• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

 

M1088A1 CAT C7 starter went out in Ann Arbor, MI - already towed to safety.

Cgray

Member
80
21
8
Location
Lake Geneva, WI
Update to post from last night. I will do a complete write up to include tools needed, improvisation used and give credit to all the heroes who can together to help make this happen.

This morning Warren @casper31 showed up and did a mail run to pick up the NEW spare starter We had overnighted. He is a really great guy and offered any help needed.

I have the old starter off and getting ready to install a brand new replacement starter that Clint @74M35A2 is bringing to see if it will work as a spare for all of our trucks. Clint builds them and would be a great source for aftermarket replacement of it works.

I will update as soon as we can but will leave you with a few photos of the broken starter.
 

Attachments

juanprado

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
5,482
2,656
113
Location
Metairie/La (N'awlins)
Towed him, his family, and all their stuff to safety. When I pulled up and saw a 43’ tri-axle 18,000 pound trailer on his truck, I was like, really? Tow bar was not complete. Then a family peeks their heads out the windows, and I said it looks like this needs to happen. We strapped it and got it done. The ole 9 ball was able to reach up to 40-45mph pulling all this goodness. 43,000 total tow load. Went safe and no issues. He was a great driver, never hit me. ;)
Awesome Job and thanks for pitching in!

Just curious on the specifics of the tow straps you used? Impressed the 2 held up to that load!
 

74M35A2

Well-known member
4,145
311
83
Location
Livonia, MI
Just saw him off, took him 2 ring terminals he needed and soldered them onto his harness and shrink tubed them, stayed until truck started, helped him clean up, and they were underway.

Straps, good question: The straps were just a luck combo really. One was a traditional thin yellow long one, but the second one he had was a shorter yet double thick one for hoisting I think, and amazingly when the yellow one was double-backed on length, it equaled the length of the stronger single one. So, effectively, kind of had 3 straps between the trucks just using 2. Handled tight turns and also pulling at nearly 90 degrees during a direction change which I though that was when they would for sure break, but they held. Air lines did great, they were just generic plastic semi truck-trailer coiled ones with regular glad-hands on both ends. I could see rubber hose ones being tougher and the correct ones, blah blah blah, but these worked perfect. Handled highway, city, uphill, down hills, and stoplights all with zero issue. I pulled, and he did the braking. Didn't even need to really signal each other. I'm not sure if my brakes were actuating his, isn't that how it is supposed to work? We just had him use his brake pedal. Maybe his was actuating mine as well, not sure. He didn't hit me, that's all I know.

It took a little more time to air up his truck than one would expect for the spring brakes to release. No prob, easier than "caging" them. Also, he said he could not see his vehicle air pressure without the engine running or on. That was a little frustrating. We just kind of waited until we heard the squeak of the brakes coming off, or it would suddenly start to roll somewhat.

Honesty on my part, I forgot to bring the tow bar feet, first timer mistake. Whatever, better next time, maybe. Got it done, changed, they are on their way.

I can't offer a starter for this application, unfortunately. It is a standard SAE #1 starter mount pattern type (starter mount pattern, this is not flywheel housing to trans mount pattern) which is common for medium duty engines, but we don't make one with the solenoid in that configuration and in 24v. I can maybe do one in 12v and with the solenoid on the bottom vs top, but it would not really be a seller, just absolute emergency use only. A 12v starter can last a long time on a 24v truck if the engine is healthy and starts quickly. You really don't want the solenoid in the down position as water can gather in it. There are a few original applications like this, but only when there is no other options.

I was surprised to see this somewhat newer vehicle need a starter, the Leece Neville one was shot, the pinion bushing in the end of the nose cone was completely warbled out, and the nose cone housing cracked as well. 2006 and 22,000 miles on it. Should have lasted way longer than that, and that is a failure mode which indicates insufficient design.
 
Last edited:

Cgray

Member
80
21
8
Location
Lake Geneva, WI
Just saw him off, took him 2 ring terminals he needed and soldered them onto his harness, stayed until truck started, helped him clean up, and they were underway.

Straps, good question: The straps were just a luck combo really. One was a traditional thin yellow long one, but the second one he had was a shorter yet double thick one for hoisting I think, and amazingly when the yellow one was double-backed on length, it equaled the length of the stronger single one. So, effectively, kind of had 3 straps between the trucks just using 2. Handled tight turns and also pulling at nearly 90 degrees during a direction change which I though that was when they would for sure break, but they held. Air lines did great, they were just generic semi truck-trailer ones with regular glad-hands on both ends. I could see rubber hose ones being tougher and the correct ones, blah blah blah, but these worked perfect. Handled highway, city, uphill, down hills, and stoplights all with zero issue. I pulled, and he did the braking. Didn't even need to really signal each other.

Honesty on my part, I forgot to bring the tow bar feet, first timer mistake. Whatever, better next time, maybe. Got it done, changed, they are on their way.
I will get all the info for straps.

tge shorter grey one is a military hoist strap for Naval Special warfare MEATS ( maritime extraction) we used them on our NSW boats. The team has tons of them that expire and are tossed. I can try to get more.
 

cattlerepairman

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,167
3,073
113
Location
NORTH (Canada)
I am glad the OP and family were safe and got back on the road.
I felt for them and tried, but there is only so much one can do from a distance. Outstanding response from the SteelSoldiers, I am proud that in a time where selfishness seems the norm there are people willing to drop what they are doing and help out a stranger (albeit one with a similarly green truck).

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks