Finally, my M1083A1 is at it's new home...

[TomTime]

Finally, a proud owner of a 2002 Steward & Stevenson M1083A1...

Well, finally after 10 weeks of waiting I received an email yesterday from GovPlanet that my EUC for my 2002 M1083A1 was approved.
Printed off my release today and was able to find a local tow service to tow it 38 miles to it's new home. Dave's Truck Repair Service did a great job for a great price and Kenny the operator was great to work with...GREAT! The tow truck driver wanted to removed the driver line shafts but I told him that removing the 4 rear axle shafts would be quicker and easier (got that from the great asdvise from SS) I removed the four axle shafts from the 2nd and 3rd axles and front towed it home. It towed well and there were no problems getting it home, TYG.

If you need something towed in Chambersburg, PA, Dave's Truck Repair is the place to go. They did the job less than half the price of everyone else I called.

Of course during the process of bring the truck out of the yard to get loaded, GovPlanet damage the rear tail gate, scrapping off a lot of the paint, putting two large gashes in it and also bent up most of the top edge of it, wow! The paint is not a problem to me, but the gashes and top edge will be for me. It may be aluminum and not steel, but I'm not the best body work guy.

Now the work begins. The engine turns over but will not start, this is from the GovPlanet video on the auction site. Batteries are dead, need to get four new batteries tomorrow. Two of the drive shafts are damaged, need to be removed and need to be repaired or replaced. It needs new tires. The drivers side door appeared to have had a new upper door hinge installed recently (bright and shiny, no paint on it) but the door will not close correctly and has a large gap at the top edge. Appears to have a leak in the turret cover plate. The truck appears to have had a drives side antenna mount which looks like it was ripped off the side of the truck (GovPlanet auction pictures didn't show this) leaving numerous holes and dents in the left rear corner of the cab. Missing parts, and of course all of the other usual issues these trucks have, plus going through all of the systems and doing preventative maintenance. It is also filthy as heck, inside and out.

OMG, WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Ah, just kidding, can't wait to get into it!!!

I have been reading SS for over a year to see if a MV was for me. During that time I observed there is a lot of excellent information and advise here. Hopefully, I can count on all you knowledgeable guys and gals to help out with my many future questions.

Since the auction I have also been reading through the TM's. Wow, is there and easy way to get through them. I'm a guy who will read all instructions, owners manuals, service manuals, spec sheets, etc, but these TM's get a little hard to follow sometimes...or, it may just be me!

A couple pictures.

Well, thanks for reading, and be safe!

Tom.

 

[Lothar]

Shes a beauty, congrats!

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Congrats on the win! Let me at least point you in the right direction to start your adventure with her.

Finally, a proud owner of a 2002 Steward & Stevenson M1083A1...yeah!


Now the work begins. The engine turns over but will not start. Two of the drive shafts are damaged and need to be repaired or replaced. It needs new tires. The drivers side door appeared to have had a new upper door hinge installed recently (bright and shiny, no paint on it) but the door will not close correctly and has a large gap at the top edge. Appears to have a leak in the turret cover plate. The truck appears to have had a drives side antenna mount which looks like it was ripped off the side of the truck (GovPlanet auction pictures really didn't show this) leaving numerous holes and dents in the left rear corner of the cab. Missing parts, and of course all of the other usual issues these trucks have, plus going through all of the systems and doing preventative maintenance. It is also filthy as heck, inside and out.

You have an earlier model A1 truck with the Cat 3126. That being said, you also have the later of those models that came with the battery disconnect box, remote start switchs on the engine, and battery disconnect switch on the kick panel - all excellent features.

Drive shafts - send them off to get retubed and balanced since they're already out. Just simple and easy.
Crank no start - do you have any smoke when cranking? have you traced the fuel line (soft lines) from fuel tank up behind the cab to the fuel/water separator? They're dry rotted and sucking air. How are the batteries? If you have good fuel prime, good batteries, crank, and still no smoke you need to look into the engine ECM to see if it's communicating. You can take the ECM off and send it to Cat for diagnostics or buy a semi-truck OBDII reader to see if you can detect it. Unfortunately early model A1 trucks suffer from failing batteries on the ECM and when they die they blank out. I covered this on another SS thread.
Door gap - easy fix with a buddy and 30 minutes. Easier with a forklift and buddy.
Antenna mount - that was removed by DLA or should have prior to GP getting it. If the damage wasn't shown file a claim and get some estimates ($750 deductable mind you).

