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2003 LMTV M1078A1 hydraulic cab tilt

T the Toolman

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2003 M1078A1 troop transport. Air system won’t lift cab, but hand pump will. But bottom of tank has bad leak. I’m new to this so looking for advice. Here’s a picture of the hydraulic tank. None of the fittings are leaking. Is this a tank replacement or is there a rebuild kit I need to get?
 

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NDT

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Is your tank leaking or (much more likely) is oil slobbering out of the vent stone on top? If this is the case, the pump needs to be rebuilt. Also where is your cover? Rain will enter the hyd tank without it.
 

Ronmar

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Well the air exhaust filter(sintered bronze) looks clean and no oil on top. I suspect a cracked box. It’s plastic, they have been known to crack…

what is the oil level in the box? Is it above the pickup tube level?

when you push the air button what does the pump do? Nothing? Single “Clunk”? Slow/steady “ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk”? or a fast “Tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk”?
 

T the Toolman

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Illinois
Is your tank leaking or (much more likely) is oil slobbering out of the vent stone on top? If this is the case, the pump needs to be rebuilt. Also where is your cover? Rain will enter the hyd tank without it.
Oil is coming out of bottom of tank, I'm afraid the tank is cracked. There was no cover on the head & tank. I'll put one on once I get it fixed. I've found the whole unit, is there anyplace that sells just the tank?
 

T the Toolman

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Illinois
Well the air exhaust filter(sintered bronze) looks clean and no oil on top. I suspect a cracked box. It’s plastic, they have been known to crack…

what is the oil level in the box? Is it above the pickup tube level?

when you push the air button what does the pump do? Nothing? Single “Clunk”? Slow/steady “ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk”? or a fast “Tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk”?
I fill oil level up and I barely have enough time to use the manual jack to get the cab up, before the oil runs out. The pump does a steady, probably fast tunk, tunk, tunk.
 

Ronmar

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OK, well fast cycle indicates it is not building any hydraulic pressure so stuck check valve or bad seal on the hydraulic piston, or having low oil has sucked a bunch of air and it has not purged it from the system(air in the system = no work = fast tunk tunk tunk). Not blowing oil out the air exhaust is a good sign:)

No oil in the main reservoir will eventually cause you problems with the hand pump as the hand pump reservoir is just a little smaller than the cab lift required volume, and it makes up this difference by sucking fluid from the AOP reservoir. eventually you will start to send air to the cab cylinder near the top of the lift and each time you lower this air comes back last sending more fluid to the main cracked tank to leak away. eventually you will start pumping air early enough in the lift that you will not be able to complete the lift.

1. You first need a reservoir that is not leaking. You can try and buy one, or have a local weld shop fabricate you one(I would fab a steel one). In the meantime, I would probably try and pull it and seal it(degrease and duct tape, or epoxy) for testing.
2. once you have a reservoir that holds oil, fill it, disconnect the supply and return lines and and connect the ports together and run the pump to purge air from the AOP, then reconnect the supply and return lines to their normal ports.
3. Next select cab raise and disconnect the cylinder base line at the cylinder and run it into a container and again cycle the AOP to purge air from the line and valve and reconnect the line to the cylinder.
3. Remove the filler plug on the hand pump(rear outboard corner allen head plug) and completely top off the hand pump and reseal the plug...

Now you can see if the AOP works. Try and lift the cab with the AOP. should only have a few rapid "tunks" until it builds pressure and drops to a more slower/labored clunk as it performs work and lifts the cab...
 
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GeneralDisorder

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Those early plastic tanks do crack and were superseded to aluminum. Find another pump with the later tank - either one rebuilt already, or one that needs a seal kit and overhaul it.

Here's one for a reasonable price with the aluminum tank. And these are perpetually for sale on the facebook groups - just ask. Someone will have one. I have like three of them from part outs that I need to rebuild and offer up. They are VERY common so don't pay more than like $300 for one.


One of our members here and on the facebook groups offers a kit for them that is much more economical than buying a whole service kit from Power Packer:

 
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