Trying to get two m220's running after a long rest

Thanks, Whew!

Trk 1 before you tear it down, pull all the plugs out and check the compression. it will spin faster and you may be suprised. Check the valve lash, maybe you got some "hold open." Then put air to the cylinders (@TDC) and listen to where it goes. carb, exhaust would be a valve issue, crankcase, radiator...

Trk 2
Can you get at the flywheel and use a big prybar to get something moving?
Even if the rings are rusted to the cylinders you should get a couple degrees of movement.

hendersond said:

Thanks, Whew!

Trk 1 before you tear it down, pull all the plugs out and check the compression. it will spin faster and you may be suprised. Check the valve lash, maybe you got some "hold open." Then put air to the cylinders (@TDC) and listen to where it goes. carb, exhaust would be a valve issue, crankcase, radiator...

Click to expand...

Thanks for those tips. I'll check the valve lash and use the air. All plugs were out and gas pedal to floor when I checked the compression.

hendersond said:

Trk 2
Can you get at the flywheel and use a big prybar to get something moving?
Even if the rings are rusted to the cylinders you should get a couple degrees of movement.

Click to expand...

I've been checking it at the crank pulley, hadn't thought about trying it at the flywheel, I'll give that a try when I check it next week.

Sounds like you have enough parts to keep them both going. Usually the only thing I worry about on trucks without well known history are the automatic transmissions and the possibility of the engine freezing and cracking.

hendersond said:

the possibility of the engine freezing and cracking.

Click to expand...

Because this is a low-buck operation, I topped up the cooling systems on M220#1 and Boyce #1 with straight water. Both had good antifreeze in them when I started or they wouldn't have survived all the Idaho winters they lived through. Definitely have to remember to drain them and refill with 50/50 before the end of the summer.

hendersond said:

Trk 2
Can you get at the flywheel and use a big prybar to get something moving?
Even if the rings are rusted to the cylinders you should get a couple degrees of movement.

Click to expand...

Here's a tip I got the other day on freeing a rusted engine. The guy who told me about it owns over 75 (yup, 75+) old John Deere tractors and has rebuilt many of them. He knows his stuff and I trust his word on all such things. He said when he starts to work on an engine that won't turn he first fills the cylinders with water. The water begins to dissolve the rust between the rings and cylinders and forms channels. Then he adds ATF, diesel, etc and it follows the channels and works quicker.

Update

Haven't done much on the M220's or Boyce trucks recently. But I've been busy on the M35A2 and finally drove it out of it's 25+ year resting spot yesterday. You can see the story, with video, in the Deuce forum "Bringing an M35A2 out of the trees . . ."

Not much $$ in the farm budget at this point to do a lot of work on the trucks. (And if we don't get some rain soon, it could get ugly).

I've suggested to our son-in-law that he hang on to the trucks and then we can work on them over time. Even if it takes us a year or two to get them going.

I've got a few more weeks to work on them before I have to go back to our other life. I'm going to focus on learning about the brake systems and see what I can get done there.

Thanks to all of you for your advice and encouragement! I couldn't have gotten this far without it. I'm grateful to everyone on SS who has helped out.

Farmers all across the country are hurting for rain, so send a few of your prayers that way!

Thanks,

Jack

Waking the G749

We had rolling black-outs Monday in very hot temps for our location......and last night 125mm - - - 5" of rain/ hail in some parts of the City. A few underpasses flooded, 2 fires started by lightning and a whole pile of folks late for work.

When I drove through Montana/ Idaho in February it already looked dry. If we could manage these storms better and get them pushed down South things would be greener on both sides of the fence. We we're hoping for the best for you.

When you get on the trucks again, Steel Soldiers owners will be here for ya.

m1010plowboy said:

We had rolling black-outs Monday in very hot temps for our location......and last night 125mm - - - 5" of rain/ hail in some parts of the City. A few underpasses flooded, 2 fires started by lightning and a whole pile of folks late for work.

When I drove through Montana/ Idaho in February it already looked dry. If we could manage these storms better and get them pushed down South things would be greener on both sides of the fence. We we're hoping for the best for you.

When you get on the trucks again, Steel Soldiers owners will be here for ya.

Click to expand...

Sounds like some nasty weather, hope you all stay safe up there! 5" of rain? Yeah, you can send some of that down, but, can you send it in 1/2" increments, say, once a day for the next week or so? Keep the hail!

You and the others on Steel Soldiers have been a great help. Good bunch of folks working to help each other keep these old trucks running. Thanks again to all!

Jack

Yes, the forum is full of awesome people. It's amazing to think so much can from just a truck but my GMC and this forum is responsible for me making some darn good friends even if they do live a little out of the way. It is just incredible what can be accomplished through a keyboard. I try not to take any of these guys for granted!

Rain!



The rain has arrived and we're grateful for it, even though it cut short my work on the trucks today and it may be too late for some of the dry farm crops.

I'm getting these trucks ready to park for the winter. My "truck time" is just about done and it looks like I won't be doing any more work on them this year. They need to be moved away from the grain bins before harvest begins. I'm planning on using the Boyce truck to pull the M220 up to a spot where they'll be out of the way.

I'm pleased that I was able to begin the work of getting these trucks running again. I didn't make as much progress as I'd hoped, but we're headed in the right direction. Next summer will be here before we know it.

They have been sitting this long, another several months won't hurt a bit. They will understand man, the GMC's will understand.

Gunfreak25 said:

They have been sitting this long, another several months won't hurt a bit. They will understand man, the GMC's will understand.

Click to expand...

Yes they will, even another year or two is okay. We'll keep plugging away at it.

No progress to report on the M220 or Boyce trucks, I've been spending what time I have working on the M35A2 brakes.

But I was driving the tractor the other day as we laid some pipe down in one of the fields when I took this picture of M220 #2 (engine still won't turn). Thought I'd pass it on.

Oldfart said:

I recognize that JD lift frame. ~~~ If you can find a bore scope to use, you might be able to do some internal looking. (After the field work is over)

Click to expand...

JD 4010 w/ a #58 loader. Thanks for the tip on the bore scope.

I'm about to the point where I'm ready to hook on to it and give it a few tugs to see if it will break loose. Nothing violent, just an easy pull or two.

We have a 2950 with the same loader. Our 4955 has an 850 loader that looks the same, but is thcker steel with slightly different pivots on the mounting towers. 4010's are awesome tractors that seem to really hold their value.

At some point, one will decide that more severe efforts are justified. I get to that point when I decide it's broken anyway and even if I destroy the offending part, I am no worse off than before I put more muscle into the effort.