All in all great score!

 

[Third From Texas]

Drive shafts - send them off to get retubed and balanced since they're already out. Just simple and easy.

Off topic, but who do you use for shaft rebuilds ?

I can't find a local in Corpus that's still open.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Off topic, but who do you use for shaft rebuilds ?

I can't find a local in Corpus that's still open.

I've used these guys a few times. They focus on heavy duty stuff like Semi's, loaders, etc.

American Driveshaft & Gear Specialists LLC

Home Page

Check out http://americandriveshaftandgear.com! Home Page

americandriveshaftandgear.com

 

[ramdough]

I've used these guys a few times. They focus on heavy duty stuff like Semi's, loaders, etc.

American Driveshaft & Gear Specialists LLC

Home Page

Check out http://americandriveshaftandgear.com! Home Page

americandriveshaftandgear.com

Just a word of caution.... even if you have them professionally balanced, and they replace one u-joint.... do not assume they tightened the bolts. Mine had the bolts half backed out.... noticed that while trying to find the source of vibrations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TomTime]

Congrats on the win! Let me at least point you in the right direction to start your adventure with her.



You have an earlier model A1 truck with the Cat 3126. That being said, you also have the later of those models that came with the battery disconnect box, remote start switchs on the engine, and battery disconnect switch on the kick panel - all excellent features.

Drive shafts - send them off to get retubed and balanced since they're already out. Just simple and easy.
Crank no start - do you have any smoke when cranking? have you traced the fuel line (soft lines) from fuel tank up behind the cab to the fuel/water separator? They're dry rotted and sucking air. How are the batteries? If you have good fuel prime, good batteries, crank, and still no smoke you need to look into the engine ECM to see if it's communicating. You can take the ECM off and send it to Cat for diagnostics or buy a semi-truck OBDII reader to see if you can detect it. Unfortunately early model A1 trucks suffer from failing batteries on the ECM and when they die they blank out. I covered this on another SS thread.
Door gap - easy fix with a buddy and 30 minutes. Easier with a forklift and buddy.
Antenna mount - that was removed by DLA or should have prior to GP getting it. If the damage wasn't shown file a claim and get some estimates ($750 deductable mind you).

All in all great score!

Fuzzy toaster, Thanks!

Yeah, the first thing is to get the engine running. The batteries are 8 years old. Tried to charge them but they're not holding a good charge. NAPA has the 20% bucket sale and I was able to get 4 new batteries at a decent price.

Today I will take out the old batteries clean up the box and cable/connectors and install the new ones. Check fluids and check the engine.

I have read numerous post here on SS that when you get a truck from an auction you should drain the fuel tank because you don't know how old it is or it's condition. They advised to check the fuel, drain the tank, clean and replace with new fuel. My tank is full, and not sure of it's condition. Should I give it a try with the old fuel or drain and replace? That's a lot of fuel to dispose of, any suggestions?

Another question. Once the batteries are installed, I want to find a good way to keep the batteries charge while working on it. On all of my other equipment, with one battery, I have been using the Deltran Battery Tenders and have good results. I have batteries that are 7-8 years old and going strong. The four battery setup is new to me so I'm want to find something that I can permanently attach that will charge all four batteries safely. I have looked at all the post I could find here on SS and I seen numerous posts, mainly dealing with two battery vehicles. I seen a couple dealing with 4 battery setup but with mixed results. I have been searching on line and have seen a lot of tenders, but with mixed reviews. The Noco 4 bank charge looked good but some of the on line reviews said that they had problems with them failing or over charging and cooking the water out of the batteries. I don't want to kill off 4 new batteries considering the price or replacement. I even seen one post here, that said that they remember another member said that they had problems with the same unit but didn't what it was and I could not locate it. I looked at Deltran which has a 4 bank charger but they are not water proof and mainly for indoor use only. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

Tom.

 

[Third From Texas]

Disposing of oil is easy (Auto Zone, etc).

Fuel? Not so much (at least down here, only the dump and it has to be containerized).

I keep bad gas to start bonfires but 56 gallons would start a LOT of bonfires.

