Fixing the 1998 HMMWV

[mrandig]

I was able to accomplish a few other items this week.

Fuel filter and water separator - this is a pain to get to.



Remove the two upper hoses (fuel inlet / outlet), disconnect the transducer, remove that lower hose (drain), and unscrew the bolt clamping the bracket together. Bend open the bracket. Bend it open a lot*, then remove the fuel filter housing.

*Note - there's probably a gentler way to do this, but this way works for me.



Access the fuel filter element and water separator by removing the top cover - there's three bolts at the top of the housing. In my case, neither the filter nor water separator looked particularly bad, but now it's done; I don't have to wonder if they need to be changed.



Replace the fuel filter, water separator and o-ring, then replace the cover (50-60 in/lbs.) and reinstall the assembly back into the bracket. A small pair of vice grips helps to clamp the bracket together until it is screwed tight. Reconnect the transducer as well as all three of the hoses (10-20 in/lbs.).

Finally, the fuel filter will need to be bled. I can't perform this step right now, as I don't have batteries installed and it requires the engine to be turned over a few times. I'll do this once I get further along with my repairs.

 

[mrandig]

Air obstruction gauge - A few weeks ago while replacing my turn signal lever, I had managed to bump the reset button on my air obstruction gauge, damaging it. Basically, I broke it off.



Needless to say, it was probably on it's way out before my help. Apparently, it had either deteriorated badly or had been gorilla'd into place so roughly both the gauge assembly and the face plate were also cracked.



The replacement kit comes with a new gauge, new vacuum hose, and a replacement fitting. I didn't need to replace the fitting, but a few minutes to replace the vacuum hose, and two screws to replace the gauge, and we're good as new.

 

[mrandig]

Parking brake replacement - It's only taken six weeks, but I did get a replacement parking brake and finally was able to get it installed.

The release button on the original parking brake had basically disintegrated, due to age and exposure.



Probably the worst part of this project was removing the insulation. And cleaning. Lots of cleaning. It was really dirty underneath. It's still kind of dirty, I'm just over it at this point. It is an improvement however...



Looking at the insulation after having been removed, I don't think there's much to save. What's a little more money at this point?





The removal of the old and the installation of the new parking brake wasn't too bad. Both the insulation and the parking brake does require two people, which is why this particular task has taken this long. There's nothing heavy or complicated, it's just that the fasteners all bolt through the body and are fastened on the opposite side.



Looking good. I'll probably run this truck without insulation for the time being, until I decide it's too hot and/or too noisy. I'm more interested in getting on the road at this point.

 

[mrandig]

Tarp tie downs - this task was not important and definitely not urgent. However, there is something to be said for therapeutic and thoughtless.

There's a total of 14 tarp tie downs that are attached to the body. Each one is fastened with two nuts and two bolts, or in my case, a piece of string. They are all in pretty bad shape.





A few were missing. I'll purchase a couple of these over the weekend, just so we've got a complete set. I still don't have a tarp to tie down however. I just can't stand for things to be incomplete.



Everybody into the pool.



I think these turned out pretty good. One is too damaged to use, but the others seem fine. Based on the surface finish, my media may be a little too coarse, but the end result should be OK.



I'm going to put a black oxide coating on these tonight. I'll follow up with the results in a few hours.

 

[mrandig]

Here's the completed tie downs after black oxide.

Before:



Caswell black oxide concentrate. 1:10 mixture with distilled water for 10min.


Caswell penetrating sealant. Dip for 5min. and air dry.


Finished product. They take a while to dry, so they will lose their gloss by tomorrow.

Should hold up for a long time. Looks snazzy.

 

[mrandig]

Two-man soft top kit - I finally got around to installing the soft top kit. Working inside the cabin, I needed as much ambient light as possible, but now that we've made some progress, it was time get this kit at least partially installed. It takes an extra pair of hands, and I've got some today.

Rear curtain - the bottom still needs to be tucked behind the cab partition, but I can't move the driver's seat forward (yet). At least it's in for now.


Repairs needed - any damaged turnbuckles (are they?) can be repaired by with new rivets.






