Received 2002 M1097A2 for firetruck build - looking for advice

[draymorris]

Anything we should do to improve?
How well will it do fully loaded or should we make sure we don't?

I downloaded the manuals already. But I am new to military vehicles. I usually work on gensets and manlifts and other equipment, but it looks like I will be the main mechanic on our little fire dept. We are supposed to turn this into a fire fighter within 180 days. It runs fine according to someone else who drove it - he said the temp guage showed hot when powered up - so I guess that is the first thing on the list.

 

[mgFray]

My advice, check all the glow plugs, change all the fluids, looked around (especially under the hood in the lighting compartments and above the steering shaft in the dash) for chaffed wiring that needs to be fixed, check the portal axle nuts, make sure you have good tires and wheels on it.

If it doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. I had more then one person tell me something was 'normal' on my 1988 M998 (base model), where after some investigation and fixing turns out it needed repair and now works MUCH MUCH better. The TMs are really good about the diagnostics, and the people here have a lot of knowledge to learn from. (And I'm sure you've already seen this. Stay away from certain ebay parts, especially glow plugs, most are counterfit and will fail pretty quickly. Look for reputable sellers, MacMotors, Kascar/Real4wd, Eastern Surplus, SECO, AM General, etc....)

 

[NDT]

There are military foam skid mounts specifically designed for HMMWVs available. Might look into one of those. Otherwise the military never had a drop in water tank made for HMMWVs. You will need to have one fabricated. Needs to be as low profile as possible to avoid rollover issues, and have baffles installed as well for slosh prevention. I would use 1/4” aluminum plate and fill the entire truck bed behind the 2 man cab. Height of tank depends on weight of water plus the tank vs. truck capacity.

 

[draymorris]

Thanks for the replies.
We currently have a ford 1 ton that has a skid on it. A 2.5 ton M35A3 brush truck, a couple of tankers and a pumper. One of our tankers is currently down due to corrosion in the aluminum tank - the water in this part of the world is hard on metals . So everything else has plastic tanks. We will likely buy a skid unit but if the grant contract allows, we will try to save money buy putting it together ourselves like we did the 1 ton. We carry 300 gallons on it and were hoping to do that on this truck.

Has anyone got experience with loading these to the 4400 lb max? Should it be avoided? If so, what is a good weight limit?

Thanks again for any and all help.

 

[NDT]

Most of the users on here are trying to reduce the spring rate for a softer ride, but Uncle likes to load these to GVWR and then some and then couple a trailer too. So the platform can handle the weight. Especially the A2s.

 

[mgFray]

HMMWVs are just fine loaded to GVWR, so don't feel bad about doing it. Just stick with the stock springs and suspension components. (The alignment is usually set on the HMMWV at GVWR...)

 

[rhino1515]

So is your intent to build this to be a Type-6 Wildland Engine?

We had looked at doing something similar at one of the Volunteer Dept I put time in at. I had found a study that MI did about the good and bad that they found. Here is the link to it....
EVALUATING THE HUMMER® AND HMMWV SERIES CHASSIS FOR WILDLAND ENGINE USE

We had built a spec for a skid for the 2-man HMMWV that was about $13k new but would have fit well in the HMMWV. The Top mounted booster on the build could be pulled either side, which was slick. To have it built as a permanent/non-skid unit would have been abut 2x the cost of the skid. Good and bad for either.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[draymorris]

So is your intent to build this to be a Type-6 Wildland Engine?

We had looked at doing something similar at one of the Volunteer Dept I put time in at. I had found a study that MI did about the good and bad that they found. Here is the link to it....
EVALUATING THE HUMMER® AND HMMWV SERIES CHASSIS FOR WILDLAND ENGINE USE

We had built a spec for a skid for the 2-man HMMWV that was about $13k new but would have fit well in the HMMWV. The Top mounted booster on the build could be pulled either side, which was slick. To have it built as a permanent/non-skid unit would have been abut 2x the cost of the skid. Good and bad for either.

Good luck in your quest!

Wow. That study was good info. I can't thank you enough. I hope, since we are a small dept, I can talk them into letting me build this up. I have tackled larger projects on service trucks. I think this would be an interesting one to put together just the way we want it. That study shows that we can put a 300 gallon on it, which is great. We like just a pump, tank, two short hoses, and a hose reel with about 75 ft on it. That does the job around N Central TX. 2 guys on the back and a good driver can utilize the 300 gallons pretty well. If we get a 300 gal on it, it will likely become our first responder as our 1 ton is now. The Hummers capabilities will likely outway the higher highway speed of the 1 ton - we rarely get to go over 65mph in it anyway - unless we have a ignorant driver who doesn't know better. Most of our fires are within 15 miles of home unless we get called to a large one then it may be 100 miles, but that is uncommon.

Keep the info coming. I will try to post as we build.

Any engine mods or upgrades - do these 6.5l need the injector pump module relocated like the GM pickups?

Where can I get the 12v alternator add on kit mentioned in the study?

Also, I am new to the firefighting world, so if my terminology and knowledge is wrong, please forgive.

 

[Mogman]

The HMMWV does not have the electronic injection pump, so no module to relocate.
Depending on what your 12V needs are and if you have a dual voltage alternator (you should on that model) you may not need the 12V add on alt.
There are also many 24v/12v converters that you can use.
EDIT if you are going to add a bunch of high powered lights for example see what 24V options you have.