Diesel does in fact have a shelf life of 6-12 months contrary to what some claim. A big concern I see with older diesel can be algae formation.

That said, what does the inside of the tank look like? Get a flashlight and look it over. Any gunk, algae, strange smell, clouds? You can sometime tell if a tank is over a year old.

As to charging, it's a mixed bag. Everything out there is going to have some bad reviews. The Noco's are very popular with the FMV crowd. Personally, I would opt for a Cooper Bussmann battery balancer and slap a little maintenance charger on there. Solar is a nice backup tender, but go civilian (don't pay 2x as much for 20 year old surplus tech).

The bugger with these trucks is always a vampiric 12v drain. A simple disconnect switch when not in use resolves said drain.

 

[TomTime]

Disposing of oil is easy (Auto Zone, etc).

Fuel? Not so much (at least down here, only the dump and it has to be containerized).

I keep bad gas to start bonfires but 56 gallons would start a LOT of bonfires.

Diesel does in fact have a shelf life of 6-12 months contrary to what some claim. A big concern I see with older diesel can be algae formation.

That said, what does the inside of the tank look like? Get a flashlight and look it over. Any gunk, algae, strange smell, clouds? You can sometime tell if a tank is over a year old.

As to charging, it's a mixed bag. Everything out there is going to have some bad reviews. The Noco's are very popular with the FMV crowd. Personally, I would opt for a Cooper Bussmann battery balancer and slap a little maintenance charger on there. Solar is a nice backup tender, but go civilian (don't pay 2x as much for 20 year old surplus tech).

The bugger with these trucks is always a vampiric 12v drain. A simple disconnect switch when not in use resolves said drain.

Thanks for the info!

I replaced all of the batteries and noticed that box to the rear or right side of the battery box, which has the NATO connection, has a battery shut off switch under the box. I shut if off so I hope this will stop any drain on the batteries. See pictures. I still want to hook up a battery charge and I am considering the Norco.
When I removed the batteries I found two things I can't ID at this time. One was a switch like object in a holder in the middle of the battery box. It is round, about 3 inches long, with a plunger like pin on the one end (which doesn't move) with coiled wire attached to the other end and then splits into two wires. The wires have connectors on the ends (one of the connectors was damaged). It was just laying there in on top of the batteries in the holder and the wires were not connected to anything. Also I found four rubber pieces behind the batteries when I removed them. The only thing I can think of is that these maybe have been use to cover the positive post on the batteries???

Thanks again and be safe!

 

[Third From Texas]

Yep, that will shut you down safely at night.

The toggle on the driver kickplate (with the red cover) is the remote activation for that relay.

The switch-looking tool is a crude wet-cell battery tester. Dips into the old-acid batteries and lights up when it contacts the cell.

The rubber pieces slip over the terminals to prevent any foreign object from shorting the batteries.
*remember, it the OEM configuration ALL the terminals should be concidered HOT

 

[Mullaney]

Finally, a proud owner of a 2002 Steward & Stevenson M1083A1...yeah!

Well, finally after 10 weeks of waiting I received an email yesterday from GovPlanet that my EUC for my 2002 M1083A1 was approved.
Printed off my release today and was able to find a local tow service to tow it 38 miles to it's new home. Dave's Truck Repair Service did a great job for a great price and Kenny the operator was great to work with...GREAT! The tow truck driver wanted to removed the driver line shafts but I told him that removing the 4 rear axle shafts would be quicker and easier (got that from the great asdvise from SS) I removed the four axle shafts from the 2nd and 3rd axles and front towed it home. It towed well and there were no problems getting it home, TYG.

If you need something towed in Chambersburg, PA, Dave's Truck Repair is the place to go. They did the job less than half the price of everyone else I called.

Of course during the process of bring the truck out of the yard to get loaded, GovPlanet damage the rear tail gate, scrapping off a lot of the paint, putting two large gashes in it and also bent up most of the top edge of it, wow! The paint is not a problem me, but the gashes and top edge will be for me. It my be aluminum and not steel, but I'm not the best body work guy.