Roof & Doors - the soft-top slides into the channel at the top of the front windshield, then gets a flip. Once the doors are assembled, they get a bit of grease on the pins, and then just need to be tweaked until they close properly.






That's about as far as we can get with this right now. What's left to finish will only take a few minutes when the time comes. I've still got a few things to do inside the cabin, so the roof is just folded forward for now (for light).

 

[mrandig]

This is an ominous sign of what's about to come next. Engine parts on are on order and inbound...


Next up for replacement:
- Water pump
- Belt tensioner
- Power steering pump
- Serpentine belt
- Hydro-boost unit
- All high-pressure steering hoses
- All low-pressure steering hoses
- Heater core
- All flex-ducts

This is assuming I don't find more along the way.

 

[mrandig]

I decided to replace the radiator also. I should have it from Champion by the end-of-week, or early next.

I guess I'll go work in the garden until everything shows up.

 

[mrandig]

This morning, I decided that one way or another, the driver's seat was going to move; and it was going to be a battle to the death.

First, some light persuasion with a dead blow hammer. I didn't have much room to get behind the seat, as it was all the way back. I was really just hitting the base with the side of the head.


After some PB Blaster, some stronger persuasion including a few dozen more strikes, it looks like there's now some movement.


Now in a frenzy, after a few dozen more strikes, now it's starting to noticeably move.


At this point, some white lithium grease on the seat tracks. I may come to regret this later, as old lithium grease becomes sticky, and this truck is full of sand.


Now a bigger hammer.


Success! I win.


Now I'm going to have to remember where I put the seat bolts to reinstall. Before that, however, it looks like there's going to need to be more cleaning. More cleaning...

 

[mrandig]

You'd think there was only so much I could post about tie-downs. I have more.

If I can save $100 on something, I'm going to do it myself.

Here's the tarp tie-downs after treatment and drying.


Even though I want these to be matte black, I am putting a coat of wax on these tie-downs just for protection. I'm sure it will dull quickly. It's unlikely I'll be doing this more than this one time, as I can't see ever waxing an HMMWV.


New hardware. From the good people at Amazon. #10-32x5/8".


Final install pics.

 

[mrandig]

For the last activity of this evening, I'm going to spend a little while cleaning hardware.

Is this activity essential? Not particularly, if we're solely focused on operation; but if the goal is to turn back the clock a while on this truck and freshen things up, then something has to be done with all of the little pieces and parts. Besides, I hate working with all of this fine sand.

For this cleaning extravaganza, I've got four different options at hand, as I speak:
1. Wire brush;
2. Blast cabinet;
3. Media tumbler; or
4. Ultrasonic cleaner.

Tonight, we'll use the ultrasonic cleaner on all of interior parts we removed last weekend. I've had this cleaner forever, and it works great (Amazon??). It uses high-frequency sound waves to scrub the parts clean. For the bath, I just have these parts in @4:1 mix of water and simple green.


Here's the parts before cleaning. This is a mix of hardware used to secure the cabin insulation, seat hardware, hood hinge pins, footman loops, etc.


Here we go. The parts are a little crowded here, but it should be ok.


The timer is set to 480 seconds, and temperature is on high.


Results after first wash.


Results after second wash.


Caution: parts may be hot.

These turned out really good. If I really wanted to go nuts, I could break out a toothbrush a give them an additional scrub, but this should be enough. I'll put them up to dry overnight and we'll take another look tomorrow morning.

 

[mrandig]

I wasn't planning on writing about radiator combs this morning, but here we are.

This first item is actually an alternative to radiator combs. This works for me; your results may vary. Radiator combs don't work great if there's heavy damage.

Here's a plastic tool for interior trim. I don't remember how expensive it was, but I don't think it was very much. I know I bought a full set of these back in the day at O'Rielly's Auto for maybe $25?


The nice thing about this tool is that it is tapered and longer than most combs from Amazon or the local parts place. It only does one row at a time, but it does a good job. Obviously don't use the wide face; use the narrow side.

