FMTV starter issues

[Army Ed]

Hey guys its been a long while since i last logged in here.I have a simple question to ask,we have had this issue with idk,maybe 15 mtv cargo trucks and its re occuring.You can have full juice,good relays,and try to start it and all it does is click,this even happen to a truck we pickup from our DS level shop.They had replaced the starter on one.I brought it back,sat for about a week and BAM nothing..just clicks,not sure if any of you have run into this problem.

Thanks

 

[dk8019]

I wish I had some experience with the FMTVs. Sounds like you need the F7 codes them and let them trickle down to GL for all of us to fight over!!

 

[73m819]

look for a bad or LOOSE grounds

 

[Westech]

yeah it happens to a lot of my trucks too. Really dont know what it is.. its not the starters. I would guess the switch or if there is a relay in there that its not getting a good ground. but its not the starter itself. when it happens all I do is flip the power on and off a couple times and smash the dash with my Kevlar and most of the time it works.

 

[73m819]

could be the motor control box if it has one like the 809 series, still think its bad gounds and most likly the same bad ground spot on ALL the non starting trucks

 

[emmado22]

go to www.themotorpool.org and ask there, you'll get a ton of good info on it.

 

[73m819]

does the starter solenoid click when first engaged, if so there is a good chance that the solenoid contract disks are BURNT, some times the disks stick because of crud and don't rotate thus making contract in one spot and causeing them to burn and no longer make contract or little contract and burning worse

 

[emr]

Is this an active unit asking on steel Soldiers? If so u need to go back to school. Sorry But I would be embarresed, if it is a hobbiest who owns a bunch of these i am sorry for the confusion...Randy

 

[Westech]

wow Emr who pissed in your coffee today. Are you in the Army currently? If so you would know that Most of the shops are bare bones and don't have much to work with. He is asking a question that has stumped my unit as well. The FMTV's are a pile of crap and nothing like a Deuce or Jeep. They have severe electrail problems and its not like a OBDII system. Man take a pill. If you have nothing good to say please dont say anything at all.

 

[Army Ed]

thanks for the back up...lol...Im am in the service and i am a mechanic and wrecker operator but the issue is the diagnostic box they give us is junk(mds).This is one of the problems that is starting to spread like wildfire throughout New England with these [ieces of junk.Power up it goes through all of its functions,i went ahead and checked the relays,nothing...tried with a boost pack..nothing...tried giving the starter some love(TAP WITH A HAMMER) nothing....yet if it sits indoors,or it gets warm..bam,starts up like there was never an issue...we have probably 8 at our shop right now doing this with a couple dozen more at our ECS shop....was hoping one of you heard,saw,or have seen it and found the issue.

 

[NDT]

Is this an active unit asking on steel Soldiers? If so u need to go back to school. Sorry But I would be embarresed, if it is a hobbiest who owns a bunch of these i am sorry for the confusion...Randy

Whoa!! I think it would be beyond cool if the active army started using Steel Soldiers as a reference info/idea exchange site!!! Don't discourage it!

 

[Nonotagain]

thanks for the back up...lol...Im am in the service and i am a mechanic and wrecker operator but the issue is the diagnostic box they give us is junk(mds).This is one of the problems that is starting to spread like wildfire throughout New England with these [ieces of junk.Power up it goes through all of its functions,i went ahead and checked the relays,nothing...tried with a boost pack..nothing...tried giving the starter some love(TAP WITH A HAMMER) nothing....yet if it sits indoors,or it gets warm..bam,starts up like there was never an issue...we have probably 8 at our shop right now doing this with a couple dozen more at our ECS shop....was hoping one of you heard,saw,or have seen it and found the issue.

If you have acces to a clamp on amp probe, place it around the battery cable as close to the starter as possible and have someone attempt starting the vehicle. Depending on the cold crank amps of your batteries you should have close to 2000 amps available.

If you get less than 500 amps (this would be extremely low) you probably have a bad set of cables. You should be able to check current at various locations along the cables to find where the current drops off and replace the cable or clean the connection.

