Gas station procedures

[Unforgiven]

Greetings,

This is my first post & I am very much a newbie.

I might buy an A2 this week & drive it home. From what I've read here you have to let the truck warm up 5 mins for the turbo. Plus you have to let it idle 5 mins before turning off, also for the turbo. What do you do when it's time to fill up the gas tank?

Do you pull up to the pump, then idle 5 mins, then shut off, then pump fuel, then start, then idle 5 mins then go? So each fill-up will be maybe 15-20 mins long?

Also, does the A2 have an ignition key and door locks, or just a push button start like a farm tractor? I ask because if I buy it I will be on the road several days & probably will hit a few rest stops for a few hours of zzzz. Also, it would be terrible to go inside a 7-11 for a soda just to watch some teenagers joyride the thing out of the parking lot because it didn't have locking doors or an ignition key.

Does anyone know if I will have a problem because there are no license plates? Am I allowed to drive it between states or do I have to get some special DMV tag first?

Any other suggestions for a successful road trip?

Thx

 

[Marlboro]

I leave mine idling when fueling up, no key all are push button, doors lock but from inside only, if you lock the door and shut it then you are locked out. most still have a chain to lock the steering wheel to prevent joy rides! As for tagging good luck someone else i'm sure will know.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

Hey Unforgiven, Welcome to the site!

If you are pumping diesel, I wouldn't shut it off. I usually pull up to a truck stop pump when I can, and they leave their's idleing, so I do it too. It is easier on the engine, starter, your time, etc.

there is only a start butten, no key or door locks. Usually there is a length of chain on the floor, and a padlock. That's about the only theft protection. It is easy to add other things if you so desire. The easiest thing to do when you have to leave it is pull the wire plug out of the back of the start switch. Then all they can do is turn on the batteries, starting the buzzer. That will work like a theft alarm. LOL.

You will need to get insurance and a temp tag from the state you live in (NV) to drive it. The temp tag will be enough to get you home, no matter how many states you have to drive through.

Again welcome, good luck, and as always, TAKE PICTURES!!!

 

[JeepMan]

Deisel is'nt flammable (or as flammable) like gasoline is and people leave their
cars running all the time when refueling.
As far as the teens joyriding -- unless they've been around military equipment, they probably would'nt even know how to drive it.

 

[dittle]

When filling leave the truck running. Diesel won't explode/ignite like gasoline will at atmospheric pressure so there is not worries there.

To help prevent joyriders you can combat lock the passenger door, chain the steering wheel and buy a battery disconnect. The disconnect I have on my truck has a knob that screws clear out of the connector making it so that unless the knob is there you have no way of getting juice in the truck; does not stop pull starting the truck however.

On the doors and locking yourself out I tried this on my truck (while sitting inside) just to see what would happen. If I had the handles in combat lock position and slammed the doors shut it would "unlock" the door so I would have to lock it again from the inside. Don't know if this is the normal way or if it should have stayed locked when I shut the door. I would try it yourself on the truck to make sure before you get locked out.

On the tags most of the time LEOs will not mess with military vehicles but Murphy has been striking pretty hard recently so it is your best bet to get some temp tags at minimum to CYA until you get your regular license for it.

 

[KsM715]

I drove mine home 300+ miles and never shut it off. If you pull into fuel and want to shut it down just let it idle for a bit while your getting stuff in order (getting out your atm/debit/c. card, stowing your drink cups) it should be warm enough when you start it back up, just give it a bit to let the oil pressure come back up to normal.

If your worried about it being stolen bring a pad lock and a short piece of chain, 4-5ft just incase you have no chain already welded to the seat base. Chain the steering wheel to either the seat somehow or from steering wheel to brake or clutch pedal.

Taggs? well usually if you have a bill of sale and a title or something stating that you just bought it you should be ok, but you might call the DOT and just ask. ( I never called, just took my chances, never got a second look from the cops). Insurance.. I called my agent and he told me I was covered under my current policy for 30 days when buying any vehicle.


edit. wow I type slow, I was #3 when I started typing

 

[M35Brown]

The M35A2's have a Master switch on the left side panel (long lever that covers the Kill lever when on) and have a small switch to the right of the steering column, both of these switches twist, the master turns right for on, and the start is spring loaded(turn right to start and spring back to off after start) The Kill is a T Handle next to the Master, when the Master is turned off, it uncovers the Kill T Handle, Pull to Kill, Push for Run.
No key for start or for door locks (There is an aftermarket lock kit for the door.

