Was looking for a shop in or near Milwaukee to work on M1008; then did it all myself!

[GunnyM1009]

I got everything reassembled and was fitting the belts when I realized that the Gates 7450 was way too tight for my power steering. There was a thread on here where someone went to Fort Brag and said he saw the proper belts for the M1008s there and listed 7450 for the power steering. It’s way too tight to fit at least on my truck. I’m going to take it back to the store and get the next size or two up. The Gates 7485 and 7575 fit just fine for the alternators.

Here’s the truck running. I currently don’t have the power steering belt on it but I figure it should be ok temporarily since the pump still gets spun from the generator belt. The motor seems to be much quieter but I still notice a little bit of a wobble down at the balancer/crank pulley. Or am I just tripping out? Like you said, I’m sort of a perfectionist snd things can drive me crazy.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

My power steering pulley seems to be a little warped for sure, could that be what’s causing the wobbles? Or could it be my belt tension? Do my belts seem to be too loose?

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Thanks!

Don't know if it's the case with your 08 but on my 09 I have to put the power steering belt off the back side of the crank pulley first then get it around the other to pulleys and then back on the crank pulley from the back side. Not sure why it works that way but it does.

 

[ezgn]

I got everything reassembled and was fitting the belts when I realized that the Gates 7450 was way too tight for my power steering. There was a thread on here where someone went to Fort Brag and said he saw the proper belts for the M1008s there and listed 7450 for the power steering. It’s way too tight to fit at least on my truck. I’m going to take it back to the store and get the next size or two up. The Gates 7485 and 7575 fit just fine for the alternators.

Here’s the truck running. I currently don’t have the power steering belt on it but I figure it should be ok temporarily since the pump still gets spun from the generator belt. The motor seems to be much quieter but I still notice a little bit of a wobble down at the balancer/crank pulley. Or am I just tripping out? Like you said, I’m sort of a perfectionist snd things can drive me crazy.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

My power steering pulley seems to be a little warped for sure, could that be what’s causing the wobbles? Or could it be my belt tension? Do my belts seem to be too loose?

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Thanks!

Your truck is running smooth and sounds great. Maybe some slight wobble in the pulley but not of any concern in my opinion. Belts look fairly tight but may have room to be snugged up a bit more. Snug the belts up some more and re asses. Good job.

 

[retro_life]

Ok so I was getting frustrated with the power steering belt and thought the 7450 was too tight to fit. I ended up going to the store and getting a 7455 and 7460 and they were both way too loose… so I calmed down and reassessed what I was doing and figured out I was just going about putting the belt on wrong. What worked for me was getting the belt onto the rear of the crank pulley and onto the top of the water pump pulley snd power steering pulley, then going under the truck and pulling it onto the proper slot on the crank pulley.


Then to pry the power steering pulley tight I ended up using my seal puller on the right side adjuster like this.

I was finally able to get it nice and snug and tightened in place. Don’t forget that really annoying adjuster bolt under the truck also lol. What a cruel joke. But in the end all was fine. The 7450 fits just fine.

I then got the generator belts back on and snugged them even more than I had them before. I’d say the slack is about the same as pushing on the fat in the palm of your hand. Not extremely tight but also not loose. This seemed to take a lot of the play I was seeing in my pulleys away.

I just got done taking the truck out for a 75-80 mile drive and it’s like a new truck. Completely night and day. The truck is so smooth and I’m beyond happy. I will post more soon.

 

[chevymike]

Ok so I was getting frustrated with the power steering belt and thought the 7450 was too tight to fit. I ended up going to the store and getting a 7455 and 7460 and they were both way too loose… so I calmed down and reassessed what I was doing and figured out I was just going about putting the belt on wrong. What worked for me was getting the belt onto the rear of the crank pulley and onto the top of the water pump pulley snd power steering pulley, then going under the truck and pulling it onto the proper slot on the crank pulley.
View attachment 840501View attachment 840502
View attachment 840503
Then to pry the power steering pulley tight I ended up using my seal puller on the right side adjuster like this.
View attachment 840504
I was finally able to get it nice and snug and tightened in place. Don’t forget that really annoying adjuster bolt under the truck also lol. What a cruel joke. But in the end all was fine. The 7450 fits just fine.

I then got the generator belts back on and snugged them even more than I had them before. I’d say the slack is about the same as pushing on the fat in the palm of your hand. Not extremely tight but also not loose. This seemed to take a lot of the play I was seeing in my pulleys away.