Below are some pics of today's battle with my transmission cooler. It was beat like it had owed someone money at some point. I'm not done yet, and there's still some additional straightening needed in spots, but good enough for now. There are some areas here that are so bad they're not going to be fixable.

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


Full view after <1 hour's work:


The blades may be straightened at this point, but unless you've got a steady hand and a good eye, they likely won't be perfectly parallel. Now if you wanted to go a step further and get a fin comb involved, it's a lot easier.


The correct comb is #10, at least it is for my HMMWV. This number refers to 10 fins per inch.

Depending on the brand, I've seen this particular type go for anywhere between $10-$25.


With a comb, things are starting to look even better; all of the fins are straight and aligned.


This method also works great on the power steering cooler. In this case, there is some damage on the lower part that I can't fix, because the fins are too far gone. By "gone" I mean they're torn out.


The radiator should be getting replaced sometime over the next few days, so I'm not so worried about that.

Until next time, friends!

 

[mrandig]

More parts - it's almost like Christmas comes once a week.

Aside from the big box labeled "radiator", there's also a water pump, steering pump, and hydro-boost unit in here somewhere.

This may not be everything on my list, but at least we're getting closer...

 

[mrandig]

Fuel Filler Neck Molding

Trying to avoid work that actually is well, work, I decided to replace the fuel filler molding. It's all about priorities.


To remove, the outer screws are 8mm and held in place with speed nuts.


The inner bolts are 11mm. These have a nut on the opposite side and two washers.


The gas cap chain doesn't get disconnected; the gas cap is just pushed through the trim piece as it's being removed.
**worst picture ever**


Everything then gets a good cleaning. I'm using orange citrus spray, because it smells nice and saves the planet. It's also what I have handy at the moment.

Don't spray cleaner in the gas tank.




Of course, when it comes time to inventory and clean the fasteners, I'm missing some. There should be 3 bolts, 3 nuts, 6 washers, and 6 trim screws. I looked all over, but no luck. I have a pretty big parts bin, so I should be able to source something I can use.


Re-installation is the reverse of removal. The outer screws seem to do best tightened in a crisscross "star" pattern. I didn't look up torque values here, but it's a plastic piece. Just be gentle.




Just as a comment, while it doesn't affect function, there's a few areas on this piece that look like crap. It seems like there's spots that were overheated while it was being formed. Overall, it's still an improvement, but this should have been rejected by QC.


Here's the final result, along with the refinished tie downs from my earlier post. I think I'm just going to go ahead and replace the light housings and reflectors also, even though I said earlier I wouldn't. I just need to decode the fastener situation on those first.

 

[mrandig]

Tonight's project is going to be greasing all steering and suspension components.

To help with this task, I've broken out the powered grease gun. As I will soon find out, this was one of the best things I could have done. I highly recommend.


I have no idea what GAA grease is, and it seems to be very hard to come by. I'm using Mystik JT-6 (No.2), which is a lithium complex grease used in heavy industrial vehicles. I actually use this in almost all of my older cars, and it's great.


I've also got special tips to go onto the zerk fittings. These couplers help to ensure a good connection, using a lever to lock down on the fittings prior to greasing. That's going to mean a lot less headaches and less mess.


Carb cleaner is also a necessity here, as most of these fittings are covered in a crazy amount of crud.


Cleaning not only ensures a good connection, but it also keep the dirt from getting in the coupler and/or the fitting.


The goal here is to get enough grease into the fitting that the old grease starts getting pushed out. Once that happens, Stop. You're done now.


Starting at the front, there's a total of 4 fittings, 1 for each upper (LT/RT) and 1 for each lower ball joint (LT/RT). Apparently, there's also different types.

What was most surprising was the amount of grease the upper ball joints took. You'd think they were totally dry (I do).

Upper ball joint fittings:




Lower ball joint fittings (left side is identical):


There's a fitting on each outer and inner tie rod end (4x total).


There's a fitting on the idler arm, and at the center link.


On the pitman arm, the fitting is on the center link but facing upward.


On the forward propeller shaft, there's a total of four fittings:

At front differential:


Where the driveshaft meets the coupling shaft:


Where the coupling shaft meets the front/rear shaft:


And where the front/rear shaft meets the transfer case.