Now the work begins. The engine turns over but will not start, this is from the GovPlanet video on the auction site. Batteries are dead, need to get four new batteries tomorrow. Two of the drive shafts are damaged, need to be removed and need to be repaired or replaced. It needs new tires. The drivers side door appeared to have had a new upper door hinge installed recently (bright and shiny, no paint on it) but the door will not close correctly and has a large gap at the top edge. Appears to have a leak in the turret cover plate. The truck appears to have had a drives side antenna mount which looks like it was ripped off the side of the truck (GovPlanet auction pictures really didn't show this) leaving numerous holes and dents in the left rear corner of the cab. Missing parts, and of course all of the other usual issues these trucks have, plus going through all of the systems and doing preventative maintenance. It is also filthy as heck, inside and out.

OMG, WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Ah, just kidding, can't wait to get into it!!!

I have been reading SS for over a year to see if a MV was for me. During that time I observed there is a lot of excellent information and advise here. Hopefully, I can count on all you knowledgeable guys and gals to help out with my many future questions.

Since the auction I have also been reading through the TM's. Wow, is there and easy way to get through them. I'm a guy who will read all instructions, owners manuals, service manuals, spec sheets, etc, but these TM's get a little hard to follow sometimes...or, it may just be me!

A couple pictures.

Well, thanks for reading, and be safe!

Tom.

.
Congratulations and welcome to you - and - your new member of the family!

Nice looking truck. The battery cables appear to be in good condition. Be sure everything is tight and remember that a wrench across a post and a slab of metal will "light up your life" and not in an especially good way either!

You got some good advise from the guys. Don't hesitate! You have been doing the "leg work" to get a good basis with the TM's, so some of the suggestions will make more sense as you go a long.

Keep posting pictures as you go along!

 

[TomTime]

Yep, that will shut you down safely at night.

The toggle on the driver kickplate (with the red cover) is the remote activation for that relay.

The switch-looking tool is a crude wet-cell battery tester. Dips into the old-acid batteries and lights up when it contacts the cell.

The rubber pieces slip over the terminals to prevent any foreign object from shorting the batteries.
*remember, it the OEM configuration ALL the terminals should be concidered HOT

View attachment 831972

This one here, right? Where do you find this in the TM's? I couldn't find it in the TM's. There are several items I can't find in them that is on this truck.

 

[TomTime]

.
Congratulations to welcome to you and your new member of the family!

Nice looking truck. The battery cables appear to be in good condition. Be sure everything is tight and remember that a wrench across a post and a slab of metal will "light up your life" and not in an especially good way either!

You got some good advise from the guys. Don't hesitate! You have been doing the "leg work" to get a good basis with the TM's, so some of the suggestions will make more sense as you go a long.

Keep posting pictures as you go along!

Thanks!

I replaced all of the batteries with 6T's. Removed the old batteries and cleaned up all the battery box and all the cables. The cables were in good shape, one thing that has gone good for me so far. The install was a learning experience and took some time to complete, my first vehicle with more than one battery. In the future it will be a lot quicker. I do need to clean and install the four rubber isolators I found for the batteries and found four more somewhere.

Since the new batteries were installed I tried the starter to make sure it would spin. The starter works, the engine turns over but would not start. So, I tried to put up the cab with the manual pump. After a few pumps, fluid started squirting out of the cab latching pin area. I was able to find a guy 30 minutes away that had the rebuilt kit for the cab locking latch. Put in the two front O rings and pin seal in, enough to get the cab latch to work. Started pumping up the cab, the pin came out and that cab start to rise about 6 inches and then lower back down. Turns out there is another leak, bigger then the last one. While pump on the hand pump, to look for the leak area, I believe I pumped out whatever fluid was still in the system and that fluid was just nasty. The leak is not from the cab locking latch but it is coming out somewhere under the cab latch area and under backside middle of the cab just behind the rear of the engine value cover.
At this time I'm not sure of where the leak is coming from. I have since been going through the TM's to see if I can find the source of the leak. I will not be able to get to the engine issues until I can get the cab to raise and the spare tire to move. How do you get to the areas under the cab to repair something to get the cab to raise if you can't raise the cab? I have read the emergency cab lift procedures, however I don't have anything to lift up the cab.
Since the pump is most likely out of that nasty looking fluid I figure I would rebuild the air/hydraulic pump next. I have looked but can not find a rebuild kit for the pump. Do you know anyone who would have a rebuild kit or a location I could find one? I want to do the rebuild myself for the learning experience.

