Got to see my Deuce today - the Good and the Bad

Went over to Frankfort today and met a couple guys from this forum. Greenjeepster, JCKnife, M35superstar (I think) and a few other guys who said they are on this site but I didn't get their screen names. BIG THANKS to Greenjeepster and M35superstar for helping out a total Deuce newb.

The Good
Some guys local to Frankfort were there picking up a couple trucks and had a big service truck with them, had all the goodies in it and aired my front tires up for me. BIG thanks to those guys too. Front tire held air good the whole time I was there.

The spare tire is brand new, never been on the pavement.

Outer drive tires look near new, inners look a little worn but still pretty good.

All 3 axles were marked 1-3-08, guess that means they were rebuilt on that date.

Dash was marked with the dates of recent service.

Oil filter cans were marked with date and mileage. 17,272 - truck now has 17,373. Guess they've only put 100 miles on it in nearly 2 years.

Radiator looks to be fairly new.

Dash has this plate and sticker on it. Some guy there said that meant that the whole truck had a complete overhaul on the stamped date. Don't know if this is true or not. IF SO, would they have installed new speedo and tach at that time? Does that mean, or lead one to believe, that this truck had a complete overhaul in 1990 and only has 17,373 miles and 610 hours on it since then?

This sticker indicating the truck had been rustproofed didn't have a legible date on it.

Truck was missing batteries but I was pretty sure that was the case going in. I stopped at the local Interstate Batteries shop and picked up 2 Group 31 batteries today. They were "blem" but the man said they were actually used batteries that people had turned in for a core and then they tested and found them to be
fine. He said you wouldn't believe the number of batteries that people turn in for a core that are only discharged and are fine under a load test. He siad they have a 90-day warranty, so I figured what the heck and bought them.

Battery box and leads looked good.

Checked the oil and it was 1" above the full mark. Radiator had coolant up in the neck and the belts were adjusted good. Tank had fuel in it and looked to be fairly clean. Got a little coaching from Greenjeepster and M35superstar on the starting drill, I hit the majic button and she fired right up. Gauges looked good at idle, with exception of the air pressure.

Man, looks like you got a nice one! Sorry I couldn't stick around, the missus was wanting to head home.

The Bad
I couldn't hear from inside the cab but Greenjeepster let me know he could hear an air leak. Shut the truck off and got under it looking for the leak and found that this fitting marked with the red "X" is leaking where it threads into the housing. I don't know what the proper name for this housing is, but it's got lots of air lines running into it. It is located under the cab, on the driver side, just behind the step / toolbox. I had to drop the little skid plate to get access to it. I disconnected 2 lines and tried to tighten the fitting but there wasn't enough clearance to twist it around. Guess I'll have to go back and remove the whole housing to get the fitting out and clean & tape the threads to fix the leak. I think this should be easy to fix on the base. I am going to try and go back in a week or so and do it before the weather gets colder.

Driver side steer tire (now aired up) has some weird wear on it. Maybe alignment issue?

Given all the other service done on 1-3-08, I suspect the axel markings are not rebuilt - but rather oil serviced on that date. Would be really odd if the rebuilt the axels and changed the oil and air filters

Nice looking truck.

Working with the air leak burned all my time and I didn't get to check the oil levels in the running gear, but I did notice that I've got a leak on the right side, front drive axle. Me and M35superstar looked at it and I guess it's an inner seal leaking. Inner wheel had a good size puddle of oil in it. Guess I'll have to read up and fix this when I get her home. Luckily my father-in-law has a heavy equipment service truck that should come in really handy with this job....... So, how big a job IS this going to be?

Other things
I didn't know what these markings mean so decided to take pics to show and ask you experts here.

This was inside the drivers door.

This one was inside the passenger door.

These two were on the passenger side windshield.

Was a great day today. Left work early. Got to see some SWEET equipment on the NG base here. Got to meet some very nice members of this forum in person. And, got to see my Deuce

Here's a vid of M35superstar pulling my Deuece forward so he could get one of his trucks out of the line.



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The door stuff is the date the CARC was applied. CARC is Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. In other words the militarys version of paint

It looks like you got way more good than bad. My drivers side tire on my #1 truck looks similar to yours. I think it is an alignment issue. I drove for 6+ hrs the other day at 55mph and its hardly noticable.

