New owner of M35A3, How do I....

[trukhead]

* The tag says shut down all electric switches before turning off engine, so do I use the fuel shut off switch and then turn off big switch or just turn off the big switch?

* If the tires on the front rear axle deflate prior to the rear axle tires over the span of a month, is it seals on the tires or is it an axle connection.

* What is correct procedure for using C.T.I.S. . I get the tires to inflate and deflate but what is the correct procedure.

* It looks like motor oil in the transmission. what is the correct fluid? The tranny is the 1545.

* drain and flush the tranny, It seems to work perfectly and I really want to keep it that way.

* 10W-30 in the engine, really?

THanks to other threads I will check...

* the brake fluid type 5 specifically

* the air line near the radiator

* monkeying around with changing the direction of the tires on the rims, yikes quite a job-I got M.S. and it takes quite a while for me to do stuff.

Any other suggestions and thoughts are welcome!! I like driving my new M35a3 and It was cheaper than a honda 4 wheeler!!! I got it from Fort McCoy from GL and Mike is the greatest!

 

[Bob H]

Aquire a -10 operators manual, good reading!

As an A2 owner I don't know much about the A3
I've read the 15w40 in the trans and also about changing it out.

Shut off the other switches then pull the fuel shutoff (works for the A2)

CTIS typically leaks, from what I've read it is usually the axle connections.

 

[markmontana]

SS member lonegunman recovered an M35A3 and took it directly to a CAT shop, where they checked the tranny, and if I recall correctly, he flushed the 30w out of the tranny and replaced with ATF. I plan to do the same with mine, when it's time for trans fluid replacement, I'm in no hurry.

I would suggest you look up his epic recovery thread. He did a LONG successful trip in his A3.

Welcome to the wonderful world of SS, and elite membership in the -A3 sub culture.

 

[lonegunman]

Congrats on the new truck. I might be able to send you a copy of the -10, it is the operator's manual. If you google a bit you can find the Army website and download it for free.

The trans is serviced with engine oil in the military, it runs fine with ATF and actually runs cooler by 10-20 degrees. The filter kit for the trans and the secondary filter are available from truck parts suppliers and from Erik's Military and Industrial Surplus - Military Vehicle Parts, Industrial and Military Surplus Electronics

You do not have to use the fuel shut-off to stop the engine, just flip the power to OFF.

CTIS is ok as long as it works, it might be causing the air leaks, when I shut mine off and left it off I had one tire that leaks a few pounds a day and all other tire problems disappeared.

I got a good deal from Caterpillar and had everything serviced there. The engine needs an "overhead" done at 500 hours and then every 2000 engine hours after that. More than likely it has never been done. I had the overhead, oil change, diffs serviced and trans serviced and switched to ATF. It was worth every penny for at least the overhead and the truck runs like a champ.

It is worth checking into, especially if you have a connection at CAT, the tools for the overhead are spendy and not many guys buy them.

The truck came with a 3 year, 150,000 mile warranty on the engine and trans when new. Cat thought a lot more of them than the A2 crowd here. You will heard a lot of negative information and it seems to be mostly uninformed.

The air line near the radiator (if it is small and black) is for the air fan. It is a common part on commerical trucks, if you disconnect it the engine fan will not run correctly.

Hope this helps for starters, I enjoy my truck, it runs like a champ and has 560 drive train hours on it, it was rebuilt in late 1998. So I got a 12 year old truck with 6K miles for the price of a well used F-250.

 

[Mudstone]

kill everything that has to do with ctis

 

[Stan Leschert]

GET THE TM! Try to find someone local who was trained on this truck, you will save yourself so many hasstles, for the cost of a dinner and a few beer.
Good luck with the new toy, and I can only say that I am GREEN with envy!

 

[lonegunman]

Ditto on the TM's. They are a must and if you have anyone nearby, go for a visit. The A3 has everything structural in common with an A2 and different drivetrain. You can find parts and assistance in suprising places.

The road trip was slow and would have been a lot more fun if I had another two days to stop and visit along the way. I really was never more than a phone call or a post away from help thanks to SS and all the folks here.

 

[markmontana]

Here's something to watch for and maybe do a little prevention on an M35A3. Maccus discovered this on my A3 after we did a 700 mile recovery from Ft McCoy to Custer, SD.

The photos show the lower 'boost' pipe crossing over the head and making contact. Either some tweaking the connections to get the pipe farther from the head, or wrapping the pipe with some protection (or both) could prevent a problem.

A fix could be just a hose sleeve over the damaged area and two hose champs on the ends of the hose.

You can see that the abrasion cut partway thru the pipe.

 

[Monkeyboyarmy]

That is the boost pipe,not the coolant pipe.But good catch.Something to watch for.

 

[pacebm]

technical manuals

Technical manuals are:

LO 9-2320-386-12
TM 9-2320-386-10-HR
TM 9-2320-386-10
TM 9-2320-386-24-1-1
TM 9-2320-386-24-1-2
TM 9-2320-386-24p

I am not sure if they are on here but I have them in 'pdf' format if needed. I hope you enjoy the truck

 

[trukhead]

Thanks a ton, no make that 2 and a half tons!

Thanks a ton, no make that 2 and a half tons! I'm going to start by locating TM's and getting the SF97, License plates and off to the "CAT house for the Overhead" (LOL I like double entandra). I enjoy working on this big machine and driving it out in the fields. I just got 2 tandem 5 ton trailers with matching brakes and pintle hitches as well as lights. Now I have something to pull around the toy box. I have about 20 tons of scrap to haul when the price goes up and tons of bricks to temporarily relocate so the trailers will be very handy. I'll keep you posted. Again thanks a whole lot for the advice. I feel I now have some good direction top follow in the mainenance of my new truck. My avitar is the GL picture of my actual truck. Thanks, Dennis