Gama Goat owner err herder

[patracy]

What was wrong with your rear axle? Was it locked?

 

[Joe Gamma]

It actually thumped in 6 wheel drive...When the guy who restored put the rear up you could tell somthing was off with the rear wheels when they spun. He drainedthe rear dif and it was rust and water..replaced the rear and it went away. Some have said that the positoin of the rear Dif vent tube leads to water dripping into it from the trailer when it collects water.

Joe

 

[Militoy]

...I really wanted to get this thing back into shape so I could try to swim it a time or two...

I have to admit I have given into temptation and swam mine across a local lake a couple of times. I cinched up an empty, sealed 55g steel drum onto the front to offset the weight of the winch. I found that the extreme maintenance needed after each swim was way more than the pucker factor of swimming in deep water was worth. I do have 6 real nice green mil spec life vests now, though!

 

[Militoy]

It actually thumped in 6 wheel drive...When the guy who restored put the rear up you could tell somthing was off with the rear wheels when they spun. He drainedthe rear dif and it was rust and water..replaced the rear and it went away. Some have said that the positoin of the rear Dif vent tube leads to water dripping into it from the trailer when it collects water.

Joe

There are several points on the Goat that naturally collect water - but I've never heard of a diff vent pulling in H20 unless it had been submerged in deep water. Locking and thumping of the diff is usually a broken ring gear - I've gone through that routine with my front diff after having overstressed it yanking out a blazer that was buried deep in sand in a flash flood. We got onto the front page of the local paper with that recovery - but went home on the back of a flatbed tow truck

 

[patracy]

Got the driveshaft loose, it's the rear diff. I knew the Marvin said the diffs were empty. Front two only had a few drops of oil come out. But the rear poured out about two quarts of muddy water and two shot glasses of mud. Monday I'll hoist the rear in the air with my wrecker and start taking the diff out.

 

[Gamagoat1]

The vent for the rear diff is in the void space at the front of the carrier. If you remove the panel that holds the "Push to Stop" button you can see if there has been water in there. Pretty doubtful if that is where it came from unless it remained submerged. The most likely place for water intrusion is the seals on the diff. If the vent is plugged and the diff is hot when you enter the water the contraction of the gasses in the diff will suck water in at any weak point. I am getting one ready now that had 1 1/2 gallons of acidic oil and water in the rear diff. We think it sat for some time in a flooded area. The vent was plugged solid.
Always check those vents!!

 

[patracy]

How'd you fix it? Replacement?

I thought about mixing some home brew penetrating oil (ATF, Acetone, Diesel fuel, and some PB blaster) and letting it soak for a little while to see if it frees up.

 

[Gamagoat1]

I removed the vent end and soaked it, it cleared with air.
The diff was replaced....

 

[cranetruck]

Congrats on your Goat! If my 8x8 deal had not worked out, there would be one sitting in my driveway now (Chris and I shared one 5 years ago).

 

[cranetruck]

Several notes from PS magazine that may pertain to your brake work.
Merry Christmas.

 

[patracy]

I managed to whip up a concoction today. ATF + DOT 3 + Injector cleaner + Mineral Spirts + Diesel fuel + Denatured alcohol. I climbed under the goat again and found a bunch of mud in the bottom of the differential. I scooped what clumps I could out with my finger. Then I used the garden hose to wash until nothing but clear water came back out. I reinstalled the drain plug and removed the fill plug and pumped the mixture into the housing. I jacked up the rear carrier until both wheels were off the ground. Surprisingly I was able to get it to start moving just after that. It's still not good sounding, I'm going to let it sit till tomorrow and try spinning it over again. But it actually spins now. Almost to the point where it will keep spinning for a little time afterwards. I need to fill the front and middle axles with gear oil as well. I also want to check the steering box as well. If I can get things to move freely, I might try moving it around a little (very slowly) to see what noises I hear.

 

[papabear]

Holy concoction Batman!!!

I managed to whip up a concoction today. ATF + DOT 3 + Injector cleaner + Mineral Spirts + Diesel fuel + Denatured alcohol. I climbed under the goat again and found a bunch of mud in the bottom of the differential. I scooped what clumps I could out with my finger. Then I used the garden hose to wash until nothing but clear water came back out. I reinstalled the drain plug and removed the fill plug and pumped the mixture into the housing. I jacked up the rear carrier until both wheels were off the ground. Surprisingly I was able to get it to start moving just after that. It's still not good sounding, I'm going to let it sit till tomorrow and try spinning it over again. But it actually spins now. Almost to the point where it will keep spinning for a little time afterwards. I need to fill the front and middle axles with gear oil as well. I also want to check the steering box as well. If I can get things to move freely, I might try moving it around a little (very slowly) to see what noises I hear.

I'm not a chemist (legally anyhoo), but there just HAS to be sumpin wrong with that conoction!!!

Did it smoke or bubble or anything??

Seriously though, super glad you made some good progress.