I would think those markings are refering to your radiator coolant. But I am no expert - just what I have learned form my 3 trucks.

Carl_in_NH said:

Given all the other service done on 1-3-08, I suspect the axel markings are not rebuilt - but rather oil serviced on that date. Would be really odd if the rebuilt the axels and changed the oil and air filters .

Click to expand...

You are most correct. Don't know how I got on that line of rebuild thinking.

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The amount of oil sitting in that rim can be deceiving. The guy running around in the Hmmve said that these trucks have been lined up out there for several months and with the truck tipped to that side a very small leak will look very large after a bunch of time.

He also said that every one of them came from the Guard which would explain the low miles.

That guy who aired up your tire said his euc only took a week....

I gotta go back out next week as well seeing as I didn't make a list of everything I wanted to check and completely forgot to write down the vin#s

Looks like you got a REALLY NICE truck there! CONGRATS!

Appears to have had a major service in 1990, & fresh paint in 2004! NICE!!
(I think mine has "CARC 91" on it, so understandably your's looks MUCH better!)

Actual Total Mileage is a complete guess, as speedos & tachs are swapped/replaced pretty regularly. Your's could have just 17Kmiles on it total, OR this could just be mileage since rebuild, OR this might be a guage set from another truck! Hard to say for sure. BUT your mileage & engine hour numbers look like they match (under 30miles per hour average), so take a guess based on that!

All of the other markings are noting various services or PM items.

Almost ALL of them need to have a few things fixed. Your stuff looks pretty minor!

The axle seal leak is pretty common.
There are several threads on here describing how to do it. READ THEM!
The most crucial item is setting the bearing preload. Too tight & the bearings will run HOT!
The step where you back the nut off approx 1/8th turn is crucial!
Also be sure to use Lithium Based High Temp Grease & not Moly Based Grease.
If done right your hubs should be no hotter than approx 130degreesF after a good 20minute run at highway speeds.
(I just went thru this myself... In fact I think my leak was on the same wheel!! So feel free to email me or PM me if you want to learn from my mistakes/headaches!)

Be sure to use the correct gear oil! It needs to be "yellow-metal" compatible!
Look for the MT-1 designation, or simply use the GL-1 "old-school" stuff!
Check the manufacturer's spec sheet (on their web site) & they'll usually specify whether or not it meets MT-1 or is "yellow-metal" compatible. Best to check the bottle also! (LOTS of threads in here on this topic also!)

AGAIN CONGRATS!!

(IF you don't have one already I'd suggest getting an Infrared Temp Gun. These are REALLY Handy for seeing if something is running hot, AND tells you exactly HOW HOT! So no guessing...
Harbor Freight has them on sale right now for just under $40.00 (reg $60.00). This is via their web site, BUT if you print the web sale and take it to your local store they will usually match the sale price!
The HF Store I went to also had the pocket version on sale for under $10.00, but this doesn't have a laser for targeting & I'm thinking I'd burn up those little batteries pretty quick. So I got the best one they carry for only $39.99! (Similar gun was over $80 at Napa Auto Parts!!))

"Cheers!"
-Bear-

greenjeepster - I took pics of all my dash plates, which one has the VIN on it?

bugeyebear - Thanks for all the great info. I'll most likely hit you up for some tips when I get ready to do the seal job.

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Nice truck, congrats to the new poppa.

number9 said:

greenjeepster - I took pics of all my dash plates, which one has the VIN on it?

bugeyebear - Thanks for all the great info. I'll most likely hit you up for some tips when I get ready to do the seal job.

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Click to expand...

You are looking for the one with the SERIAL NUMBER on it.
(Should be just above & to the left of the glove box. Serial Number should be stamped into the plate.)

This Serial Number is what is used to title & register the truck.
Don't confuse this with the Contract Number.

(Don't be surprised if this short serial number causes some confusion at your DMV. These trucks didn't have a traditional VIN. Be persistent with your DMV agent IF they resist. You might get someone who has never registered/titled a military vehicle.)


OH, & PM or email me when you get ready to do the axle seal. This job is VERY Fresh in my mind as I just tackled it last week!