Try jumping the starter with direct current verses they system supplied current and see if the starter will engage.

That's my .02 cents worth.

 

[73m819]

still sounds like a bad ground. though could be as simple as the cold causing condensation, in a relay, making it stick open (example the oil pressure switch relay that keeps you from trying to start the truck if it already running) the heat dries it out ,could also be getting a false (as has pressure) oil pressure COLD, this will keep it from starting.

sometimes stuff that a rocket scientist designs cant be fixed the the said scientist, but by the guy that does not know what a rocket is

 

[73m819]

can i PLEASSE bring a truck to my place, i promise that i will take care of it and find the problem, all at no charge to the U.S. ARMY, this is a GREAT deal, i would not be slow on acting on the offer.

 

[73m819]

try DISCONNECTING the oil pressure sender at the block, from the wire, this will tell the anti start while running relay, that it is not running no matter if there is a stuck pressure sender or not, the oil pressure sending unit could be holding or sensing a bit of pressure when cold

 

[emmado22]

Go over to themotorpool.org. They have TACOM LARs on there who will be able to help you.

 

[emr]

wow Emr who pissed in your coffee today. Are you in the Army currently? If so you would know that Most of the shops are bare bones and don't have much to work with. He is asking a question that has stumped my unit as well. The FMTV's are a pile of crap and nothing like a Deuce or Jeep. They have severe electrail problems and its not like a OBDII system. Man take a pill. If you have nothing good to say please dont say anything at all.

No but I realize it sounded worse on a type , sorry, but I guess I was just surprised, I am active in many ways with the 2 units here,and am on site alot, and have had many talks with techs and such, Because i see alot of good things about these trucks and alot do not, But I could see one of my Best friends First Sgt John finding out someone did such a thing, and started to laugh, But for real, A number of months ago, I was just going over somethings guys said here, and it was at break and there were 25 mechanics in the breakroom , I said so who hates the FMTV's , all the ol' timers said they stink, A couple of younger guys laughed and said, actually randy they are easy to work on, Thats why they leave em for us ...and they laughed, some find them difficult but not all, that much i know is true. and I will just add what My Other good buddy who drove one of my deuces into NYC for the parade, said at the end of the day when we got back to my shop, he was like:OH MY GOD !" I am so glad we don;t have these things anymore, he is an Ol' timer, they are fully outfitted with FMTV's and Hemmits, now the new zero mile ones just coming back all with flat racks, i did not mean it to sound mean, So i truly appoligise, I was just in shock, I have been at the facility here for about 12 years, and personally know all, When the Big shots show up, and I come in they say Hi randy to me also, I had the only Woman general in NJ Fly in to talk to Me about things we do for them once, i made sure i had club shirts for Her whole Family the correct sizes and I do my homework, So i have a good idea what would be said if they could not fix it and someone went "outside", i would find it actually impossible that they could not fix it actualy, So i am sorry to offend, that i did not mean to do, but also I do feel that way but in humor only ,and should have been more tachful for sure, please accept ..Thanks Randy

 

[emr]

Whoa!! I think it would be beyond cool if the active army started using Steel Soldiers as a reference info/idea exchange site!!! Don't discourage it!

Thanks for not taking it as serious as it sounded to some...And giving it some levity...I appreciate that...

 

[Army Ed]

no problem here....its not just me,we have our above level maintenance all confused now as well.....had 2 more between us and them happen today too...lol...then the third i looked at was something completely different.Start up the old girl,run great for about 5 seconds.....shut down,loose all power then immediately jump back on..then the fourth after coming in for just batteries as we went to pull it out of the shop,jumped into neutral....weird,so the control became unresponsive,shut it down ..put it in drive to pull it back in...3 seconds later,jumps into N and unresponsive to anything but a power down....i think the New England cold is gettin to em...lol...mean while i jump in the HEMMT and it starts immediatly..i LOVE those things..

 

[southdave]

maybe it some commie plot, relays manufactured offshore are cheaper than Muit. Wahead Re-entry vehi. lol