the hard way when we discovered we didn't know how to actually use ours. IH has a variety of ways to set up the exhaust brake and the ones I looked at were actually controlled by the transmission computer and tied into the preselect system (automatic downshifts) to make it even more confusing.

 

On our truck as delivered if you turned on the exhaust brake switch and removed your foot from the throttle the transmission would start downshifting, eventually getting to 2nd gear as the RPMs dropped low enough for each shift. The exhaust brake would also activate, but if and only if, you had the cruise switch turned off. Just unlocking the cruise did not help, the manual switch had to be flipped.

 

We saw other trucks where the exhaust brake worked just fine with the cruise switch on. We also saw trucks with the preselect set to a gear other than 2nd or disabled altogether. We ended up with ours set to 5th and if we wanted a lower gear we'd use the shifter to select it.

 

 

Only actual brake problem came from a leaking front hub seal that got the pads oily.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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I bought a 2001 Stalick with DT530 300HP/Allison3060 with 160K miles earlier this year. We like it and what a difference in towing. Our previous trailer was a Select Suites but we are remodeling a Newmar Kountry Aire so need the MDT for that thing. I know that long term it will be so much better than the ride we had with the DRW GMC. Although the GMC had 500HP/1000#, a beast of a pickup but still a pickup. Not enough truck compared to the International.

We found the AC not working and learned from others who have them at the Escapade in Tuscon how to charge it. Also some neat details on the community of owners of these trucks.

 

We are still in S&B but after the remodel is done on the KA, then we'll be longterming and working towing FTime.

Marcel

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If you aren't happy with the cooling from the repaired AC unit you can improve it a lot by putting a ball-valve type shutoff in the hot line to the heater core. A couple folks put in fancy electric valves too but that cost a lot more and needed a bit of wiring.

 

The stock IH design runs the heater core hot all the time and controls the heat level by adjusting the air flow so it is pretty inefficient.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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Interesting that you mention that. In fact, that was asked and answered at the purchase time. There is a ball valve already and likely the best option over another electrical device.

 

Did you prefer the exhaust brake over the trans brake for hills? We're still learning and since we arent FT, it is sporadic opportunities.

Marcel

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It is very very unusual to see an MDT with a transmission brake (retarder) I don't believe Brian at Stallick (the guy behind their RV program) would order one. They are complex beasts and expensive but it is easy to see if you have one by viewing the rear of your transmission and looking for the retarder module.

 

Retarder module shown at bottom of the PDF: http://www.allisontransmission.com/docs/default-source/specification-sheets/int3000_sa5341(201306)blk.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

What Brian did specify on his transmissions and wouldn't change prior to selling the unit was an option called "braking preselect" that isn't a brake as such but instead a computer option that causes the transmission to enter an automatic downshift mode when the exhaust brake switch is enabled and the throttle switch is triggered by removing your foot from the pedal. The preselect gear can be changed from the default of 2nd or disabled by someone with access to an Allison programming device. The preselect mode will cause the transmission to downshift any time it is active and the engine RPMs in the next lower gear will not exceed your maximum (usually 2600) until the preselect gear is reached.

 

That is a handy option for a new driver but as you become more skilled and learn to control your road speed by feathering the throttle, toggling the exhaust brake on and off as needed the gear changes become an aggravation. Many owners prefer either no preselect or 4th or 5th as the chosen gear. It only impacts the mindless attempts at downshifting so an experienced driver can still manually select the exact gear needed for descending the hill and do so with no unnecessary shifts.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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rpsinc, I believe I am the guy that spoke to you there in Tucson while you were working on a roof. I was there with my 2001 IH. I still drive it and plan to keep it in good shape for many years.

 

John

John and Sharon
2011 HH 38LKTG
2001 4700LP
2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel

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JOHN !!!!!

 

Yes, at them time I was installing roofs on RVs. Thanks so much for all the information you gave me. I am glad that I got that. We have been able to contact the original owner and got some additional info on the truck. As you can tell, we are working toward a fulltiming lifestyle but have to downsize our S&B. Trying also to find a means of earning some income on the road. The roofing thing wasnt for us, although we so enjoyed all the customers we met and the sharing of their lifestyles with us. It was valuable and appreciated by me and my wife. We are sitting in our house working on our next adventure. Your talking with us both at the Escapade and in Benson added to our eagerness to full time. Thanks so much.

Hope all is well with you and your wife. Drive safe.

 

Marcel

Marcel

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