And the day began with such promise!!! 8-}

[manders]

tl;dr ... something broke, I need seem guidance/advice.

M923A0, 24K miles and 29 hours on the clock (I presume since rebuild, but I don't know if it was a major or minor rebuild).

The weather is finally starting to cooperate where I can count on a few hours of dryness to do some work.

Bright and early at the crack of 10am I picked up my truck from the storage lot about 5 miles from my house, the first four of which are nice level ground.

The last mile is about a 400 foot vertical ascent on a two-lane paved road with a fair number of turns, steep embankments, no shoulders, lots of fun on a dark night ... you get the idea.

I've done this drive 3 times in the last 3 months with no hint of problem, but this time I'm two-thirds of the way up and start to feel a slight loss of power (I'm manually in 2nd).

About this same time, smoke starts to come into the cab from under the passenger seat. I'm watching the smoke, watching the road, watching the gauges, watching the road, watching the cars, watching the smoke ... and in full-scale red-alert mode.

There is no place to pull over that is even remotely safe and/or not fraught with buckets of "imperial entanglement", so I decide to tough it out through the last 400 yards.

(After the initial cloud of smoke, it never got more dense in the cab than that produced by a good cigar! I also didn't detect any particular scent, though ... as I had a couple of other things on my mind ... it could have smelled like a thousand roses and I probably wouldn't have noticed!)

I turn up the last small hill - a nice 25° climb - and make it another 50 yards before chug chug chug wheeze wheeze wheeze stop!

I throw on the brake, jump down from the cab, place a chock by the front wheel, run the remaining 50 yards to my car and grab a fire extinguisher (note to self ... put it in the darn truck next time ... ) and race back!

The good ... GREAT! ... news is that there are no flames, smoke is gone, and a puddle of green fluid (yes green ... see below) is starting to pool under the rig right about mid-cab, nearer the passenger side.

I throw a couple more chocks on the wheels and try to get my heartbeat back down below 200!

Step 1 ... open the cowling take a look around.

Problem 1 ... steep backward cant of hill makes it absolutely impossible for little ol' me to open that darn thing up.

Step 2 ... get a tow!

Problem 2 ... Find a tow truck that can handle both this truck and those hills, and do it before the neighborhood finds their picks, axes, and torches.

Just in case it wasn't already obvious ... did I forget to mention that I'm brand-new to this "hobby".

For whatever reason, when I felt the loss of power, saw the smoke, and then the motor died ... my first guess was something tranny-related. Any fluid I saw I expected to be reddish/gold, like all the other transmission fluid I've ever spilled all over the wife's garage.

(I ***believe*** I'm running Dex3 in this, but I haven't yet got a call back from the mechanic who gave it the once-over when I picked it up from JBLM in late October.)

I was very surprised to see green, which looked more like the antifreeze I routinely spill all over the back of my SUV.

About four hours later, I'm back at the storage yard, 4 bills poorer for the tow, trying to figure out just what the heck is going on!!!

Attached are some fine photos for your entertainment.



The first shows just how close I got to my destination, specifically, just the other side of the telephone pole up ahead to the left!!! (From now on, the phrase is ... horseshoes, hand grenades, and Saturday-afternoon-fix-em-up-plans!)

The rest show splatter in the engine compartment and undercarriage which I hope might cause someone on this most excellent forum to jump in with that obvious answer, you know ... something like ... well of course, dummy, you forgot to brim-prong the gym-frip on the dom-knocker ... everyone knows that!!!



(My apologies for not taking more and/or better pics. Aside from not really knowing what the heck I was looking for ... I was already an hour late for playing chauffeur to the kids and a nice spring shower was drenching everything in sight!)


I did not try to drive it or even put it in gear (dumb yes ... stoopid no!), though I did have to start it for all of about 15 seconds in order to center the steering for the tow (which it did without problems or hesitation).

So anyway ... unless I get a quorum telling me otherwise, I'm going to have it towed to a shop for the repairs.

If it's unrelated to the transmission, I've got a local shop about 5 miles away that will ***only*** cost me $175 to get it there.

If y'all think it's definitely transmission related, the closest qualified Allison service center is about $300 away ... so if I'm gonna need to spend that I'd just as soon spend it before the $175 instead of after.

So there it is ... a fine afternoon ruined!!! Once y'all get done laughing at this newbie ... I appreciate any guidance and advice.

