New Guy. I have some concerns...

[NRG]

Howdy, I have read these forums for the past week trying to learn everything possible about the M35A2 i just bought. I went to go pick it up ( 740 miles away ) and everything checked out. Clean truck. But after an hour of driving I noticed some gear oil spitting up into the floor board of the cab. I figured.. it hasn't really been driven in 2 years so its just the seals getting wet again. Drove another hour and stopped. The tranny fluid is dumping out of the bell housing from the vent hole. I have read up on that, apparently that is very common if the transmission is over filled and you drive it on the freeway. When I pulled over and saw the tranny fluid coming out at a fast pace, I crawled under the truck. The transmission is hot.. like touch it with your finger and it will get your attention hot. I also noticed that the floor boards in the cab were pretty warm to hot as well when I was on the freeway. I had my mountain dew bottle sitting on the floor while I was driving in between the seats and it went from cold drink to warm-hot drink over time. Is the floor normally like this when you are running the truck at 48-50mph. I never got past 50 mph, so i wasnt running it "hard".

I limped the truck to a mechanic shop 9 miles away because I was freaked out about the transmission. I did notice that after letting it sit for 2 hours and then driving it to the mechanic shop 9 miles away, the truck was hardly leaking the transmission fluid. This makes me think that the tranny was just over filled ( which the guy I bought it from did say that he just changed the diff and tranny fluids ) and that is why its leaking all over the place on the freeway. There is no front tranny seal on these transmissions right? I did loosen the fill plug on the tranny and before I could unscrew it all the way out, tranny fluid was coming out, so it was way over full.

Anyhow, I think i'm at peace with the tranny leaking.. but the heat coming off the tranny kinda scares me.. is it normal? If it is.. I need to call that shop and tell them not to drop the tranny and charge me $850!

Thank you so much for your help and your expertise!

Truck Info:
1985 AM General M35A2 with 21,000 miles.

 

[Recovry4x4]

The overfill condition does just as you've explained so I'd not be too worried about that. The heat sounds about right too. You won't lose any skin on it but you won't hold your hand on it either. The floorboards get extremely hot. The soles of cheap shoes will actually get sticky on hot days. Sadly, there are holes and air leaks everywhere and all that heat comes pouring into the cab so you get quite hot too. Here's what I do and a little test to prove it. If I'm going to be moving more than stopping, I open up the drivers windshield about 6" and close everything else. The air coming through the windshield pressurizes the cab and blows the hot air out of the holes. Try it! To test, drive with the windows down and feel how hot the transfer case shifter feels. Switch to the windshield deal and it will cool down in 5 minutes.

 

[NRG]

Oh my gosh! You are the man! Thank you! Now, I gotta drive 500 miles back to the truck and get it at the shop! lol. Oh well, the truck is worth it! Thank you again!

 

[avengeusa]

sounds like you got a good truck, congrats

 

[Divemaster920]

I agree 100% with Recovry4x4.

 

[NRG]

Thank you! Got a M53A2 and a military trailer together. I think everything will work out good in the long run now, since that you guys have provided me with fast knowledgeable information on these trucks and calmed my fears of the transmission.

 

[gunboy1656]

Wow congrats on the truck, I have never been in a military truck that was ever cool.

You said you read up on here, and still broke one of the rules...oh well guess i get to say it

Hey thats the first time I used it......

Good luck with your truck

 

[GoHot229]

It's been said by members that when you fill the trans, that if you fill to the hole thats too much, rather your finger should be able to go two knuckles in before you touch oil . Jim 1009 says one knuckle is correct, and the reason being that too full it will be at the bearing/seal level or above it actually and can then leak out from there.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

September 27th, 2009.

If the tranny was overfilled, (above half an inch below the upper tranny fill hole), she'll spit oil everywhere she can, as it expands when warm. You gotta remember, when the M35A2 was designed, it was an off road truck, and untill it got the 5th overdrive gears, 40 MPH was about it and that qualified as pushing it. I have run my truck two hundred miles at a time on the road with few stops, and on a 100*F day, even with the cab windows set as given above, she'll make you appreciate either a shower or a pool. Mine's leaking engine oil out the drain hole in the bell housing, but she's in the shop for a new rear main seal on the engine, about $450.00 and I bring the parts. Likely she will get her air steering and have the hubs repacked before she goes home, so it'll be a little more. Most modern truck mechanics around here are very scared of the deuce and won't touch it at all.
The old guy working on it now was a mechanic on thedeuces in Vietnam, and seemed pleased to see something that wasn't computerized. Take good care of your truck and she'll take good care of you, otherwise, beat and abuse her and you'll soon find deuces can be temperamental.

Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[jimm1009]

more info on oil levels

Actually, to quote the PS Magazine, the first knuckle is more correct although the 2nd is not bad either.
Go to the old S.S. site and then go to resources, and then to the PS Magazine link and then go to the one titled "1 1/2 ton - know your truck.
This is a lot of good information on the general operator's stuff that you should have in your memory banks.
I downloaded and printed it to a PDF document to store in the same area as the -10.
It has some more up to date information that is a little easier to understand for some of us not used to reading TMs.
Good luck,
jimm1009

link to site below

http://old.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=gallery

 

[Speddmon]

Recovry4x4 and the others are correct about the heat in the cab and the heat you'll feel on the transmission, listen to them and you'll be fine.