When you start your truck, you should let it warm up to min operating temp, the time required for this will depend on the outside temp. If your truck is at normal running temp (185deg.) and you stop for fuel, just start up and drive.
When Killing the engine, it is said to wait 5 min. This is to let the Turbo cool down. This will depend on how hard you are driving it, If you just pulled a long hill, and stoped for fuel, let it idle for 4 to 5 min. If you just came down a long hill (for 2 min+) you can pull in and could Kill it, as the Turbo has cooled. Use your own judgment.
The best thing is to pull in for fuel, let it idle while fueling, and drive away.

The next question you will ask is, How do you turn on the lights?
There is a set of 3 switches on the left panel, Look for pictures of the panel.
Lift and hold the lower right lever, and turn the top switch to the right one click for stop and turn lights, or to the second click for driving lights. You can turn the lower left lever up one click for instrument lights Dim, or another click for bright.
Remember to lift the Lower right lever and hold to turn on any hwy running lights. You can run all of the military night blackout lights without lifting the Lower Right Lever, But can not turn on anything bright without lifting the lever.

Good luck with your new truck.

 

[Scarecrow1]

Hello and welcome to this site , Its the best of the best. Please don't take this wrong but it's for you own safety , and the safety of others . You should really think of having someone trailer it for you or at least find an experianced driver to teach you the basics or better yet drive it home for you . This isn't something thats covered enough here. This is simply The most dangerous thing you could do . Your not sure how to even crank this monster up then it's safe to assume that youv'e not diven one before.This isn' a wise thing to try to learn on the fly. Just because you think you can dosen't mean you should . At least look up thetruck in the TM section at the top of the page . It will show you the starting and turning off basics and the shift patteren is a odd one too .There are not many topics that aren't covered there and you should know it before you try to drive it . Thank goodness you didn't buy a 5 ton Good luck

 

[ironhorsethegeneral]

People usually do not turn them off they are trying to save fuel. The other reason they do not shut it off is the time it take to cool off the turbo. I never worry about it because I use synthetic oil in my truck. It has far more protection for the engine than petroleum oil. If you run spin on oil filters with anti-drain back on them the pressure will pump up faster. The late model engines are electronically controlled. Theoretically they are required to shut down (according to state) just like the cars. They can spark ignited. This is pennies worth for the day.

 

[DUG]

I shut down at the pump because there is always someone who wants to talk to me about the deuce. Fill ups take a lot longer that way, but it's more fun.

 

[davidkroberts]

I drove a semi-truck for awhile and never shut the thing down while filling. You might want to fill-up at truck stops though. They are a bit more user friendly. Also these trucks arent speed demons and a long trip is a long cold ordeal in the winter even counting on nothing mechanically happening to the truck. I would carry a few fuel filters a set of tools and a diesel mecanic friend if i was you. The brakes on a M35 are tricky and can give you problems if you arent used to them. Also its GOING to be cold in the cab unless you have a good working heater. I second the getting someone to tow it idea. These are not the things to be learning with OJT and a multiday trip in a surplus unknown truck in the winter could go badly.

 

[Snarky]

The next question you will ask is, How do you turn on the lights?
There is a set of 3 switches on the left panel, Look for pictures of the panel.
Lift and hold the lower right lever, and turn the top switch to the right one click for stop and turn lights, or to the second click for driving lights. You can turn the lower left lever up one click for instrument lights Dim, or another click for bright.
Remember to lift the Lower right lever and hold to turn on any hwy running lights. You can run all of the military night blackout lights without lifting the Lower Right Lever, But can not turn on anything bright without lifting the lever.

Good luck with your new truck.

Some trucks (like mine) have the updated push button switch. To activate your service lights:

First press any button to activate the switch so you can input a command. It should light up if it's working.

Next press the button corresponding to the lights to want to activate: Popular choices would be Brake Lights, Service lights, or Parking lights. The service lights would be the best choice, that turns on your head lights, tail lights, and brake lights. Once you hit the button you want: the chosen key, and the Enter button should flash Blue.

Finally you hit the Enter Key in the center to confirm. You choice should now glow solid, and the lights should come on.

After that, if you would like, you can turn on your panel lights by hitting the button marked Panel Brt. It doesn't need an Enter Confirmation, it should just glow solid after you hit it and the panel lights should come on, so long as you had previously activated some type of Running lights.

 

[Unforgiven]

The M35A2's have a Master switch on the left side panel (long lever that covers the Kill lever when on) and have a small switch to the right of the steering column, both of these switches twist, the master turns right for on, and the start is spring loaded(turn right to start and spring back to off after start) The Kill is a T Handle next to the Master, when the Master is turned off, it uncovers the Kill T Handle, Pull to Kill, Push for Run.
No key for start or for door locks (There is an aftermarket lock kit for the door.