Wait a minute. Why is this u-joint filled with water????? What the ****!!!


That should bring us to a total of 15 grease points, as of right now. This is just for the front, or at least just from the front to the transfer case.

I realized while writing this that I forgot the steering shaft. That would add 3 more to our total. So, the correct total number would then be 18.

I need a break for dinner and then I'll come back for the rear...

 

[mrandig]

Here's a good one - windshield wipers. Wipe on, wipe off.

Looks like mine are in pretty bad shape.


My trusty tape measure says they're 11-inch wiper blades.


These wipers are a simple screw on affair; however, the screws and nuts are incredibly tiny. I can see these getting lost very, very, easily. Drop one, and it will be gone forever.




Here's a pic of everything completed. You wouldn't really see the difference, but it will make an improvement.


Easy enough. Or is it...?

 

[mrandig]

So. Another update for this morning.

Turns out that commercial windshield washer juice was not the way to go. TM-10 just said, "cleaning compound", and I figured what could be better?

Hint: it's not this.


Now my windshield washer reservoir is leaking like crazy, and everywhere it leaked is now stained Smurf blue. By stained, I mean like cool aid on a white t-shirt that will never come out. Never.


Time for me to now drop everything and get this off before the whole truck turns blue. No point taking this apart or cleaning it up, as the pump doesn't work and it's leaking. Looks like I'll probably just need to replace the entire assembly.

Hopefully I can get these blue stains off. So far, it isn't looking good. Maybe I'll just lean into it and put Air Force stickers all over my truck. Off we go...

 

[juanprado]

Tonight's project is going to be greasing all steering and suspension components.

To help with this task, I've broken out the powered grease gun. As I will soon find out, this was one of the best things I could have done. I highly recommend.
View attachment 943892

I have no idea what GAA grease is, and it seems to be very hard to come by. I'm using Mystik JT-6 (No.2), which is a lithium complex grease used in heavy industrial vehicles. I actually use this in almost all of my older cars, and it's great.
View attachment 943893

I've also got special tips to go onto the zerk fittings. These couplers help to ensure a good connection, using a lever to lock down on the fittings prior to greasing. That's going to mean a lot less headaches and less mess.
View attachment 943894

Carb cleaner is also a necessity here, as most of these fittings are covered in a crazy amount of crud.
View attachment 943895

Cleaning not only ensures a good connection, but it also keep the dirt from getting in the coupler and/or the fitting.
View attachment 943896

The goal here is to get enough grease into the fitting that the old grease starts getting pushed out. Once that happens, Stop. You're done now.
View attachment 943900

Starting at the front, there's a total of 4 fittings, 1 for each upper (LT/RT) and 1 for each lower ball joint (LT/RT). Apparently, there's also different types.

What was most surprising was the amount of grease the upper ball joints took. You'd think they were totally dry (I do).

Upper ball joint fittings:
View attachment 943897

View attachment 943898

Lower ball joint fittings (left side is identical):
View attachment 943899

There's a fitting on each outer and inner tie rod end (4x total).
View attachment 943901

There's a fitting on the idler arm, and at the center link.
View attachment 943902

On the pitman arm, the fitting is on the center link but facing upward.
View attachment 943903

On the forward propeller shaft, there's a total of four fittings:

At front differential:
View attachment 943906

Where the driveshaft meets the coupling shaft:
View attachment 943907

Where the coupling shaft meets the front/rear shaft:
View attachment 943908

And where the front/rear shaft meets the transfer case.

Wait a minute. Why is this u-joint filled with water????? What the ****!!!
View attachment 943909

That should bring us to a total of 15 grease points, as of right now. This is just for the front, or at least just from the front to the transfer case.

I realized while writing this that I forgot the steering shaft. That would add 3 more to our total. So, the correct total number would then be 18.

I need a break for dinner and then I'll come back for the rear...

One of the easiest and cheapest things to help with zerk fittings is to install rubber caps after greasing to keep water and dirt out of the fittings. Similar to the ones used for brake bleeder screws.