Can someone tell me something about my steering..??

[treedawg]

Just got my 1st Deuce yesterday and the seller told me it had manual steering.

I crawled around it this afternoon and it appears to have some type of air assist steering that’s inoperable.

Where can I get the ridged hose so I can attempt to restore the air assist steering or at least I assume it’s air assist.

Please help me understand what I’ve got.

 

[frank8003]

Now that's interesting

 

[moreorles2]

Just got my 1st Deuce yesterday and the seller told me it had manual steering.

I crawled around it this afternoon and it appears to have some type of air assist steering that’s inoperable.

Where can I get the ridged hose so I can attempt to restore the air assist steering or at least I assume it’s air assist.

Please help me understand what I’ve got.

I suggest that you search this site and Google for Airomatic parts. Most of the posts are now 8-10 years old so good luck with any links. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/air-o-matic-steering.106779/. If I recall correctly, all the M35A3 Deuces had these as standard equipment and kits were offered to upgrade the A2’s.

 

[treedawg]

I suggest that you search this site and Google for Airomatic parts. Most of the posts are now 8-10 years old so good luck with any links. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/air-o-matic-steering.106779/. If I recall correctly, all the M35A3 Deuces had these as standard equipment and kits were offered to upgrade the A2’s.

I guess my next step is to open the valve and see what happens. If I'm real lucky maybe it's a leaking pressure regulator that I can bypass.

Sadly I'm not that guy with a horseshoe up his crack so it's not going to be that simple.

 

[porkysplace]

A few things that might help ;

Air-O-Matic Air Assist Steering Instructions Scanned Blue Prints 12132493 & 12430289

Air-O-Matic Air Assist Steering Instructions Scanned Blue Prints 12132493 & 12430289 Here are the scanned blue prints and installation instructions for the Air-O-Matic air assist steering. Special Thanks to DavisM38 as he mailed the prints to me so I could scan them and post them here for all...

www.steelsoldiers.com

LO9-2320-386-12.pdf
LO9-2320-386-12 Lubrication order for the M35A3.

TM9-2320-386-10.pdf
TM9-2320-386-10 Operator manual for the M35A3.

TM9-2320-386-24-1-1.pdf
TM9-2320-386-24-1-1 Unit, Direct and General Support Maintenance TM for the M35A3 1 of 2.

TM9-2320-386-24-1-2.pdf
TM9-2320-386-24-1-2 Unit, Direct and General Support Maintenance TM for the M35A3 2 of 2.

TM9-2320-386-24P.pdf
TM9-2320-386-24P Unit, Direct and General Support Parts and Special Tools lists for M35A3.

 

[cattlerepairman]

You have an M35A3. These were fitted from the rebuild factory with the air-assisted steering that your truck has. It seems that the external parts, pressure regulator etc. can be had, but it is the internal pieces that appear to be tricky to source these days. A3 folks will be of much better assistance.

 

[HDN]

I'm bringing this back to life because I have the front driver side wheel pulled off for restoration and think this would be a great time to replace this hose. I already found a ton of information here: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/m35a3-steering-what-does-this-hose-do.72269/

It turns out that this air exhaust hose goes right to the engine air intake after the air filter, so the truck's engine may be sucking dirty air through this hose. I'm not sure why it's ducted this way instead of doing something easier like exhausting through a port under the truck or something.

I found only one seller of a replacement NOS hose: https://tnjmurray.com/55125k131hose-air-duct-steering-assy-m35a3.html

I am considering replacing the hose, but I might cut it at the Y at the steering apparatus, make an exhaust vent to clamp there instead, and block the opening where it goes to the engine intake.

 

[HDN]

Still considering a hose replacement. I ran the NSN and found the hose to have an inside diameter of 1 inch. I can't see why radiator or coolant hose can't be used as a substitute, and it might last longer. The original hose is made of a combination of fiberglass and cotton wrapped in a wire coil with about a quarter-inch spacing. The hose is about 6 feet long, but I'd buy 7 feet to be safe. Still considering plugging the hose outlet at the intake and have it exhaust elsewhere.

The hose runs from the driver side wheel well, above the back of the engine, to the air intake after the filter.

 

[HDN]

Instead of completely replacing or redirecting the hose, I just cut it a little passed the ripped section and spliced in a stiff 1" ID rubber hose. It's a clear drainage hose I painted with Krylon Fusion flat black spray paint. I also cleaned up the air exhaust wye and painted it.

I chose this hose because I expect it to last longer than the original fiberglass hose in this location. The original hose is heat-resistant and can withstand the heat coming off the back of the motor it runs behind. That heat resistance isn't needed in the wheel well, though!

Before I connected and clamped everything, I made sure to cycle the steering completely left and right to exhaust any dirt that might've gotten in there so the motor doesn't suck it up. Now it's back together for the first time in probably 10 years, and I expect the air assist steering to function quieter