I just got done taking the truck out for a 75-80 mile drive and it’s like a new truck. Completely night and day. The truck is so smooth and I’m beyond happy. I will post more shortly.

Congrats! Job well done and glad you're back on the road.

 

[GunnyM1009]

Ok so I was getting frustrated with the power steering belt and thought the 7450 was too tight to fit. I ended up going to the store and getting a 7455 and 7460 and they were both way too loose… so I calmed down and reassessed what I was doing and figured out I was just going about putting the belt on wrong. What worked for me was getting the belt onto the rear of the crank pulley and onto the top of the water pump pulley snd power steering pulley, then going under the truck and pulling it onto the proper slot on the crank pulley.
View attachment 840501View attachment 840502
View attachment 840503
Then to pry the power steering pulley tight I ended up using my seal puller on the right side adjuster like this.
View attachment 840504
I was finally able to get it nice and snug and tightened in place. Don’t forget that really annoying adjuster bolt under the truck also lol. What a cruel joke. But in the end all was fine. The 7450 fits just fine.

I then got the generator belts back on and snugged them even more than I had them before. I’d say the slack is about the same as pushing on the fat in the palm of your hand. Not extremely tight but also not loose. This seemed to take a lot of the play I was seeing in my pulleys away.

I just got done taking the truck out for a 75-80 mile drive and it’s like a new truck. Completely night and day. The truck is so smooth and I’m beyond happy. I will post more soon.

Good job. I guess you figured it out before you saw my post above. I tried to save you some headache. Glad you got it going.

 

[retro_life]

Good job. I guess you figured it out before you saw my post above. I tried to save you some headache. Glad you got it going.

Yep lol. Once I figured it out I felt like a real bone head. This whole thing has been quite the learning experience.

 

[Mullaney]

Yep lol. Once I figured it out I felt like a real bone head. This whole thing has been quite the learning experience.

.
On the bright side, because it was a little bit difficult - you won't ever forget what you learned!

 

[retro_life]

Here’s a shot I took last night of the truck with the brand new LED headlights installed. I was going to get the trucklites but I’ve already spent too much money lol. They’re just some $79 lights from Amazon. They’re supposedly DOT approved and they’re very bright. My front marker lights aren’t working, but I already troubleshooted the issue to be a bad ground. They’re grounded to the rear bumper but I’ve got to move it somewhere else.



Also, I pulled some of the slack back through the firewall on my Speedo cable and now it doesn’t bounce anymore! It holds steady snd it’s very accurate according to my GPS.

I’ve been driving the truck all morning and everything is perfect. I haven’t gotten any death wobbles, but if I have to stop fast sometimes the wheel will shake a little. I’m hoping the new steering stabilizer will help with that. I will probably put it on tomorrow.

I also need to bleed the brakes some more. I get perfect braking after 2-3 pumps and then stepping on the brake.

Other small issue is a buzzing sound that seems to be coming from the driver side area. It’s intermittent and only happens when going slow like when driving in a parking lot or backing out the driveway. I think it might either be the worn rubber bushings in the springs/sway bar or possibly the gas tank shield. I tightened the gas tank shield but everything shakes like hell on these trucks. Good thing is, it’s just a minor annoyance and doesn’t seem to be anything hurting the stability or performance.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

I got a Bluetooth speaker from Amazon and made some magnetic mounts to stick it to the roof. It worked out pretty well! I will post more about that later.

Also I called into Gear Vendors and they told me my order is set to go out this week. Looks like everything is going to work out. Thank goodness.

 

[retro_life]

This is the buzzing sound I was talking about.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[ezgn]

This is the buzzing sound I was talking about.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Check the torx bolts around the gas tank door. I think they are a #27 torx. Check for rocks lodged between the cab and the bed. Go under the truck at the noise source and check anywhere rocks might be lodged between any surfaces. Sorry I can't be of more help but that's the best I have right now. The truck doesn't sound anything like it did compared to the video I heard the first time before you worked on it. Sounds perfect. Steering stabilizer will make a big difference. Should help to some degree any play in the steering wheal and the vibration your having when stopping. New shocks will make a world of difference. I replaced all my spring bushings, stabilizer, and shocks and BAM!! what a difference.

 

[cucvrus]

I just received my power steering bracket from @cucvrus and I am completely blown away by the quality of his repair. It looks like nothing ever happened to it! Wow man!
Here’s pics of it before
View attachment 840435View attachment 840436View attachment 840437
And here it is after his masterful repair job!
View attachment 840438View attachment 840439View attachment 840440View attachment 840441

Thank you so much man! Also thanks for the proper hardware and other goodies. You are a real asset to this community and I can’t thank you enough.

