Just a couple more Dumb questions

[panzerjunky]

Hello Gents
Nice to see the site back up I have a couple quick questions yall might help me with
1. My slobber tube don't slobber any more I have only been running short runs and not getting the engine up to 100% operating temp I am sure that is the deal but I seem to remember that it used to at least drip a little oil and smoke a bit on cool down could anything be plugged? P.S oil level is perfect
2. I can slightly smell coolant but there is absolutly nothing leaking no drips and coolant level stays 100% does the system vent somewhere? I do have the 4 inch duct from my heater to the firewall removed and the 3 inch from the ell at the firewall to the defroster is also removed ( for painting)
3. does the air system bleed down itself by design or should it hold air indefinitly I forgot to bleed my tanks last night and it was still empty this morning.
Thanks
Jerry

 

[Pinz25086]

1 - If my slobber tube did not slobber, I am happy! I do not think there is a problem.
2 - Pressure test the cooling system and the cap and look for loss of pressure. Might just be the cap not holding the pressure back and smelling the overflow.
3 - The air system on most trucks does leak down after a while. In theory it should not leak at all but they all seem to. DOT has a time that a truck must hold pressure after shut down and a time that it must build pressure as well to be legal for on the road use. I do not remember the exact times but a DOT rule book has it all spelled out.

Wayne

 

[panzerjunky]

Thanks for the reply
my Rad has been tanked and is 100% clean and the cap is new but I may have a bugger under the gasket will check in the am

 

[Barrman]

With a new radiator, new cap and topped off coolant. Your are probably just smelling the radiator spitting out what it doesn't think it needs through the open on the end over flow. Each truck seems to like a different level as "full." One might like it up next to the cap and another might like it way down in the fill elbow. Just keep checking it when cold and you will find it settles down to one spot and then stay there forever. Unless you really do have a leak.

Load the thing up with something heavy, drive it 100 miles or so at 2200 rpm or higher. The slobber tube will be venting just fine by then, your radiator will be at peace and the truck will run great for the next month or so. They like to run.

If you are getting more than an hour or two with the engine off and no air loss. You have a tight system. Be glad.

 

[rlwm211]

The slobber tube really only vents either with an engine that has been idling way too much or else an engine that has lots of blowby on the rings. Yours is not venting and is not leaking which is good.
The coolant smell can literally be a few drops oozing out of a hose, or slightly loose connection and the heat carries the odor back into the passenger compartment. Also, if you have not really gotten the truck fully warmed up you may still have residue on and around the engine compartment from the radiator work you have done. If you are not losing coolant, you are good to go.
The air system is only as tight as the leakiest valve and you have several on the system. The wiper valve, the shut off valve on the rear that controls the air for the reserve tank on a trailer (that one is not controlled by the air pack) could be leaking. Also the airpack valve can be weeping slightly. There are a lot of fittings on the pressure side and also it can leak out of the system check valve in the line from the air compressor to the system. If the truck holds air for a couple of hours or more you should be good to go. I would listen carefully with the system pressurized and the truck shot off for leaking components and fix those you can.
Sounds to me like you have a good truck, and really do not have much to worry about.

RL

 

[panzerjunky]

Thanks Guys
Yes I have been blessed with a very nice truck as she stands now she is almost 100% mec. perfect I am just fixing all the little non issue drips runs hisses and sags just trying to preserve her as long as I can. Thanks For the help.
Jerry

 

[rchalmers3]

PJ,

I have experienced a few occasions where a motor that has been inactive for some time has"repaired" itself by being driven. It sounds like your motor recovered it's composure recently and has ceased to produce the blow-by that drips out of the slobber tube.

X4 on the coolant odor. You may want to try extending the overflow down closer to the ground to see if it eliminates the smell.

Soapy water in a spray bottle is your friend in finding small leaks in the air system. There will probably be more than one! and I get satisfaction out of climbing into the cab in the AM and not have to listen to the buzzer. A tight system is possible if you desire to go after it.

Rick

 

[panzerjunky]

PJ,

I have experienced a few occasions where a motor that has been inactive for some time has"repaired" itself by being driven. It sounds like your motor recovered it's composure recently and has ceased to produce the blow-by that drips out of the slobber tube.

X4 on the coolant odor. You may want to try extending the overflow down closer to the ground to see if it eliminates the smell.

Soapy water in a spray bottle is your friend in finding small leaks in the air system. There will probably be more than one! and I get satisfaction out of climbing into the cab in the AM and not have to listen to the buzzer. A tight system is possible if you desire to go after it.

Rick

Thanks and 10-4 on the soapy water and the satisfaction of not having to listen to a buzzer. Being a plumber I cant stand things that leak.
Thanks Jerry

 

[shovelheadmike]

Why don't either the A2 or A3 have an overflow/expansion tank for the cooling system? Wouldn't this stop the coolant smell they all seem to have?

 

[jatonka]

Only one of my trucks has a coolant smell. and it is a leaker. Non of the other 40 have a coolant smell

 

[DieselBob]

Why don't either the A2 or A3 have an overflow/expansion tank for the cooling system? Wouldn't this stop the coolant smell they all seem to have?

I'm sure at the time they were considered unnecessary and just something else that would require repair with little benefit. Most vehicles didn't have them until late 60's early 70's. You could add one but you would need to change the radiator cap to one for a closed system.

 

[signmaker]

Anybody know the pressure cap rating for the M35A2 ? It seems that the same cap is used on all the suff from that era.

