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AM General M934 How difficult is it to find repairs & how much will they set me back?

Coffey1

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You go girl send us lots of pictures.
And get a hold of any of us if you have questions.
We will help any way possible.
You only live this life once go out and enjoy what ever makes you happy and never listen to negative talk.
Go experience it yourself and learn.
I truly love and enjoy my hobby even when tires blow or compressors get holes in piston sure I might get mad and stomp around for a bit but I fix it and move on.
I cannot see myself without a truck until I am so old and can't get in it or kick the bucket.
 

wreckerman893

Possum Connoisseur
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Wreckerman893 that is wicked insight, you rock! Have you worked a lot with these types of truck specifically?
I was in three different military units that had the A2 5 tons. There are a lot of nuances and tricks of the trade that you pick up.

One is the electric fuel shutoff solenoid on the 8.3 Cummins diesel. They have a tendency to de-energize and will not open if the battery switch is turned on. This happens most often when the batteries are weak. This causes (an uninformed operator) to continue to crank the engine causing wear on the starter and further draining the batteries. This requires you to either have a "Soldier B" to hold it open or to zip tie it open to get the engine to start.

You can also shift the big Allison transmissions without hurting them. Unless they have been set right at the factory they will upshift too soon and you will lose power when in a hard pull. I recently flat towed an M818 while carrying another M818 on the back of my M927A2. I upshifted and downshifted to take advantage of the power band and the braking effort.

Due to the automatic transmission you cannot pull or push start these trucks. If the batteries are dead you either have to slave the dead one off (using the slave ports on both trucks and the military issue slave cables) or you have to jump them with heavy cables using two twelve volt batteries set up to produce 24 volts.
Having the batteries under the passenger seat makes working on them a real pain in the arse, especially if you have to replace them.

One redeeming feature they have is the tilt up hood. It makes servicing and working on systems a lot easier but you still have to do a lot of climbing on the trucks with the super singles. I really hated working on the 800 series and having to stand on my head to do stuff in the engine bay. Get a small step ladder and take it with you everywhere.

A note here about military fuel gauges: They have never made one that is reliable. The only thing that lies more convincingly than a career politician is a military vehicle fuel gauge. I never, ever let mine drop below a quarter of a tank. If you are going to do a lot of road driving I'd invest in at least two 5 gallon containers to carry full at all times. You might even consider installing another tank on the other side and a fuel transfer pump (you do not want to mess with the factory switching system that comes on the wreckers, tractors and dumps, trust me on this one). That would give you a lot more range and a good margin for error but again you do not want to run the system dry.

There are upgrades that make these beasts a little more user friendly. Moving the batteries out of the cab and installing air ride seats and air conditioning are recommended if you plan to drive a lot. You will absolutely cook in one of these trucks in hot weather. Hot and humid weather is ever worse. My eyeballs have sweated driving a M932 in the Korean summer heat. You can prob figure out a way to upgrade the mirrors to heated ones and improve the defroster (the 900 series were miles ahead of the 800 series but still marginal at best).

The long wheelbase and weight of the M934 will give you a lot better ride than the cargo trucks and shorter wheelbase trucks and the super singles ride better than the duals. But that also creates a problem with the turning radius.....my truck takes a big area to turn around in. You have to swing wide on most turns especially on two lane roads where there are curbs at the intersections. Swinging wide will often put you into oncoming traffic and can be unnerving to those approaching you in that lane. Always be courteous to the other guy and don't bully your way into traffic if it all necessary. We try to put forth a positive image. I cut clueless people a lot more slack in my truck than I do in my little van.

You will attract a lot of attention wherever you go. Most of it will be good but occasionally you'll meet the odd A-hole that doesn't like (a) the military (you are guilty by association with these types) (b) big green trucks that burn diesel fuel (I never figured this one out since trucks deliver virtually everything they use). (c) People that don't think civilians should own "weapons of war" and be able to use them for whatever reason (I usually try to explain that we are getting our tax money back but some people would cry if you hung them with a new rope so go figure). :cookoo:

You seem to be doing your due diligence here so hopefully you can make an informed decision and get something that suits your needs and wants.

Good luck in this adventure.
 

Mos68x

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You're a lot nicer than I am Wreckerman, I don't cut idiots any slack, but I will cover my ass and be as positive as my negative attitude towards this country's general populace will allow me. That is the very reason I live way out in the boonies, there are VERY FEW people I can actually get along with. Of course most of it revolves around their belief that their rights supersede mine.
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
You're a lot nicer than I am Wreckerman, I don't cut idiots any slack, but I will cover my ass and be as positive as my negative attitude towards this country's general populace will allow me. That is the very reason I live way out in the boonies, there are VERY FEW people I can actually get along with. Of course most of it revolves around their belief that their rights supersede mine.
Yes but....

