Got a new (M275 Tractor) project a few weeks ago

[jacklegjim]

I bought Wreckerman893's M275 a few weeks back. Great guy to deal with he arranged the transportation to get the truck home for me and spent a few days getting me some paperwork for the title thanks again Richard. I hope to do bussisness with you again on a trailer if you still have it.
I bought the truck knowing of all the possible issues that goes with a truck in need of a restoration.
I am still in the evaluation process to see what is is going to take to make it a reliable truck.
Up to this point I have removed the fuel tank and cleaned it out. There was about 1/2" of something that was like tar in the bottom of the tank that I had to get out.
The m275 tank has three sections. I was able to get my hand in the section where the fuel pump is and clean it out. After doing reasearch I decided to go with filling it up with water and putting in a few cans of Drano. After letting it sit for a week and then pressure washing it out it came out pretty clean. I used a fuel pump bracket,fuel filler neck strainer and fuel cap from a m35 tank I already had. The ones that were in the m275 tank were in bad shape. I installed a parker pump and new fuel filters.
The fuel control assembley in the IP was stuck also. Got that working good and put new o-rings on the HH. I put 4 gallons of coolant in and I was ready to fire it up.
The engine started up and seems to run ok there are issues that need to be addressed. When the enging is first started there is a slight knock for the first few min.
it is running and has low oil pressure when up to temp. It could use a new set of rod bearings not a big issue to take care of that. Something else I noticed today
is there is some oil coming from the exhaust. This is a non turbo engine and has a piece aftermarket flexable exhaust pipe from the manifold to exhaust pipe
and some oil is coming from the joints in the flex pipe. I can't see any signs of it burning oil from the exhaust. So any ideas on how oil is getting out the exhaust other than going by the rings?
I am also planing on changing head gaskets but I can't see that fixing the oil in exhaust problem. With knowing these problems would I be better off getting a
good runner from another truck or fixing what I have? I am sure it has a lot of life left in it but, I would worry about it every time I drove it the way it is now.

Jim

 

[wreckerman893]

Jim....thanks for the kind words. My hope is that you can use the engine that is in there but she had been sitting for a while. You might be able to get a good pull out with turbo for less than the cost of redoing the NA engine. Once you get her running and driving please address that awful paint job. Please keep us posted and post pics. I'd love to see how the old girl turns out.

 

[Another Ahab]

This will be good:

- Subscribed.

 

[stb64]

Something else I noticed today
is there is some oil coming from the exhaust. This is a non turbo engine and has a piece aftermarket flexable exhaust pipe from the manifold to exhaust pipe
and some oil is coming from the joints in the flex pipe. I can't see any signs of it burning oil from the exhaust. So any ideas on how oil is getting out the exhaust other than going by the rings?

This may just be unburned fuel. I had my M275A2 dripping from the exhaust, gave it a good run, that solved the problem.

 

[jacklegjim]

I think I am going to make an adapter to do a compression test to get a better idea
of the condition of the engine. I would like to get away with rod bearings and head gaskets.
It is a TD block with old style head gaskets on it.
There is not a rebuild tag on the engine so is it possible it is the engine that came in the truck?
The block has a 4-23-69 date on it and the truck is a 1969 also.

 

[JohnnyBM931A2]

I'll say it, if no one else will...

 

[jacklegjim]

Here are some pictures.
There is a picture of how much I had
to raise the back of the cab to get the
tank out and a picture when the tank is going back in.
The rest are of the truck before I started working on it.
I will take more as I go.
I am working on it outside
there is not room in the shop for it right now
so I am working around the weather.

 

[Another Ahab]

Here are some pictures.

NOW we're talking; thank you!

Please keep them coming.

 

[mhassett]

Love my M-275.
Great to drive.

 

[maddawg308]

This is going to be a good project to watch, subscribed!

 

[tommys2patrick]

I had a similar problem with oil out the exhaust. I would start it and idle it frequently but never really drove it hard. This last year I moved and she came with me towing a M146 as well. No oil out the exhaust. Lots more work to be done but I need to get my barn built. Great to see you diving in. You are re-inspiring me. Keep up the thread and I will be sure to follow!

 

[jacklegjim]

Well I got to play with the truck for a little while after work today. I pulled it up to the shop and ran it a different RPM's with the hand throttle up to 1500 RPM's.
Still tring to figure out how the oil is getting in the exhaust. I held a piece of paper under the pipe with it running at 1500 RPM's and took a video of the oil spitting out.
I would like to fix the enging but, I do not want to get into a complete rebuild right now. I can't detect any oil smoke coming from the exhaust at any RPM.
Is the multifuel ability hiding the blue smoke you normally see when a engine is burning oil? I would also think it would be burning it and not blowing it out the exhaust. I have not seen an engine have this much oil coming from the exhaust that did not smoke a lot. I am still going to do a compression test and see what that says. After thinking about it I don't see it coming from anywhere but by the rings.
I just don't have enough experience with big diesels to understand this. After I do the compression test I might as well pull the heads to see inside
if I am going to replace the engine anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uES0r4rGxAk

 

[rustystud]

You don't have a turbo right ? So the next culprit would be the exhaust valve guides are worn out. This is very common.

 

[jacklegjim]

Nothing exciting to tell just an update on where I am at. I am getting parts removed to get ready to fix or replace the engine. I am going to try to test compression
tomorrow and and if is with in specs I will pull the heads and oil pan. If the compression is bad I will be looking for another engine and getting this one out.

 

[wreckerman893]

Are you going to keep the old style lights? I meant to tell you I have some of the newer ones that I would have thrown in with the deal.

 

[jacklegjim]

Yea I want to go to the new style lights.

 

[rustystud]

Yea I want to go to the new style lights.

I just spent over $200.00 to go back to the old style for my front an rear directional lights ! The newer plastic housings have a tendency to crack so I wanted the quality aluminum housings.

 

[tommys2patrick]

Well you certainly have torn into it already. Thanks for the pics. Very interested in your progress.

 

[1958 M274]

Any possibility that your oil in the exhaust is wet stacking from just idling in and around a yard at low speeds/temps for the last several times it was run? Seems like I remember Richard having this truck at Kennesaw several years ago, running but on a trailer? Did he ever have it roadworthy or was it always started, driven on and off the trailer, and idled around the yard, possibly resulting in wet stacking?

 

[jacklegjim]

It could be wet stacking. All of the exhaust ports and exhaust manifold are oily.
I have not seen this from the other trucks I have/have had. I am still relatively
new to MV. I got my first one only four years ago. I should know more about
the condition of the engine in a day or two.