M35A3 Owners unite

[Hoefler]

Picture showing the fatso Goodyears wide rides from the front (with Jerry).
Pete

 

[TurboTim]

Here is a nice front shot.

 

[Hoefler]

Does granny know what happened to her car?

 

[Timberwolf22]

What are you guys doing for the spare once you go to the 395 Goodyears? Looks like that spare is no longer going to fit... do you mount it in the truck bed? What do you do with that now available spare tire location?

 

[TurboTim]

I got one to fit on stock location. The tread goes inbetween the seem for the storage box.

 

[BadMastard]

Not so much

I got one to fit on stock location. The tread goes inbetween the seem for the storage box.

Mine definitely didn't fit. I just throw a spare in the bed and call it good.

 

[99mrpc]

Hey guys, another M35A3 owner here. I'm from eastern PA but I'm going to moving near Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri soon.

 

[tomcata3]

Hi 99mrpc,
Lets see some pics of your truck

 

[99mrpc]

I can't take any pictures right now as I'm in the sandbox, but here are one I took in my yard when I was home earlier this year and two that were sent to me when I was looking at it to buy it.

 

[99mrpc]

I can't take any pictures right now as I'm in the sandbox, but here are one I took in my yard when I was home earlier this year and two that were sent to me when I was looking at it to buy it. View attachment 437181View attachment 437182View attachment 437183

 

[glcaines]

Welcome to the site. You have a nice looking truck there. You'll have a lot of fun with it. Keep us posted on what you do with it. Looks like you need a new headlight though. For some reason, my A3 loses headlight bulbs regularly. They don't seem to last nearly as long as on my A2, which is driven more. The U.S. made bulbs last a lot longer than the Chinese ones.

 

[99mrpc]

Thanks for the welcome, I replaced the headlight before I drove it home from Indiana to PA. 700 miles and 2 days later I made it home. That was one very long slow ride home. Someone told me an A3 will do 55mph, I don't where they got from. 50 was as fast as I could go.

Do you know if changing the trans fluid to ATF is bad for the trans or makes it shift better and go faster or is that a myth too?

 

[187]

ATF in the tranny might make it shift better, but won't get you any more speed. There is a recommended ATF fluid which escapes me at the moment. I still run the 15W40 in mine, no problems. There are a lot of opinions on that. I did have my fluids analyzed at Allison service center and everything was good.

The speed issue is due to not having overdrive and the RPM's. An A2 will do 55mph, not a A3 without modification (tires, tranny, etc).

 

[glcaines]

Thanks for the welcome, I replaced the headlight before I drove it home from Indiana to PA. 700 miles and 2 days later I made it home. That was one very long slow ride home. Someone told me an A3 will do 55mph, I don't where they got from. 50 was as fast as I could go. Do you know if changing the trans fluid to ATF is bad for the trans or makes it shift better and go faster or is that a myth too?

The problem with speed in the A3 is the CAT 3116 engine. Continuous operations with the stock 14.5 R20 tires limits the top speed to about 45 mph, whereas the A2 will do 55 with the 900 X 20 NDTs. The Allison 1545 transmission was designed to use Dexron III transmission fluid. The military used motor oil simply to eliminate the need to support another fluid in the field. However, Dexron III was a trademark of GM, and this fluid can no longer be sold as Dexron III. You need to use Dexron III compatible fluid. I used NAPA Dexron III, which is made by Valvoline, is identical to Valvoline, but much less expensive. I bought a five-gallon pail. Make certain that you don't use any Dexron ATF that has a higher number than III as those fluids are not compatible with the seals in the transmission. After changing out my fluid to Dexron III, my A3 shifts up and down much smoother. Dexron III and motor oil are not compatible, so if you change it out, make sure you get all of the motor oil out and change the filters. I changed mine out by using the drain and fill method repeatedly, driving a few miles between changes. Simply draining the pan is not sufficient.
You can also change out to Castol TranSynd fluid. This is an excellent synthetic fluid, but is much more expensive. I talked with the Allison factory Technical Service and the engineer told me that switching to TranSynd would not make the transmission function any better, but would lengthen the times between fluid changes. Most people would not be driving an A3 enough miles to make this an issue. He also highly recommended switching to Dexron III from the motor oil and also warned me about the incompatibility of the newer Dexron VI fluids with the Allison 1545 seals. Use the Search function and you wil find a lot of posts on this topic.

 

[TurboTim]

Yea I slapped some JB fix it all weld on it and put it in. The old one I would like to have rebuilt and maybe put that support in just to keep from having future problems.

Well you can take this for whats its worth but when I switched out my trans fluid. I added synthetic. I dont think this was a good idea because the trans would run hotter. I am thinking this is because it was a thinner fluid. So I drained that out and added dex 3 and some thick Lucas trans oil additive and now I can bury the speedometer. I am guessing this is possible because the Lucas is so thick it wont allow as much converter slipping. Now speedo goes to 61. I think this is pretty accurate as I have 395's

 

[BIGDDV]

58 with 395's

 

[Scar59]

Pull the transmission drain plug on my A3 and red ATF came out, was expecting motor oil. Truck was recovered from Wright Pat last summer. Dropped the pan and changed all filters. Hopefully be back on the road for the Fourth of July Parade.

 

[99mrpc]

Thanks guys, I'm glad I asked. I didn't know about only being able to use Dexron III. I was planning on talking to an Allison shop to to find out what they recommend. I guess I don't need to waste my time going to one now. I'm considering swapping out the trans to a 5 or 6 speed I heard about or would I be better off just going up to a 900 series 5 ton. Does anyone know what speed they can cruise at?
Mark

 

[Hoefler]

The transmission in an A3 is common in commercial use. Its very similar to an old Turbo 400. I have an A3 that shifts perfectly. Sold one that shifted great as well. Have a 5-ton with Allison that will knock teeth out on the 2 to 1 downshift (common problem). While a 5 ton will trundle down the road at a higher speed, you might find yourself wishing you would be in something other than it when you mash the brakes, kill the motor and loose all steering.
If its speed you are looking for-a commercial truck is much better. Mil vehicles are not made for speed. My A3 at 2500 RPM and 50 MPH is a nice ride. Being a pilot, I was trained to always look for an emergency landing spot. I think the same thing when I am driving my A3-like blowing a front drivers side tire on a two lane road. Even at 50 MPH, the landing spots will be harder to spot.
Enjoy the journey.
Pete

 

[99mrpc]

I do the same thing when I drive, especially when I'm on a 2 wheeler. I have my wings too. There are a few reasons I'm thinking about a little more speed. 1 is safety I feel like I'm waiting for some distracted bonehead to run in to the back of me while I'm on the highway going 45mph. 2 is I want to use my trucks more often than just on the weekends and holidays. 3 I'm thinking about getting a backhoe to do side jobs and want to be able to move it. I figure if I'm going to spend $10k+ on a truck I should make it one I'm going to have fun driving and can use it for other things like parades, fundraisers, and such. I've also considered an M36A3.