When you start your truck, you should let it warm up to min operating temp, the time required for this will depend on the outside temp. If your truck is at normal running temp (185deg.) and you stop for fuel, just start up and drive.
When Killing the engine, it is said to wait 5 min. This is to let the Turbo cool down. This will depend on how hard you are driving it, If you just pulled a long hill, and stoped for fuel, let it idle for 4 to 5 min. If you just came down a long hill (for 2 min+) you can pull in and could Kill it, as the Turbo has cooled. Use your own judgment.
The best thing is to pull in for fuel, let it idle while fueling, and drive away.

The next question you will ask is, How do you turn on the lights?
There is a set of 3 switches on the left panel, Look for pictures of the panel.
Lift and hold the lower right lever, and turn the top switch to the right one click for stop and turn lights, or to the second click for driving lights. You can turn the lower left lever up one click for instrument lights Dim, or another click for bright.
Remember to lift the Lower right lever and hold to turn on any hwy running lights. You can run all of the military night blackout lights without lifting the Lower Right Lever, But can not turn on anything bright without lifting the lever.

Good luck with your new truck.

Fantastic info. Thx

 

[Unforgiven]

Hello and welcome to this site , Its the best of the best. Please don't take this wrong but it's for you own safety , and the safety of others . You should really think of having someone trailer it for you or at least find an experianced driver to teach you the basics or better yet drive it home for you . This isn't something thats covered enough here. This is simply The most dangerous thing you could do . Your not sure how to even crank this monster up then it's safe to assume that youv'e not diven one before.This isn' a wise thing to try to learn on the fly. Just because you think you can dosen't mean you should . At least look up thetruck in the TM section at the top of the page . It will show you the starting and turning off basics and the shift patteren is a odd one too .There are not many topics that aren't covered there and you should know it before you try to drive it . Thank goodness you didn't buy a 5 ton Good luck

I agree with you 100%. The only reason I'm going to fly in and drive is because the Ebay seller didn't provide shipping. It's difficult if not impossible to find any decent trucks anywhere west of the Mississippi. All the ones in Idaho, CA, Oregon seem to be over-priced rust buckets. All the good deals seem to be down south or back east. Plus I'm on vacation, so I can take my time coming home. I'm in no hurry & can do 45 mph all day. I plan to stay in the slow lane of major interstates as much as possible.

You are correct that I have never driven an A2. But I figure once I learn the basics it's just another vehicle right? As long as I don't get impatient and leave a piston on the asphalt like some of the pics I've seen here it shouldn't be that hard. The funky shift pattern doesn't bother me.

I'm planning to bring an insulated jumpsuit, gloves, and ear protection with built in radio

What I'm concerned about most are mechanical problems & general safety (road trip, alone, no firearm etc)

Is the truck intrinsicly unreliable? I thought the whole point was they were reliable & cheap as long as you don't abuse them.

Good thing my AAA dues are paid up, just in case.

 

[dittle]

The truck design as a whole is reliable but you have to remember that you're dealing with something that is probably 40 years old and hasn't been used much in the past couple of years. Do not be suprised if you have a few oil leaks start around seals after you drive it. Test the brakes before you go anywhere with it.

 

[Speddmon]

first off welcome to the site.

Good luck getting AAA to come to assist you in a deuce! People have tried before and have had less than stellar results from AAA.

I don't think you'll have too much trouble driving it back....driving it is not much different than a car. Stopping it however could be WAY different than a normal car. For your sake and the sake of every other motorist on the road around this Christmas season, I hope that you trust the seller to have given the single circuit braking system a very thorough inspection. Otherwise it could be a disastrous holiday season for you, your family and some poor unsuspecting motorist.

Please, at the very least, go to the resources section here on the site and download for free the operators manual for the deuce. It is TM 9-2320-361-10. If you've never been inside one of these trucks, this will help you out tremendously!

 

[gunboy1656]

At last check, AAA will not even come out for something that large. Get numbers from members who may be able to help you.

Read as much as you can on here. Dont forget how big the truck is. Prepare for longer stopping distances compared to a car.

And above all else enjoy it.

 

[M35Brown]

Remember to Drain The Air Tanks!!

 

[Unforgiven]

Thanks for all the replies. I just downloaded the Technical Manual (both versions) and will print them out later (I just prefer paper to a computer screen). I was unaware of a brake-failure problem. Are these trucks prone to losing the brakes? I thought they had some kind of redundant air system on top of the hydraulics.

 

[M35Brown]

You might want to pick up some Brake Fluid.
Use Only Dot 5, Also known as BFS, Silicone base.
I found it at Autozone, and NAPA.