M35A3 Wheel Valve Kits

[glcaines]

Does anyone know of a source for NOS M35A3 CTIS wheel valve repair kits. There are detailed instructions on how to rebuild the CTIS wheel valves in the TM, but I have never seen NOS kits for sale. I have not yet tried the manufacturer. It appears to be relatively easy to refurbish the wheel valves.

 

[mktopside]

Does anyone know of a source for NOS M35A3 CTIS wheel valve repair kits. There are detailed instructions on how to rebuild the CTIS wheel valves in the TM, but I have never seen NOS kits for sale. I have not yet tried the manufacturer. It appears to be relatively easy to refurbish the wheel valves.

Jorge Young
Director of Engineering
CM Automotive Systems, Inc.
120 Commerce Way
Walnut CA 91789
Tel. 909 869 7912 Ext. 124
jyoung@cmautomotive.com


Just call or e-mail. The CM guys are very helpful and nice.

 

[glcaines]

Thanks. I'm amazed that I never see any kits on e-bay or anywhere else, only complete wheel valves. I'll call CM.

 

[Rustygears]

CM wasn't so helpful and I was incredibly nice.

They have rebuild manuals they are making for the military and are holding back letting anyone see them....

 

[flyxpl]

CM wasn't so helpful and I was incredibly nice.

They have rebuild manuals they are making for the military and are holding back letting anyone see them....

Just what I would expect from a company that makes junk . Do yourself and your tires a favor and take the ctis off the truck .

 

[jwaller]

I have several of the valves new in the box. pm me if interested.

 

[glcaines]

I talked with CM today and they were extremely helpful. I was told that the CTIS system on the M35A3 is now obsolete and they don't stock parts anymore. I was told that the A3 CTIS was obsoleted about 7 years ago. They are currently concentrating on CTIS systems for the Stryker vehicle. I was on the phone for a while discussing an issue with my CTIS and received some good information, which agreed with my conclusiions after using the troubleshooting chart in the TM. The CM guy I talked to was very interested that I had purchased an M35A3. He was very familiar with the A3. I suspect it depends entirely on who you get to talk to at CM.

 

[Rustygears]

I was in email contact with the cust service folks and their CEO. I asked if there were rebuild parts available, if there was more detailed trouble shooting info beyond 'replace something and try again' like the TM says and that I wanted to document how to troubleshoot to help folks who couldn't afford to shotgun repair by swapenerring like the military does. They told me about the new manuals, but asked me to bring my truck to their facility. I indicated that I really couldn't do that because most business days I'm overseas on Biz and only have late nights on weekends to work on the truck (I write this from a hotel in London), so could I get the manuals that they were making courtesy of the taxpayer. I was really, really nice and thanked them profusely. Never had the courtesy of a reply back.

I procure lots of custom $$ industrial stuff and contract out to have things manufactured in my business. I'll remember them next time I need a bid on a complex pneumatic assembly and then send the bid off to China instead. My wallet has a great memory.

 

[CMAutomotive]

CM Automotive support

So I'm the guy who ultimately has to decide how to support aftermarket sales, and I'll be the first to admit that in our 'personality-intensive" company we call CM Automotive, you may get a different reply based on whom you talk to.

That being the case, if you need support on our system, please contact me at

tdealmeida@cmautomotive.com

we will figure out a way to help you (without bringing in the vehicle).

 

[glcaines]

So I'm the guy who ultimately has to decide how to support aftermarket sales, and I'll be the first to admit that in our 'personality-intensive" company we call CM Automotive, you may get a different reply based on whom you talk to.

That being the case, if you need support on our system, please contact me at

tdealmeida@cmautomotive.com

we will figure out a way to help you (without bringing in the vehicle).

I recently talked with Mike LoBue at C-M. He was extremely helpful - some of the best customer service I have ever encountered. Oh, and Welcome to Steel Soldiers!

 

[3dAngus]

This is FANTASTIC! Someone needs find a way to disseminate this new info to the broader community here, as the CTIS wheel/valve/tire system has been the number one maintenance concern for the M35A3. This may be your one opportunity to get some real answers for a change. Thank you tdealmeida@cmautomotive.com

I wonder if it is possible to get some spec control drawings where this no longer produced and supported with spare parts product line could be reverse engineered.

 

[glcaines]

I finally broke down and dismantled a defective wheel valve I've had. I never found any kits to rebuild the wheel valve. However, after dismantlement, I discovered that the wheel valves are very simple. I simply took it apart, cleaned everything with gasoline, washed the parts with hot soapy water, dried them and reassembled the unit. Took me about 30 minutes total time. It would have gone faster, but the wheel valve was full of differential lube. I also found a small piece of rubber o-ring under one of the valve seats, holding it open. No one should be afraid to work on these C-M wheel valves. They are a piece of cake.

 

[Rustygears]

The main manifold is likewise very simple. It seems that the CTIS is very sensitive to oil. It gums up the wheel valve and the manifold. This is probably why the A3 has the added Haldex air dryer added. If the crud and slobber that the dryer is supposed to catch gets into the manifold, which it will because it uses slot of air, then it will gum up and misoperate. Typically the A3 dryers are not in working order because the filter & desiccant cartridges need replacement and there are air leaks that cause excessive dryer cycling. The wheel valves gum up from oil from the broken dryer and axle oil. I find that going through the system and disassembling the manifold and wheel valves to clean them out, servicing h dryer to properly operate and tightening up all the leaks put the CTIS back into full operation and with no significant cost other than filters for the dryer.

 

[CobraCDR]

Thoughts on taking them all apart and cleaning them like glacines did even if they are still operational? Prolong the life of the system or mess something up that is currently working?

 

[glcaines]

Thoughts on taking them all apart and cleaning them like glacines did even if they are still operational? Prolong the life of the system or mess something up that is currently working?

I'm a firm believer in proper PM, but I also believe in 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. If your system is working fine, I wouldn't touch it.