As to the transmission fill level....I've been there and done that. I had a 750+ mile recovery trip from Wisconsin to Ohio earlier in the summer. 90+ degrees relative temperature and driving almost redline the whole way...pulling a 6000 lb lube trailer behind. My transmission was doing the exact same thing...and it was my own dumb fault. I knew before I left the base that it was filled to the plug level, and yet I left it that full, rather than draining some of it out. Gimpyrobb had a very similar problem after he changed his rear main seal...he had the transmission filled to 1/2 inch below the fill hole and still spit out gear lube all over the flywheel.

Personally, I'm running mine about 1 inch below the level of the fill plug and it seems to handle that just fine. Another member on here "m35tom" has vast experience with these transmissions. He and many other members seem to have no troubles at all with running them filled to the level of the plug. After a discussion with Tom in this thread "Deuce Tranny Capacity", I have come to the conclusion that it must be the design of the particular transmission you have in your truck that will determine if you have troubles or not. Apparently some of the transmissions have an input shaft bearing with an open roller cage, and some of them have a "shielded" roller cage. This leads me to the logical conclusion that obviously the "shielded" cage would help to hold back some of the oil and keep it from reaching the input shaft screwback. I'm not sure which bearing mine has, but when I need to pull the transmission again or do any work on it I will find out then...until that time, I'm happy running it just a little below the fill plug.

Good luck on the rest of your recovery effort and, as mantioned above...treat your truck right and it will treat you right.

 

[dittle]

Here is a question that I came up with when reading this thread in regards to the heat with way overfill on the oil. Wouldn't having the tranny overfilled by that much actually make the tranny cool less effeciently as well? These trucks don't have a tranny cooler so for the tranny to actually cool it has to have some space for air to get in there and act as a heat exchanger. I would think that would make the truck run hotter than normal, just don't know how much.

 

[rosco]

200f is not a high temperature for a working transmission. 150f is relatively cool, but you have to be real tough to hold your hand on a 150f surface. So don't be real surprised if you get burned.

Lee in Alaska

 

[badgmc56]

My fluid level is at the fill plug also. I have no problems with leaks. If you look at the size of a deuce tranny, I don't think it is a matter of air space that helps cool it. I think it would be interesting to see how much more fluid is added between the one knuckle level and the fill plug level. Does anyone already know this? Next time I change it, I am going to check that out myself. I agree with Speddmon on the input bearings being different. That would explain the difference in fill levels.

 

[roscoe]

Congatulations on the truck. Dito the above posts. I had the same problem on new one of mine comming home at 50+ mph.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Bad 56, when I filled my trans sitting on the ground, I filled it to one knuckle below the fill port. While driving, the trans started to slip still. I grabbed my empty 1liter Mt.dew bottle and drained the trans of more fluid. I filled the bottle up to the bottom of the top bulge. So maybe 3/4 of a liter drained. It has done well for me since.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

I run all mine, trans, transfer, and axles at the "reach in to the nuckle and feel for the gear oil level............this was told to me by a very good mech who worked on them in vietnam.


Kennys idea works!!!!! BUT!!!!!! When doing this for the first time, be prepared for the swirling dust storm of debri for the 1st couple of miles............I am sure that some of you have experienced this.

 

[NRG]

Got the truck back from the almost 800 mile recovery. After having the transmission leak problem fixed the truck did great. After I got it home I did notice a moaning sound coming from the transmission, almost like a throwout bearing acting up, when I shifted from reverse to 1st even with the clutch in. I pulled off the inspection cover on the tranny and saw a grease zerk on the release bearing and got a grease gun to fit up there and grease that bearing. No more issues since. Love the truck!

Got some pictures of the family taking the truck out and having some fun. Didn't do anything serious, just played alittle in the mud. I even let my 16 and 12 year old nieces drive it. They loved it and it made great memories. Thanks again to all of your advise on this forum! I wouldn't be where I am now without you guys!

 

[armytruckdriverddsso]

I was 88Mike in the Army (truck Driver). Take answer (E all of the above.) Rule of thumb I learned abut trucks is they are all different, and work it that way. The trans dose got hot I used to keep my coffee cup warm by putting it on the floor just behind the shifter.

 

[frodobaggins]

Got the truck back from the almost 800 mile recovery. After having the transmission leak problem fixed the truck did great. After I got it home I did notice a moaning sound coming from the transmission, almost like a throwout bearing acting up, when I shifted from reverse to 1st even with the clutch in. I pulled off the inspection cover on the tranny and saw a grease zerk on the release bearing and got a grease gun to fit up there and grease that bearing. No more issues since. Love the truck!

Got some pictures of the family taking the truck out and having some fun. Didn't do anything serious, just played alittle in the mud. I even let my 16 and 12 year old nieces drive it. They loved it and it made great memories. Thanks again to all of your advise on this forum! I wouldn't be where I am now without you guys!

Did you put your fording plug in ?