When in green iron I let a lot of things slide that would normally attract the horn and/or gestures. Always mindful of the impression I'm making and how it may come back on everyone who drives one of these. Psyops, pure and simple....
 

Alice

New member
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Location
Toronto Canada
Be sure to post some pics if you do find one. In a way I kinda wish mine had come with the van body instead of bare chassis, but I did get it considerably cheaper than if it had it.
You go girl send us lots of pictures.And get a hold of any of us if you have questions.We will help any way possible.You only live this life once go out and enjoy what ever makes you happy and never listen to negative talk.Go experience it yourself and learn.I truly love and enjoy my hobby even when tires blow or compressors get holes in piston sure I might get mad and stomp around for a bit but I fix it and move on.I cannot see myself without a truck until I am so old and can't get in it or kick the bucket.

Oh there will absolutely be photos :3 Im pretty introverted and quiet on most days but when im proud of something it gets tons of tribute. I would also be very honoured if you guys could guide me with the buying process when i zero in on a few listing. Just the general "does anything look off in this photo?"

Coffey1, i love hearing that you follow the life you enjoy. Too many people, young and old, live a life they hate because theyve been told its the only way. I cant imagine living a life defined as normal by someone else. Do what makes you happy, dont infringe on others happiness, and be kind to eachother, thats all
 

Alice

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The only thing that lies more convincingly than a career politician is a military vehicle fuel gauge.
:D This made me laugh. Especially since its something ive already noticed a lot of posts about, the gauge being a bluffer, and understand it more than what de-energised batteries mean. haha

On the note of courtesy and attention, i feel you. Nothing worse than single-handedly giving everyone a bad name. **** happens but being an ******* spreads like wild fire and all of the sudden everyone in this community is branded.
Attention though somehow follows me like a shadow. So im always trying to be aware of the impressions i make. Even when i was in europe with my military bike people would get REALLY excited. I dont mind, comes with the territory and as mentioned above id hope at the least it would go to show them if they have a passion in something they should try and follow it.
I cant imagine how funny it would be to see the look on peoples faces when my sister or i hop out of these guys. xD Make my day, everyday.
**** the *******s. The way i see it yes these are not exactly machines that plant flowers along the way but this "weapon of war" is in the right and responsible hands. More so than any hybrid Prius at the hands of a psychopath interested in mowing people over (cue the London/NewYork terrorism news stories). Plus dont **** on your own soliders or military if you havent walked in their shoes. Thats just my opinion.
 
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Nomadic

Active member
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Location
Nevada
You will attract a lot of attention wherever you go. Most of it will be good but occasionally you'll meet the odd A-hole that doesn't like (a) the military (you are guilty by association with these types) (b) big green trucks that burn diesel fuel (I never figured this one out since trucks deliver virtually everything they use). (c) People that don't think civilians should own "weapons of war" and be able to use them for whatever reason (I usually try to explain that we are getting our tax money back but some people would cry if you hung them with a new rope so go figure). :cookoo:
This is probably the only thing holding me back right now. I spend a lot of time outdoors and mainly in Nevada lately. People do not like the gov here. When people approach me while in the country (hunters, shooters & people that think they own the land) and they end up getting butt-hurt. Sometimes I'm accused of being with the BLM. I didn't get what that meant the first few times :D I'm not even in a military rig so I'm not sure if I'm going to bite more than I can chew. How serious are this dip****s and how are you dealing with them?
 

TechnoWeenie

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My experience....

I picked up an M934 with 11k miles, 755 hours, and only 150 miles after an RRAD rebuild.... It had been sitting for 7 years.....

Dead batts, 1 flat tire, 1 dead headlight.

Brought batts to life, filled tire (held air), replaced headlights.

Replaced ALL fluids, then drove it from Ft. Bragg to Seattle, WA Via West Virginia.... 3100 miles or ~5km

In that time..... I had 1 tire failure (tube), air dryer clogged and had to bypass...

When I got back, I put another couple hundred miles on it..... I had an alternator key shaft snap and replaced the alternator....

I've put probably aboot (hahah) 5k miles total on my truck, and noticed a small fuel leak from the IP shaft, which is a 38 cent rubber o-ring....

So, other than fluids.... I've spent $100 on an alternator, $100 on a replacement tube/tire swap, $20 on line/adapters to bypass the air dryer....

