New Jasper Class 1 Transmission

Can't go anywhere without a working drivetrain
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Keystone
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 199
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1994
Location: Boulder, Colorado

New Jasper Class 1 Transmission

Post by Keystone »

Hi all, here's another B-190 transmission replacement story. I think I've known since shortly after buying our B-van in 2009 (at just 37K miles) that the original transmission was living on borrowed time. I've posted about ATF fluid spills upon overheating, adding a cooler, and also experienced some popping out of gear that I haven't mentioned here (because I was in denial about it). Finally, just 40 miles from home on Memorial Day weekend, the transmission gave up entirely. Luckily, we were able to limp into the TruValue hardware parking lot in Fairplay in first gear--the only gear that worked at all! Needless to say, options for repair were limited on the Saturday of a 3-day holiday weekend. We rescued the weekend camping trip by bicycling home to get our pickup, shifting our stuff from the van, and having it towed to a nearby garage until the next decision point.

The easy part was deciding on the brand of replacement for the transmission. With our 4x4 conversion and lift, and the hard life we give the van, we decided to go with Jasper. Their reputation and 3-year, 100,000 mile warranty is very appealing. They offer two choices for our E4OD: a "stock" unit for about $2500, and a Class 1 upgraded unit with a beefy shift kit and clutch for $3050, including a gigantic cooler about 4 times the size of the one we had. Installation is, of course, extra (around $1000 for either). The hardest part of the process is finding a trustworthy shop to agree to perform the transmission work. A lot of Jasper shops said "no", as the van is so tall and they would have had to do the work in the parking lot. The first shop we ended up using was OK, though their specialty is really towing and recovery and not transmissions. Unfortunately, the first new transmission had early failures after about 200 miles, and the first shop did not want to touch the warranty repair. So, we eventually found the shop that I should have used in the first place--Cliff's Transmission. If you ever have a transmission problem within, say 200 miles of Commerce City Colorado, Cliff's is worth the trip.

Bottom line: I love my new Jasper transmission. Jasper honored the warranty, authorized a complete replacement of the first unit, and the Denver regional rep even made a site visit to Cliff's to check out and consult on the installation. The Class 1 is really heavy, but really unbelievably solid and shifts smoothly and firmly. It's also like having a dependable set of extra brakes for those steep, narrow mountain roads that lack guardrails and drop off hundreds of feet below. Cliff's also recommended, custom fabricated, and installed an additional frame support for the transmission around the 4WD transfer case that is consistent with the rest of the 4x4 mods in our van. And they powder-coated the new support beam, so it's pretty, too!

Driving the van with the new transmission (about 600 miles so far), we have found that cruise control works again and our fuel economy has inched up. Though this project took longer than I'd hoped, with luck it will pay back in vehicle dependability for some time to come. Let's hope!
Keystone
1994
B190 4x4
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skater
Site Admin
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
WBCCI: 13270
Location: Annapolis, MD

Re: New Jasper Class 1 Transmission

Post by skater »

Sounds like the Cliff's Transmission did a great job. Congratulations on the new transmission! My stress level on the road went down a LOT after I got the new transmission.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Kentuckian
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:52 pm
B190 Year: 1993
WBCCI: 0
Location: Kentucky, USA

Re: New Jasper Class 1 Transmission

Post by Kentuckian »

Keystone,
I'm loving your AWD B190! That is just too cool! That mod is now on my todo list... someday wouldn't that be cool list! <smile> Congrats on the new transmission. It sounds like they did a first class job for you.
1993 Airstream B190
Reddeer
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:40 pm
B190 Year: 1993
WBCCI: 0
Location: Santa Fe, NM

Re: New Jasper Class 1 Transmission

Post by Reddeer »

Thanks for the report. It is always in the back of every B-190 owner's mind.
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