 

[mgFray]

Big advantage of 24V accessories is you can use smaller wires, since it’s less amps. Lighting and other things used on commercial vehicles should be available in 24V formats.

 

[draymorris]

Thanks for the info. Will be checking on the alternator voltage. We hope that all the emergency lights we want will be 24 v capability - like you said - most LED will be up to 32 v. We use inverters on the old Duece to get 12 volts.

Just talked to the chief (my neighbor) and we will be moving forward with hopes of building this ourselves, instead of skid unit. Still have to get approval from person in charge of grant money.

Keep the suggestions coming.

I will admit I have not even opened the hood yet, so sorry that I asked a bad question about the injection module.

I am looking at all the manuals as time allows. I will be looking it over tomorrow.

Thanks again

 

[draymorris]

TM 9-2320-387-24-1 is referenced in manuals - Have not been able to find it on here. Am I looking at the wrong number - has it been replaced?

 

[Mogman]

TM 9-2320-387-24-1 is referenced in manuals - Have not been able to find it on here. Am I looking at the wrong number - has it been replaced?

HMMWV - High-Mobility Military Wheeled Vehicle (HUMVEE)

The HMMWV is a 4x4 All-Terrain Military Vehicle introduced by the US Army in 1984 also know as Humvee. With over 300,000 units produced and in active service with 70+ countries as well as in civilian use.

www.nsnlookup.com

There are no bad questions, the original study was with a basic truck that likely had a 60A alt, your truck should have a 200A dual voltage alt, It is actually best to use an inverter for the radios for example as the chance of reverse polarizing the equipment is greatly reduced.

 

[Coug]

TM 9-2320-387-24-1 is referenced in manuals - Have not been able to find it on here. Am I looking at the wrong number - has it been replaced?

That manual is for the ECV/REV series of trucks. The M1097A2 is part of the earlier series of trucks, so the manuals you need are a little different.

This link is to all the TMs on this site for the truck you have.

TMs for the M998-Series HMMWV

Listed below are a number of the TM's for the M998 series trucks. To save them to your computer, right click, select "save as". TM-9-2320-280-34.pdf TM-9-2320-280-34 Direct support and general support maintenance for the M998 series trucks. TM-9-2320-280-20-1.pdf TM-9-2320-280-20-1...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Mogman]

That manual is for the ECV/REV series of trucks. The M1097A2 is part of the earlier series of trucks, so the manuals you need are a little different.

This link is to all the TMs on this site for the truck you have.

TMs for the M998-Series HMMWV

Listed below are a number of the TM's for the M998 series trucks. To save them to your computer, right click, select "save as". TM-9-2320-280-34.pdf TM-9-2320-280-34 Direct support and general support maintenance for the M998 series trucks. TM-9-2320-280-20-1.pdf TM-9-2320-280-20-1...

www.steelsoldiers.com

Great catch!, the correct manuals are on the link I posted also.

 

[draymorris]

The link to the site Mogman gave had the specific manuals and more. I have already downloaded everything from here and working on downloading the ones from that website also.

I was specifically looking for the procedure to test the temp gauge and sender. It was in the ...387-24-1, but I could not find it complete in the ...280... manuals.

Not sure yet about all the differences between these manuals, it takes a long time to read it all and figure out what everything is - you guys are there already, I just have so much time in a day.

Thanks to both of you for answering the manual questions.

 

[Mogman]

The link to the site Mogman gave had the specific manuals and more. I have already downloaded everything from here and working on downloading the ones from that website also.

I was specifically looking for the procedure to test the temp gauge and sender. It was in the ...387-24-1, but I could not find it complete in the ...280... manuals.

Not sure yet about all the differences between these manuals, it takes a long time to read it all and figure out what everything is - you guys are there already, I just have so much time in a day.

Thanks to both of you for answering the manual questions.

That procedure would be relevant for your truck also, the basic instrumentation is for the most part the same in all HMMWVs except for the later speedos.

 

[draymorris]

What suggestions for replacement tires? Should we look at different wheels to get to a more standard rim size?

What transmission fluid recommended? Will this transmission use standard filters for a 4L80?

Transfer Case Fluid?

Only 4000 miles - would you recommend replacing diff fluid. I normally change every fluid when I but a used truck - but I have seen differentials go 20 years and never need fluid and never give problems. So sometimes I will skip this on equipment that is rarely driven.

I have had some bad experiences with seals when using synthetic, but I like synthetic. I use Allison Transyn in my chevy transfer case, but I don't want to change all the fluids on this and find out the seals cant handle synthetic.

Any thoughts on new top and doors. We have to paint it, so looking for options before paint.

 

[TOBASH]

All your questions are easily answered in the TM’s

Brake fluid is DOT5 not 5.1 or 3 or 4

Dextron 3/4/5/6 for tranny/x-fer case/ power steering fluid.

Rotella for engine oil.

I would source tires and rims from Feltz. I would avoid aftermarket. I would keep the Runflats inserts as if you get a blow-out in a fire you need to be able to drive away.

 

[rhino1515]

As a general rule, I make it a mandatory process to drain/replace all fluids and filters on every truck coming from the Government. You may be surprised on what you find - or not find in some cases.
If you want to pinch some pennies, in my experience, Walmart fluids tend to work fine.
I would agree that there is some value in keeping the run flats. Defiantly check Feltz - good tires for usually under $200/ea.
As for doors/top, what does it have currently, and what are you looking to do?