(I'm also glad it's gone from the compound...in case sumpin else shows up ya know)

 

[Militoy]

I managed to whip up a concoction today. ATF + DOT 3 + Injector cleaner + Mineral Spirts + Diesel fuel + Denatured alcohol. I climbed under the goat again and found a bunch of mud in the bottom of the differential. I scooped what clumps I could out with my finger. Then I used the garden hose to wash until nothing but clear water came back out. I reinstalled the drain plug and removed the fill plug and pumped the mixture into the housing. I jacked up the rear carrier until both wheels were off the ground. Surprisingly I was able to get it to start moving just after that. It's still not good sounding, I'm going to let it sit till tomorrow and try spinning it over again. But it actually spins now. Almost to the point where it will keep spinning for a little time afterwards. I need to fill the front and middle axles with gear oil as well. I also want to check the steering box as well. If I can get things to move freely, I might try moving it around a little (very slowly) to see what noises I hear.

Sounds like "good work" to me - but I would probably pull the diff and open it up to see if it can be brought back up to driveable condition. BTW - there are 2 steering boxes to check out. In my own experience, the front box causes the most trouble since rainwater and condensation is routed right onto an iffy seal on the top of the box in everyday use. Almost every Goat owner I have spoken to has had to eventually swap out the front steering box because of water damage. My own has been modified to prevent water ingress. We drilled and tapped a fresh steering box on the bottom to accept a zerk fitting - then pumped the box full of Mystik JT-6 anti-hygroscopic grease. When I run through the lube order, I add Mystik to the steering box until I can see some push past the top seal. No problems with rain or deep water fording since the mod.

 

[patracy]

I'm probably going to head down and pick up another rear end. But since this thing actually rolls now freely again. I'm going to "waste" a little bit of oil on it to see how it performs. I'm going to leave the concoction in it for a little while. The ATF and other chemicals will help remove rust and clean things. If it sounds ok, I'll drain it and buy some cheap motor oil to refill it. Then drop that oil for gear oil. Can't hurt to try.

The front steering box does concern me. It was very tough to steer at first. But there was a total flat tire on the front, and a rear was low. I'm sure steering in these are just like a deuce, best done while moving. There was some noise in the steering as well. I need to buy some more grease for the grease gun. I had planned on running marine grease in this anyhow. The zerk fitting on the box sounds like a good idea as well.

 

[patracy]

I'm not a chemist (legally anyhoo), but there just HAS to be sumpin wrong with that conoction!!!

Did it smoke or bubble or anything??

Seriously though, super glad you made some good progress.

(I'm also glad it's gone from the compound...in case sumpin else shows up ya know)

ATF (Well Dex III that I used) is a synthenic based oil with corrosion inhibitors and detergents.

Mineral spirits is another paraffin derived liquid. Just a solvent in the mix.

DOT 3 is a gylcol based liquid. I didn't use very much of this. It's main purpose in the mix was to help pull the moisture left in the housing out due to it's hygroscopic nature.

The injector cleaner (Seafoam in this case) is comprised of four parts diesel fuel, two parts naphtha, and one part isopropyl alcohol. I used this mainly because I didn't have any naphtha around. The diesel fuel is just a carrier for all of this. (Well beside it's own lubricating and penetrating qualities) The naphta is yet another petroleum distillate. A very light one at that. This helps thin the mixture. The IPA is also there to help assist with moisture wicking.

As mentioned before, the diesel fuel is just a carrier really for all of this to help increase volume.

I know it sounded like I was just pouring a bunch of stuff together, but there actually is a method behind the madness.

 

[Militoy]

As an engineer working exclusively on military systems for the past 35+ years, I actually got quite a kick out of your custom solvent blend. I often combine solvents when working on antique hit-and-miss engines - and Marvel Mystery Oil / Coca Cola wouldn't be an unusual blend to consider. Keep in mind though that the DOT-3 brake fluid you used doesn't belong in the actual brake system of the Gama Goat - the waterproof brake system of the M561/M792 requires DOT-5 silicone brake fluid.

 

[patracy]

I'd place DOT 3 in other MV's after a complete flush. But due to the nature of a goat, it will only see DOT 5. Course the only MV I had with DOT 3 was my M1009.

 

[cranetruck]

I'd place DOT 3 in other MV's after a complete flush. But due to the nature of a goat, it will only see DOT 5. Course the only MV I had with DOT 3 was my M1009.

The Goat was designed for using DOT 3 (glycol based HB fluid). The changeover to silicone (BSF) took place in 1980-81, so if you want to use DOT 3, it should not be a problem.
I have always used DOT 3 in my deuce.

 

[popacom]

goat pieces / parts

Thought I should toss my hat in the ring on this one.
I have had several goats and I de-milled over 30 over the years
for parts. I had 7-8 extra carriers but in the past few years
room for storage( and the cost there of) brought me to scrap
down all but 2. which I saved every last usable small part worth
reclaiming put on the shelf. So if you want to hit me up feel free
always willing to help others with like addiction((Goat fever)
Good luck with yer new toy......hope I can help if asked.
Thanks!!!! popacom / Bill in Ky. ph# 859-808-0836

 

[patracy]

The goat is no longer dragging is arse!

Much smoother moving it around now instead of having to rev and slip the clutch to get it going. I need to replace every single brake hose on this thing. Also need a MC as well. Almost every hose is gone, or rotten on it. I believe there's two hoses for each wheel, one being a vent. Are these AN style fittings? Or does anyone know of a place to get surplus NOS hoses? Also I've got to replace the oil and fuel filter as both base gaskets leak. There's also a sensor or something leaking at the base of the engine that fuel runs through. Maybe it's just an o-ring?