ALL of these problems are related to age not miles... Bad O-ring, bad rubber tire tube, alternator shaft, air dryer, and now batts need replacing, etc....

I plan on completely redoing the air system (lines/fittings/valves/etc, adding a solar charger, and adding a battery switch to isolate or join the battery banks so if ONE battery goes bad it doesn't pull the other 3 down with it, basically isolating the batteries so I'll always have 2 good batteries regardless of the state of charge of the other bank....

My experience has been pretty decent..... Most stuff on them is old, and off the shelf, so fairly easy to find.
 

TechnoWeenie

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Nova Laboratories, WA
Most of it will be good but occasionally you'll meet the odd A-hole that doesn't like (a) the military (you are guilty by association with these types) (b) big green trucks that burn diesel fuel (I never figured this one out since trucks deliver virtually everything they use).
.
Or the methed out chick that swears you're with the CIA and demands to know your serial number (her words), then waits until you go into a gas station to try and jump onto your truck to see what's inside and find the 'serial number, you're required to tell me'.... :sigh:

(c) People that don't think civilians should own "weapons of war" and be able to use them for whatever reason (I usually try to explain that we are getting our tax money back but some people would cry if you hung them with a new rope so go figure). :cookoo:
I bought my first M1009 that way.. Guy in portland, OR bought it for a veggie conversion then changed his mind.... Said he 'couldn't have it on his conscious that he owned a weapon of war'... then pulled out a piece of brass he found in the truck, and claimed he found a 'sniper bullet'..... He kept telling me he'd never sell it to a republican KKK NAZI and he never wanted it to look like it was in service and.. blah blah blah.. lol.... He dumped like $2500 into the truck, and sold it to me for $1500... because he only wanted what he paid for it, so his conscious would be clear.. AHAHAHAHAHAHA
 

Nomadic

Active member
337
79
28
Location
Nevada
My experience....

I picked up an M934 with 11k miles, 755 hours, and only 150 miles after an RRAD rebuild.... It had been sitting for 7 years.....

Dead batts, 1 flat tire, 1 dead headlight.

Brought batts to life, filled tire (held air), replaced headlights.

Replaced ALL fluids, then drove it from Ft. Bragg to Seattle, WA Via West Virginia.... 3100 miles or ~5km

In that time..... I had 1 tire failure (tube), air dryer clogged and had to bypass...

When I got back, I put another couple hundred miles on it..... I had an alternator key shaft snap and replaced the alternator....

I've put probably aboot (hahah) 5k miles total on my truck, and noticed a small fuel leak from the IP shaft, which is a 38 cent rubber o-ring....

So, other than fluids.... I've spent $100 on an alternator, $100 on a replacement tube/tire swap, $20 on line/adapters to bypass the air dryer....

ALL of these problems are related to age not miles... Bad O-ring, bad rubber tire tube, alternator shaft, air dryer, and now batts need replacing, etc....

I plan on completely redoing the air system (lines/fittings/valves/etc, adding a solar charger, and adding a battery switch to isolate or join the battery banks so if ONE battery goes bad it doesn't pull the other 3 down with it, basically isolating the batteries so I'll always have 2 good batteries regardless of the state of charge of the other bank....

My experience has been pretty decent..... Most stuff on them is old, and off the shelf, so fairly easy to find.
Sounds a lot like a success story. I'd love to have those results.

What does a RRAD rebuild include?
 

Alice

New member
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Location
Toronto Canada
Saw this one on the E site... "2003 AM GENERAL M934 MILITARY VAN TRUCK". Anyone buying that one? Looks REALLY nice.
pX
Nice it is. Reasonable price too (assuming it doesn't go much higher in price).
Ive been keeping my eye on it since the first time it appeared in a listing. Thank you for sharing! Im quite interested in it but there are also a few more i found, im not sure how the prices for these go. Ive seen some for 2,5k in ok condition and some 18k in excellent condition. I think about 7-10k is fair. I like that its in florida cause it would make a nice drive north for me but there is also a few in colorado.
 

Jbulach

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Just in case you didn't already know and matters to you, that truck was not made in 2003...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Mos68x

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Seligman,AZ
Just in case you didn't already know and matters to you, that truck was not made in 2003...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I didn't think so either, thanks for saying something, I got busy with something else and forgot. 2003 was the LMTV style. Don't quote me as I'm not 100% sure, but I think 92/93/94 was the last year they made the 5 ton style that I have (not including late rebuilds as I'm not sure when the DOD contracts were terminated).
 
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