I done that quickly during my morning break. It is going to last. It is not perfect and it was worse than I expected but I enjoyed the challenge. I must get cracking on my M1009 project. So many things to do and so little time. Friday I was fixing a water leak in a tenant house that had a copper pipe pinched shut and soldered inside the wall. I never knew it was there until I got a call that water was dripping into the basement. Thank goodness for Shark bite caps.
All SharkBite Plumbing Products | SharkBite

 

[cucvrus]

Fuel tank skid plate?? How about the flywheel cover??? Report back. Take Care.

 

[retro_life]

Check the torx bolts around the gas tank door. I think they are a #27 torx. Check for rocks lodged between the cab and the bed. Go under the truck at the noise source and check anywhere rocks might be lodged between any surfaces. Sorry I can't be of more help but that's the best I have right now. The truck doesn't sound anything like it did compared to the video I heard the first time before you worked on it. Sounds perfect. Steering stabilizer will make a big difference. Should help to some degree any play in the steering wheal and the vibration your having when stopping. New shocks will make a world of difference. I replaced all my spring bushings, stabilizer, and shocks and BAM!! what a difference.

Thanks for the tips! What shocks did you go with? I was looking but couldn’t decide what to go with.

 

[ezgn]

Thanks for the tips! What shocks did you go with? I was looking but couldn’t decide what to go with.

I went with Monroe. They work great for me. The truck is really stiff and some of the more expensive shocks are even stiffer. Shocks are like, what is the best engine oil, everyone has their passionate opinions. Whatever you chose, if your running original factory shocks, your basically running with no shocks at all. Get some new shocks and you will be happy. Front Monroe Gas Magnum 34919 Monroe rear 34920 I think Amazon has them.

 

[ezgn]

I went with Monroe. They work great for me. The truck is really stiff and some of the more expensive shocks are even stiffer. Shocks are like, what is the best engine oil, everyone has their passionate opinions. Whatever you chose, if your running original factory shocks, your basically running with no shocks at all. Get some new shocks and you will be happy. Front Monroe Gas Magnum 34919 Monroe rear 34920 I think Amazon has them. Rock Auto has the best price. Maybe some other people on here can give you some ideas.

 

[cucvrus]

Thanks for the tips! What shocks did you go with? I was looking but couldn’t decide what to go with.

Hey I have a front set of shocks that were on my M1008 snow plow truck a few months before it was destroyed. If you would like to have them I can send them to you. Not brand new but worth the plane ticket to come to you. Shocks free. You pay the shipping. Let me know.

 

[retro_life]

Hey I have a front set of shocks that were on my M1008 snow plow truck a few months before it was destroyed. If you would like to have them I can send them to you. Not brand new but worth the plane ticket to come to you. Shocks free. You pay the shipping. Let me know.

Thanks so much for the offer man. I ended up ordering the Monroe’s last night and they’re already on their way so no need, but super appreciate that.

I tracked down the vibration to the gas tank skid plate. I parked on top of a manhole cover and put the parking brake on and I got the vibration to keep going while I got under the truck. I tightened the crap out of those nuts what else can I do?

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[cucvrus]

I tracked down the vibration to the gas tank skid plate.
I Done Good George

 

[retro_life]

I tracked down the vibration to the gas tank skid plate.
I Done Good George

That’s funny. Nothing beats those classic cartoons. Nowadays that would probably offend someone.

Anyway what do you think I should do to cure that buzzing? Rubber washers or something?

 

[ezgn]

Thanks so much for the offer man. I ended up ordering the Monroe’s last night and they’re already on their way so no need, but super appreciate that.

I tracked down the vibration to the gas tank skid plate. I parked on top of a manhole cover and put the parking brake on and I got the vibration to keep going while I got under the truck. I tightened the crap out of those nuts what else can I do?

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Maybe you can place a strip of rubber like a bicycle tube or some other form of material between the tank and the strap. Pushing on the skid plate stops the vibration but by pushing on the plate it might be pushing against another area of the truck causing the noise. What I am saying is that maybe the vibration is not from the plate. When it's making the noise push on the fuel door and see if that make a difference. Get a torx27 bit loosen the bolt securing the fuel door move the plate around in case anything is lodged underneath, and re tighten the fuel door assembly. It's worth a try for a 3 dollar part and about 5 minutes of work.