Its Alive! Its Alive!

[Recovry4x4]

Well gang, I've got good news and I've got bad news. First the good. The M108 is off the tractor and on the ground. It runs a little rough on th e 5 yr old (or more) fuel but it runs. All apsects of the crane work as well. Worked everything and rewound the hoist drum. Now the bad news. I have no pics of the unload. Did everyting almost alone. Here's how I did it. Pulled the the tractor across the shallow ditch in the front yard leaving the back tires in the ditch. Got the heavy old ramps from my car trailer and supprted them on the back tires of the tractor. Tried to get the old gasser started but couldn't get er fired so being the 4 wheeler that I am, I dropped the transfer into low, trans in reverse and used the starter to back it off. Came off without a problem. I took a few more pics of it on the ground for your viewing pleasure The person in the pics is soldier b. (notice it's a small b).

 

[73m819]

all i can say is GREAT, still think it would look better next to the 819. nice truck

 

[red devils dude]

good to see a family op

 

[OD_Coyote]

Man that is a nice rig!

 

[Recovry4x4]

Here's a link to my photobucket site. To see more of the truck click on the M108 album. Feel free to check any albums though.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v460/Recovry4x4/

 

[cranetruck]

Hey, you finally got your cranetruck after all. Guess J will be operating it before long, better teach him how to do it right. BTW, did he come along on the trip?
Hmm.. like that spreader bar...need to upgrade mine.
Below is a picture from the '65 209-10.

Great job, Kenny!

Bjorn

 

[Recovry4x4]

Thanks Bjorn. Its no k-boom but I like the way it looks and works. Since mil wreckers are never a one man operation, J will schooled in safe operation. He didn't go and rightfully so, it was a long trip.

 

[73m819]

ya since the 819 calls for a 2 man crew, number 2 (crane op. jw)has learned all the crane hand signals .its nice to be able to include jw in the the actural working of the 819, makes it more fun. im sure that you will have as much enjoyment WORKING as a 2 man crew as i do

 

[Recovry4x4]

It's not alive any more!

Well, the gasser is dead. Wouldn't spin over today for anything. I got the suggestion of stuck valves and decided to research it. Well, 4 bent push rods and 4 badly stuck valves and now I'm dead in the water. Hate like heck to put money into the gasser for sure. What a bummer.

 

[73m819]

kenny, ive got stuck valves unstuck before by pouring marvil myster oil in the intake or the exahust manfold depending what was stuck,i sometimes used a piece of hose to get to the offinding valve, letting it sit awhile, then takeing a brass hammer and tapping on the stem, thay came unstuck little by little, at times it took 3 or 4 doses of oil and sitting , 4 push rods shouldnt cost to much, good luck

 

[Recovry4x4]

Wished I weren't so stupid and tapped them down. I've got Godspray but need to get the umbrella seal out of the way to use it. Now with the valves in the open position, I can't get the keepers off to lube them. The chambers are so open that even with the valves all the way open, they still don't contact the piston. Man did I screw up!

 

[73m819]

can you get to them through the plug holes, use a brass drift to pop them back up

 

[Recovry4x4]

Tomorrow I'm going to try some things again.

 

[73m819]

ive used a bent steel rod with a peice of hose as a thread protector through the plug hole to prod a valve, it takes time feeling around but it worked, it could be worse but this still sucks

 

[Recovry4x4]

Thats a good idea Ron. Perhaps with a little luck and prayer, the thing might get loose. If not than I might have to pull the head as much as I don't want to. Gasket kit for the gassers is less than $100. I'm wondering if the oil pump is bad, its got oil. Ran it yesterday for about 20 to 30 minutes. Maybe this is a sign to just get started on the swap, who knows.

 

[73m819]

im guessing that the stem seals are dry like real dry as in old and hard, a little rust or grit would bind them up in a heart beat, no matter if you had oil pressure or not, you did say that when you ran it it ran rough, now you know why, mite have already been stuck and bent

 

[rdixiemiller]

Kenny
You probably had some rust on the valves and it worked its way into the guides. Take some parachute cord (15-25') and feed it into the spark plug hole while the piston is down. Roll the engine by hand until the piston pushes the valve back up. Or, take two flat nail pulling bars and put one on either side of the valve and carefully pry it up. Once you get it back up, use the parachute cord trick to keep the valve up and remove the spring and keepers. The compressed cord will keep the valve from dropping. Now, oil the heck out of things with Marvel, and clean the valve stems up. Pull off the mushroom seals (they will be hardened up anyway) and run the truck without them. A few days of plenty of oil and the valves will free up. NAPA can find a mushroom seal thet will work when you are ready to replace them.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Holy Cow Robert! Thats a brilliant idea. I just happen to have a 1200' spool of paracord too. I feel better already!

 

[red devils dude]

now you just need to get to work.
p.s I got a old 1951 reoM109 parts truck that I need to get runing will try all the tips and see what
works best.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Well, I quit! Tried the paracord trick. motor turned over to TDC and abruptly stopped. Since i had nothiing to lose, i tried it with the starter and it locked up again. Then I made a bridge out of 1/2" steel and blocks and got my 2 jaw puller on the valve. Nothing, zero, notta. It just aint moving. Decision time. Pull the head of the gasser or start getting ready for the multifuel swap. Bummer!