New To M35A2s, Looking For Input From The Pros

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

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.

glcaines said:

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.

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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?

Schefdogg25 said:

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?

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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!

Of course, that already invites suggestions for some modifications!

- axle breathers: you can replace them with a hose barb and run a hose up to the frame or above, with a cheap in line gas filter at the end, to prevent water entry. No more issues with sticky axle breathers. Leave enough slack in the hose; the axles move.

- a remote brake fluid reservoir is IMHO a "must do" modification. Not being able to see the brake fluid level at a glance is a safety risk.

- you will get acquainted with the vendors for parts for our trucks!

- When you wrench on the drive line and disconnect drive shafts, especially the short jack shaft between transmission and transfer case, make sure you use single use "distorted thread" metal lock nuts on reassembly and tighten to specs. Do NOT use nylon, loctite etc. The vibration of the drive train loosens anything but the correct nuts. Some members had the jack shaft politely knock at the cab floor.

- knuckle boots...do NOT buy any new old stock. There are one piece silicone ones that are quite good (I am writing this the day after noticing that both of mine are ripped) and zippered "super boots" that fit nicely. Zipper...you can replace boots without disassembling the front axle.

- oil leaks....you already received excellent advice. Pressure wash the underneath and run it to see where it leaks. From the pics, I'd be suspicious of rear main seal (oil from hole at bottom of bell housing), engine valve covers especially near the firewall, and pinion seals/transfer case input seal.

Have fun!!

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I bought a truck that looked a lot like yours from the bottom. I spent a lot of time and did all of the following. I barely have any leaks now.

- Axle seals all around,
- Pinion seals
- Transmission output seal
- Transfer case input & output seal
- Ran vent lines from axles to firewall
- Cunifer bakes lines and new soft lines
- New brake cylinders
- New master cylinder
- Rebuilt airpack
- New brake linings
- New parking brake linings
- Oil pan gasket
- Hydraulic head O-rings
- silicone boots
- brake fluid remote reservoir

Most of it you are already in there so you might as well do it. I still need to do rear main seal and transmission input shaft seal but it will have to wait until I do the clutch. I only did whatever I could get to without removing engine, transmission, or transfer case. The brake system I wanted to be sure everything was up to snuff.

Top of the truck pictures like requested
She's a beauty up top, but definitely some..demons...that are showing themselves besides the ones already discussed that need to be exorsised from the truck so to speak. I hopefully will get some time here shortly to start on doing some of the things mentioned above to her

Super appreciative of all the health and guidance

If you have the time/space best advice I can give is to take everything apart and put it back together again. Do it now, or do it over the lifetime of your ownership, but you'll end up doing it eventually.

I've had my deuce for 8 years and have probably fixed/modified over 50 (this number might be low) different items. And every single bolt I've taken off, I've had to replace because they either were bent or broke off. I'm on my second round for some items. It might be easier to list the items I haven't touched.

@HDN is absolutely correct. My tranny is out and I am waiting for hardware to put the flywheel and clutch back together.....always something! But that way, the PTO gets a new seal and boot!

An invaluable resource for you to do these repairs will be Tactical Repair on YouTube. A lot easier when you can see it being done.

Jeepsinker said:

An invaluable resource for you to do these repairs will be Tactical Repair on YouTube. A lot easier when you can see it being done.

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Tactical repair is my favotite one to watch when it comes to repairs and what im looking at. I know ill have to read a bunch but videos are more my friend