New To M35A2s, Looking For Input From The Pros

[Schefdogg25]

Howdy Y'all, Just Bought My First Deuce The Other Day And I Absolutely Love It! 1970 M35A2, AM General I Believe.
But upon closer inspection of it the other day I noticed some things that Im not at all sure of what they are in regards to the front axle area and some spots that it looks like it's leaking fluids underneath, mainly oil I think. I know these things are referred to as road oilers, but I want to know if the areas are normal leak areas and what it takes to fix them if need be. So hopefully y'all will be able to help a newbie such as myself out. I did post some pictures.Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[glcaines]

Welcome to the forum. The first thing to do is download all of the TMs, all of which are located on this site. M35A2 trucks don't necessarily leak oil or grease. Poor previous maintenance is usually the culprit. You obviously need to replace both front boots and axle seals. I would thoroughly clean the underside of the truck to determine what and where the leaks are. I've had both M35A2 and M35A3 trucks, both of which didn't leak a drop. If the truck is new to you, make sure you check out the brakes as a top priority.

 

[Schefdogg25]

Welcome to the forum. The first thing to do is download all of the TMs, all of which are located on this site. M35A2 trucks don't necessarily leak oil or grease. Poor previous maintenance is usually the culprit. You obviously need to replace both front boots and axle seals. I would thoroughly clean the underside of the truck to determine what and where the leaks are. I've had both M35A2 and M35A3 trucks, both of which didn't leak a drop. If the truck is new to you, make sure you check out the brakes as a top priority.

Yeah, I had a feeling that I was going to have to replace some things on that axel. The guy I bought it from told me that it was normal for them to look like that and even I as a newbie was like no way haha. That's going to require pulling apart that whole front axle isn't it?

 

[HDN]

Yeah, I had a feeling that I was going to have to replace some things on that axel. The guy I bought it from told me that it was normal for them to look like that and even I as a newbie was like no way haha. That's going to require pulling apart that whole front axle isn't it?

Fortunately the maintenance TMs for the trucks go into great detail in how to do the job. Be prepared to carefully handle the hub and brake drum - they're pretty heavy, so you want to face the assembly straight-on and carefully pull it off the spindle and set it on something like 2x4 boards. Boots are consumable, so if it were me I'd just use zipper boots moving forward so that you don't have to take the front end apart every time you have to replace trashed ones.

Check your axle vents for function. If they're stuck closed or won't pass air for some reason pressure will build up in the axles and cause gear oil to bypass the seals and wash the grease off the rear wheel bearings. It looks like you're seeping some oil around the transfer case too, which could also be caused by a clogged vent.

Brakes are pretty important. Single-circuit brakes need careful attention because if you lose a line or a wheel cylinder you lose all your brakes!

So what does the top of the truck look like? I wanna see!