 

[rlwm211]

From the parts TM ​

TM 9-2320-209-20P

2930-00-720-2677 MS35840-1 96906 CAP,RADIATOR: FILLER W/ CHAIN,7 PSI ​

Technical Manuals are the path to Illumination......​

Download, Study Learn​

There are some here on SS in the Deuce FAQ section and also on ​

www.jatonkam35s.com in the M35 TM downloads section​

RL​

 

[Rustygears]

As I recall, caps are rated at 7.5 or 15 psi standard for all caps. Without a recovery bottle, all vehicles will weep some fluid through the overflow, especially after manually filling because of expansion of the water (yes, it does expand with temperature quite a bit). That was where the recovery bottle fit in. It held the overflow due to expansion and refilled the radiator when it pulled a vacuum as it cooled off.

One situation that a slobber tube will slobber is if there are any traces of water/moisture in the oil. This can occur normally from just sitting for a prolonged period. Condensation gets in the oil system because the oil system is directly vented and not sealed. In fact the slobber tube is a way for moisture to enter the engine while sitting. Once the engine warms up, this scummy froth of oil/water starts to come out as the water is purged from the hot oil. The extreme case is a blown head gasket where you get the nasty rotella milkshake!

 

[Maverick1701]

. The extreme case is a blown head gasket where you get the nasty rotella milkshake!

does that form in the crankcase or the radiator?

 

[rlwm211]

Oh, it is in the crankcase...The oil can get literally foamy with the coolant mixed in, and if not dealt with immediately, can lead to bearing failures and a probable fatal conclusion for the engine assembly.....

RL​

 

[Maverick1701]

Oh, it is in the crankcase...The oil can get literally foamy with the coolant mixed in, and if not dealt with immediately, can lead to bearing failures and a probable fatal conclusion for the engine assembly.....​

RL​

then would it be wise to run the motor for a little bit before changing the oil to see if I have the foamy slurry? I usually run a motor before an oil change to warm up the oil but its hot enough outside to drain w/ou.

 

[rlwm211]

If you have coolant in your oil, you will know when you look at the dipstick. Instead of the clear golden color to black depending on the time since the last oil change you will have a milky white goo that just looks wrong. If you have left an oil drain pan with a little bit of oil in it out in the rain, you know what the goo looks like.

If you are changing your oil, I would NOT recommend starting the truck before hand. The design originally was so that all the oil drained to the base
when the truck was shut off, including the filters.
Typically it takes 6-8 hours for all the oil to drain down to the pan.

Unless you have changed your filters to spin ons with the adapters, you are simply making a big mess if the filter cannisters are full of oil when you take them off.
No, just drain the oil, rear sump first, then the front...because if you drain the front first, it may overfill your 5 gallon pail.....The rear sump holds about 2-3 quarts depending on the oil level. If you drain the front first, it may amount to 21 quarts which is more than a 5 gallon pail will hold. Ask me how I know this.....

Total oil quantity is listed as 22 quarts for an oil change.

I do hope this is helpful...
RL

​

 

[Maverick1701]

If you have coolant in your oil, you will know when you look at the dipstick. Instead of the clear golden color to black depending on the time since the last oil change you will have a milky white goo that just looks wrong. If you have left an oil drain pan with a little bit of oil in it out in the rain, you know what the goo looks like.​

If you are changing your oil, I would NOT recommend starting the truck before hand. The design originally was so that all the oil drained to the base
when the truck was shut off, including the filters.
Typically it takes 6-8 hours for all the oil to drain down to the pan.​

Unless you have changed your filters to spin ons with the adapters, you are simply making a big mess if the filter cannisters are full of oil when you take them off.
No, just drain the oil, rear sump first, then the front...because if you drain the front first, it may overfill your 5 gallon pail.....The rear sump holds about 2-3 quarts depending on the oil level. If you drain the front first, it may amount to 21 quarts which is more than a 5 gallon pail will hold. Ask me how I know this.....​

Total oil quantity is listed as 22 quarts for an oil change.​

I do hope this is helpful...
RL​

dOh I forgot about the canisters filling w/oil....bad idea about starting motor before changing oil. The truck has been sitting since last week so i should be good. my oil just rolled over to about 4500 miles so its due for a change...filters too.

Here is what I have been seeing. I have been having a class 3 leak from my oil filer canister base (the front one). Since the temp has dropped below 20* (that is when i started) i have been seeing a small amount antifreeze around the base of the canister along w/the oil (not mixed in a milky slurry but still separated out) . But my oil is still a healthy black and of the oil I have sampled and have sitting on my counter, nothing has separated out. Also my antifreeze is still a pretty green color....I am stumped. From what I have read it could be a head gasket.....

I requested a blackstone oil anaysis kit and am going to save some oil samples from this change to send in.

 

[rlwm211]

Sounds like you have a plan. That is good.
There is a possibility that you can retorque your heads and that might
be the answer to the weeping of coolant.

The base gaskets on the cannisters are touchy and you have to have the right ones,
and not all filters come with the correct fiber gaskets.
Also it is critical to not allow the cans to turn while tightening the center bolts.

The base of the oil filters is a place where stuff collects and if you have a
tiny coolant leak from a hose, or from the cap, the coolant can collect there.
If you have a heater, pay particular attention to the hoses that connect as there
may be a leak in that assembly.

If the oil test comes back negative for coolant, I would not necessarily
assume that it is a headgasket leak to the outside of the engine; at least
not before doing a pressure test on the radiator system which would help
pin point the source of the leak.

Best of luck...

RL​