Thanks,

MAnders

 

[162tcat]

It's definitely coolant, did you check the coolant level (and other vital fluids) before the trip? How about after the failure?

It's probably not a tranny problem. Could be a liner or head gasket issue though.

Have you had it serviced at all since purchasing it?

I'm local to you so PM me if you'd like.

 

[Scott88M]

I don't know why it stalled but I bet the smoke was just from coolant leaking onto something hot. Is it possible there wasn't enough fuel in the tank and due to the steep incline it couldn't suck it up.

 

[manders]

It's definitely coolant, did you check the coolant level (and other vital fluids) before the trip? How about after the failure?

It's probably not a tranny problem. Could be a liner or head gasket issue though.

Have you had it serviced at all since purchasing it?

I'm local to you so PM me if you'd like.

I checked all the fluids about a month ago, and do a walk-around while the engine is warming to check for obvious leaks and haven't seen anything.

In late October, the truck went right from the JBLM yard to a respected local truck mechanic in Lakewood for a complete head-to-toe review. It got a clean bill of health including all fluids. Since then, I've put on about 50 miles and three hours on the clock, none of it with any hint of a problem.

The liner or head gasket is an interesting idea. I'll mention that possibility to the mechanic.

The $64 question is whether I can do a slow drive to the mechanic or need to have it towed. Any thoughts on how I can make that call?

Thanks for the help!

 

[MtnSnow]

Yep that is coolant in the pictures... Do a couple of easy checks before calling for a tow to the repair shop... Is the coolant level proper? Is the engine oil? What condition is both of the prior mentioned fluids? IE are they contaminated/milky etc? What was your engine temp gauge reading and transmission temp gauge reading just prior to your stall indecent? What was your fuel level? When was the last time fuel filters were changed? Have soldier B with you and start the truck back up with the hood open and look and listen around the engine, any knocking &/or abnormal noises? While the engine is still cool pop open the coolant cap and look for signs of combustion pressure (aka air bubbling of the coolant). Double check the transmission fluid level. Absent any negatives from the above listed items I wouldn't be to worried about driving it over to your mechanic.

 

[manders]

That's a very very interesting question!

As a rule, even though I'm in a locked yard, I don't like to keep more than a quarter tank, to limit any potential loss. (Get a locking tank cap? Seriously!?!? That would presume that I can plan further than the end of my nose! )

I had just over 1/8 tank when I left the yard, but that's presuming my guage is accurate. I guess I've gotten so complacent by years of driving passenger cars with the fuel line pick-up in the rear section that it never even occurred to me that could have been the problem. I think it's time to spend a little more time familiarizing myself with the fuel system ...

Regardless, it wouldn't be the first time in my life two simultaneous problem masquerade as a single big unknown!

Thanks for the help!

 

[CNKILLERCLOWN]

Well you certainly have a good sense if humor for sure! Steep hill, low fuel equals dead engine. If the engine was really running hard I would expect expansion would make a bit of antifreeze barf out. How much fuel is in it?

25 degree hill is steep, a Boeing 757's FMS starts going nuts at 17 degrees nose up. I would expect a truck to cough and say excuse me?

 

[porkysplace]

I don't know why it stalled but I bet the smoke was just from coolant leaking onto something hot. Is it possible there wasn't enough fuel in the tank and due to the steep incline it couldn't suck it up.

It probably stalled because it was overheating .

 

[porkysplace]

]I checked all the fluids about a month ago[/COLOR], and do a walk-around while the engine is warming to check for obvious leaks and haven't seen anything.

In late October, the truck went right from the JBLM yard to a respected local truck mechanic in Lakewood for a complete head-to-toe review. It got a clean bill of health including all fluids. Since then, I've put on about 50 miles and three hours on the clock, none of it with any hint of a problem.

The liner or head gasket is an interesting idea. I'll mention that possibility to the mechanic.

The $64 question is whether I can do a slow drive to the mechanic or need to have it towed. Any thoughts on how I can make that call?

Thanks for the help!

First off checking the fluids is part of the DAILY PRE-TRIP INSPECTION. Have you read the -10 TM ? There is a section on how to do a pre-trip inspection . These are not toys you put away for a month and just jump in and go play with . These are big heavy trucks that can kill people with a operator that doesn't know what they have . By not sugar coating this post it may ruffle some feathers , but there is a reality check that is needed here.

