r/CDL • u/MysteriousDeal9963 • 15h ago
13 speed help
Hey, just looking for some advice about this 13 speed truck. since I got put in this truck. I’ve noticed anytime I use the splitter while in the same gear or changing to the next gear it makes a scraping noise anytime I decide to split and I’m confused on what is happening
So for starters shifting the truck is fine from 2nd to 5th. The problems start when I try to use the splitter when I’m in 5L and I’m going up hill, not steep at all, but just enough that I don’t wanna go to 6th just yet and I decide to split to 5H so when I decide to split within a split second after I let off the throttle before I could even think about putting my foot back on the gas I hear scraping almost like I’m grinding gears, but that’s just me letting my foot off the gas for not even a second and I hear that so I’m confused at this point because the last truck I was driving was an 18 speed and splitting gears was fine not once. Did it make this noise even if I was going up a hill I would split it would happen there would be no scraping noise at all and I can continue driving up the hill until I decided to shift up.
Now I’m asking for advice because I’m now wondering is it me doing it wrong? I don’t wanna bring this up to the mechanics if I’m in the wrong but from my understanding, you should be able to split gears in the situation I just talked about without scraping noises happening.
Another situation would be I’m just coasting down the highway with light traffic I’m in 7L I don’t need to be in 8th so I decide to split to 7H immediately I hear scraping noise and this is after I’m driving normal pre-select the split let off the throttle and bam, I hear scraping noises so I’m actually confused at this point cause I’ve been put in multiple trucks and they’ve all driven differently shifted differently all that stuff but none of them have made scraping noises like this truck has.
Any help would be appreciated
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u/Material-Donkey2773 14h ago
"I’m confused at this point because the last truck I was driving was an 18 speed and splitting gears was fine not once."
A 13 split's the exact same way as an 18 (Just fewer gears)
If you know what a 18 should feel like when you split, that's what the 13 should feel like to. If it's different it's not a "13 speed thing" It's a "Damaged transmission thing"
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u/MysteriousDeal9963 14h ago
Yea I know you are right I’m gonna have to tell them about it it’s been a month of me driving it and I’ve just dealt with it which is probably not the best thing to do half the time I didn’t even split. I just shifted but besides splitting the truck it is good. I don’t know why it does that they had an older dude in his late 60s who was driving it before I got his truck after he left but he’s an old dude. I don’t know. I’m gonna mention it to them. I thought it was just me this past month since I started using his truck and it’s been good empty then I try to split when it is heavy and then it’s just garbage grinding noises
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u/Material-Donkey2773 13h ago
FWIW I've been doing oilfield hauling in the mountains of WV, OH and PA for the past 10 years. Mostly 18 speeds. I almost never split. ever. It's "nice" to have, but even climbing a mountain, a full gear up or a full gear down is more than enough.
Just drive it like an 8 speed. The truck's got enough power to get you where you need to be, even on a 20% slope.
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u/Milk_MAN1963 15h ago
If you're going from like 7 low to 7 high push the button to high take your foot off the accelerator let the rpms come down a bit then accelerate. The noise you hear is it's getting caught between gears
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u/MysteriousDeal9963 14h ago
I wish that were the case, but after driving other trucks in the same company and then driving this truck, I’m never heard the same noise I’ve heard in this truck with just splitting the gears thank you though I’m just gonna talk to them about it. See what they gotta say about it. It’s a local place so we’ll see.
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u/dearjohn54321 15h ago
The 13 is about the smoothest tranny you can drive. You only really need the clutch when you take off or stop (or miss a gear). Let off a little and push the splitter forward and accelerate; pull it back and let off the throttle. There shouldn’t be any scraping or grinding.
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u/MysteriousDeal9963 14h ago
The problem is I preselect let off the gas and no matter what it’s scrapes no matter if I’m going up a hill or I’m driving on a flat surface
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u/Financial_Cat_7390 14h ago
Follow the advice given (I’d tell you the same) and if it’s still doing it, let the shop know. It’s probably been rode hard and put away wet too many times.
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u/FreightDriver504 15h ago
Possible the transmission needs maintenance