Until I can locate the leak and rebuild the air/hydraulic pump I will start on other issues. The three drive shafts need to be removed, repair and balanced. The passenger side window will not roll up the last two inches. The driver side door will close but not seal. Change the fluids in the axles, and so on and so on.

I'm open to any help or criticism!

Thanks again.

 

[Third From Texas]

This one here, right? Where do you find this in the TM's? I couldn't find it in the TM's. There are several items I can't find in them that is on this truck.

Yep

There is a later version of the TM that covers the A1 trucks (A1R trucks are kinda screwed as their TM is still under "double secret Army stuff not used in 10 years but it still can't be released to us commie socialist scum" ). It covers up to the late model A1's so you should be fine with it.

I think the file was uploaded here somewhere. It's public and legal (unlike the A1R trucks which can't be acknowledged are existing). I don't have it bookmarked since I have it on disc but it's on here somewhere...

 

[SCM35A2]

Nice truck

 

[TomTime]

Nice truck

Thanks!

 

[TomTime]

Yep

There is a later version of the TM that covers the A1 trucks (A1R trucks are kinda screwed as their TM is still under "double secret Army stuff not used in 10 years but it still can't be released to us commie socialist scum" ). It covers up to the late model A1's so you should be fine with it.

I think the file was uploaded here somewhere. It's public and legal (unlike the A1R trucks which can't be acknowledged are existing). I don't have it bookmarked since I have it on disc but it's on here somewhere...

I down loaded all of the TM's I could find here on SS, a couple months ago, that dealt with the M1083, so I could go through them before I got the truck. I didn't see one for the A1's, I'll have to look again.

Thanks.

 

[JD4044M]

There is only one hydraulic hose going to the Cab Latch. If it is still leaking you need to check the inside O-Ring make sure it seated and no pieces of the old 0-Ring was left in the groove. Just went thru this on mine. The inside one is the hardest to clean out and install. My O-Ring was in many pieces and leaked bad. If the Latch does not open when pumping it will over pressure and possibly blow a seal. Took a while using my finger to get it to go into the grove inside the Slave Cylinder.

 

[TomTime]

There is only one hydraulic hose going to the Cab Latch. If it is still leaking you need to check the inside O-Ring make sure it seated and no pieces of the old 0-Ring was left in the groove. Just went thru this on mine. The inside one is the hardest to clean out and install. My O-Ring was in many pieces and leaked bad. If the Latch does not open when pumping it will over pressure and possiblyView attachment 832068View attachment 832069 blow a seal. Took a while using my finger to get it to go into the grove inside the Slave Cylinder.

Thanks for the reply!

So, I tried to put up the cab with the manual pump. After a few pumps, fluid started squirting out of the cab latching pin area. I was able to find get a rebuilt kit for the cab locking latch. Put in the two front O rings and pin seal in, enough to get the cab latch to work. Started pumping up the cab, the pin came out, and that cab start to rise about 6 inches and then lower back down. No fluid coming from the cab lock latch. I check by placing a clean rag under the latch while pumping the pump, no fluid. It turns out there is another leak, bigger then latch leak. While pump on the hand pump, to look for the leaking area, I believe I pumped out whatever fluid was still in the system and that fluid was just bad smelling and multi color and just nasty. As I said the leak is not from the cab locking latch but it is coming out somewhere under and in front of the cab latch area and is under backside/middle of the cab just behind the rear of the engine value cover. I really can't get a good look at the with the cab down and the spare in place.

I've been looking in the TM's for what is under there, that is part of the hydraulic system That would be under the cab lock latch and under the cab. I located Four Way Relief Value on the parts TM figure #439 (sheet 1 and 2) but can't tell by the TM exactly where it is located on the truck. Is there some kind of small manifold or splitter under there? I'll keep looking, hopefully I'll find it, but getting to it is going to be another issue!

Thanks again!

 

[Third From Texas]

But kick that little sucker up every night and you will hear it pop the disconnect relay at the batteries.

I down loaded all of the TM's I could find here on SS, a couple months ago, that dealt with the M1083, so I could go through them before I got the truck. I didn't see one for the A1's, I'll have to look again.

Thanks.

It's too big a file, if I recall. It was scanned and linked to a Google d/l site.

It wasn't in the regular TM area here on S...I don't think (I'll check).