 

[Scott88M]

With so few hours on it I'd think possibly it hadn't gotten worked hard enough for a fitting that wasn't torqued properly to leak. And the incline and low fuel is almost a definite as to why it died with just under 1/8 tank showing on the gauge mine has run out on flat ground.

 

[manders]

Awesome checklist, thank you!

 

[manders]

First off checking the fluids is part of the DAILY PRE-TRIP INSPECTION. Have you read the -10 TM ? There is a section on how to do a pre-trip inspection . These are not toys you put away for a month and just jump in and go play with . These are big heavy trucks that can kill people with a operator that doesn't know what they have . By not sugar coating this post it may ruffle some feathers , but there is a reality check that is needed here.

You are absolutely correct, and I have no reasonable excuse.

I'm just thankful that some money and a chunk of pride is all this episode is gonna cost me ...

 

[162tcat]

So to sum it up, here is your to-do list.

1. Check all fluid levels and check for cross contamination
2. Put some diesel in it!!! 1/8 tank is not enough.
3. If item 1 looks ok, start it up, recheck fluids and look for the leaks.

It could have been run too low on fuel AND have cooling system issues. Cummins requires SCA coolant in engines with cylinder liners. That green stuff in there isn't SCA coolant.
If it was as simple as that, flush and refill the cooling system with the proper SCA coolant that is available at NAPA, Carquest or similar stores.

These are big expensive trucks, not a jeep you buy and drive on a nice day. It's expensive to own, operate and repair. Always do a pre-trip! Keep up on these items and you will save money in the long run. If not, please sell it so it doesn't cause an incident on the highway and give everyone else who owns one a bad name.

 

[zout]

Seeing as you fellas already handled the big info ticket items - here is a lesser thought to be sure your not doing (and I see drivers try to do this until I catch them).

Never fill your coolant resevoir tank to the top - if its a 10 lb pressurized system it needs that 10 lbs of free area to pressurize - meaning it will puke coolant out the overflow due to it being FULL and no area for expansion of pressure. Most have a glass sight glass on the tanks or a Max fill line.

 

[MWMULES]

Ditto on coolant above and the fuel, with 5gal in the tank they are empty. Also I saw no mention of you checking under the pass seat, check all the battery connections too make sure they are clean and tight before you light it off again as sometimes it can be more than just one thing going haywire.

 

[212sparky]

With so few hours on it I'd think possibly it hadn't gotten worked hard enough for a fitting that wasn't torqued properly to leak. And the incline and low fuel is almost a definite as to why it died with just under 1/8 tank showing on the gauge mine has run out on flat ground.

The hour gauge and odometer dont mean any thing in these trucks. They change them if they go bad and don't set the new ones to any thing.

 

[manders]

... check all the battery connections too make sure they are clean and tight before you light it off again ...

One of the first things I did was put a locking cutout on the system ... so the state of the batteries and connectors is about the only thing I can confidently report is in good shape!

 

[manders]

Seeing as you fellas already handled the big info ticket items - here is a lesser thought to be sure your not doing (and I see drivers try to do this until I catch them).

Never fill your coolant resevoir tank to the top - if its a 10 lb pressurized system it needs that 10 lbs of free area to pressurize - meaning it will puke coolant out the overflow due to it being FULL and no area for expansion of pressure. Most have a glass sight glass on the tanks or a Max fill line.

Great clarification! Thank you!

 

[manders]

Cummins requires SCA coolant in engines with cylinder liners. That green stuff in there isn't SCA coolant.
If it was as simple as that, flush and refill the cooling system with the proper SCA coolant that is available at NAPA, Carquest or similar stores.

Great info on the correct coolant type. Thank you!

Keep up on these items and you will save money in the long run. If not, please sell it so it doesn't cause an incident on the highway and give everyone else who owns one a bad name.

Excellent point, and one I've used myself with regards to other avocations. I will defintely heed this advice!

 

[whiskey357]

Welcome and what a start ....after all is said and done .....do a walk around and look under the beast...My m35A2 was running good but a broke fuel line later...well just say the trip south really quick...(didnt leave the yard)....have a nice round circle of dead grass to show for it and around 50 bucks in fuel leak.......and please do check the batteries often....best of luck on this one ...hope it is easy one to fix...