Is it true of all the slews of bugs that the deuce has?

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Hey everyone I'm back, sorry to ask so many questions but for that know and others that don't know I'm looking for a deuce and my father did more reading on steel soldiers himself and he read from a couple people that you have to change axle seals every so many thousands of miles. Is that really true or is just a myth? And other things like brakes pinion shafts etc... Is all that true? because I am really up in the air for right now about purchasing a deuce due to people saying about all their problems they're known for. And if so is or are any of these things true? Thanks guys.

 

[Karl kostman]

I am going to say NOT TRUE! I have owned a number of deuces over the years and this is how I handle a new to me Deuce. Get the TMs and maintenance TMs in your hands. Take the truck for a drive, listen, feel how the RPMs come up feel the clutch and how the transmission shifts, listen for grinding noises or noises that just dont belong. If things seem good then open the Lube order part of your TMs and start from the back and work your way forward. I change every lubricant in the truck including diffs, transfer case, engine everything there is. Fuel filters, do all three of them. Jack up each axle and spin the tires by hand and again listen and feel for roughness in the bearings and look on the inside of the tires for signs of leakage, it will be gear lube, if there is look further in the TMs because you may have a plugged vent on the diff. I also change out the coolant to a new batch. My goal is to establish a maintenance baseline for the truck , when your done with all this you know EXACTLY where you are at with the condition of your new truck!
There is scheduled maintenance in the TMs for your truck look that over and I am certainly NOT saying that your need to do everything it says but it reminds us to look at this stuff once in awhile and in most cases just being aware of the the trucks needs is the important part. As you get used to the truck you will also get to know what needs to be taken care of and what things your can get to when you have time. The Deuces a very good reliable trucks that under normal use require a bit on maintenance but they are not problematic in any way that I have ever discovered! God buy a good Deuce and enjoy it.
Good luck!

 

[Captaincarrier]

My deuce was flawless during the time I had it. Normal battery replacement but flawless!

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks for all the knowledge karl, I'm glad to hear your experience with the Deuce's and maybe whoever dad read about their story with their deuce was just that particular deuce, every deuce has its own story and different treatments during it's life on the bases. But I just wanted to be sure about all that cause I'm just a 21 year old guy just wanting a deuce since my father owns a CUCV and he rubbed the military truck fever on to me also . Whatever deuce I get will be primarily a trail truck for the swamps down here in Florida and any excuse to haul something in the bed of it or pulling something. But I really appreciate your tips and knowledge on your experiences with your fleet of Deuce's from over the years.
Mike

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks for your experience captain, I understand if it was a particular one that had a slew of bugs but I understand these trucks are older and stuff will wear out and need some repairs and such. But like karl was saying it's always good to have a routine check on everything to make sure everything is normal. But sounds like I'm gonna be getting a deuce. Thanks captain
Mike

 

[98G]

Trail truck in the swamps will likely require additional maintenance. Hubs and axle seals.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks again 98, I won't be taking it through severe stuff like submerging it all the way to the motor and not gonna be revving the snot out of it. Just for cruising, woods truck, an occasional job. And just neat to have. Thanks for the tips.

 

[98G]

Almost any newly acquired truck is going to need you to go through it. Brakes in particular deserve a good hard look.

There's a bunch of stuff that may need attention up front. But once you've completed this initial service, you're unlikely to put enough miles on it to need to do anything regularly other than inspect and lube.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks again 98, yeah I understand these trucks are older and stuff starts to go out and such, but sounds like overall these really ain't bad. Just trying to get all the knowledge I can on these so I'll know what to look for and listen to on them whenever the time comes for me to go look at one and test drive it. I've heard they just are natural leakers too.

 

[V8srfun]

The important thing is to realize you are buying a used medium duty service truck that has been worked hard it’s whole life. There is going to be deferred maintenance that will need to be done but the extent depends on what you expect from the truck. Brakes, tires, axle boots, axle seals, trunions, and fluids should not be ignored if you are planning on driving on the street.
The problem is that these trucks will just keep running even when they shouldn’t be so people that are unaware can easily get in a bad situation. If my truck was a (farm truck) that never saw public roads I would only fix things when they broke. But my truck primarily is used as a delivery truck for anything I buy that will not fit in a car. So I am very particular about the safety items as I don’t want to be that guy in a truck that is already seen as obnoxious in many peoples eyes.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks V8, a thing I want to ask you is how much of a pain is it replacing the seals when the time comes? Just curious cause I want to be prepared for whenever I have to along with the brakes. I honestly will drive mine at the most twice a week. But so far sounds like these Deuce's are not bad like a handful make out to be. Thanks for your input V8.
Mike

 

[NDT]

The one bug the multifuel trucks have is a tendency to throw rods. No rhyme or reason why.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Never heard about them throwing rods, thought the motor before the LTD 465 was the problematic motor

 

[NDT]

Never heard about them throwing rods, thought the motor before the LTD 465 was the problematic motor

That motor LDS427 had head gasket problems.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Sounds like a gamble buying one due to the risk of throwing a rod and destroying the motor

 

[DaneGer21]

I bought a neglected deuce knowing it was neglected. But, part of what I enjoy is wrenching on it just as much as driving it. It was cheap and that’s what drew me in. Some parts aren’t cheap, others are. I have no rush, and chipping away at them slowly.

In my opinion, once I got mine on the road, anything else can be fixed as needed or when I get to the next in line.

I don’t plan on mine ever being “perfect”, but it will get better.

This comes down to the person. For me, it’s a blast and I love the ruggedness of it, fixing it, etc, where as my Dad wouldn’t have bought anything but perfect, and it would probably sit in a garage 99/100 days lol

 

[G744]

All MV's have a degree of quirkiness, depending on the model. The G742 series (M35 et al) has been around a long time, one of the longest serving trucks since 1951 in TACOM. They were upgraded several times in their lifetimes: engines, transfer cases, braking systems.

I'd say at least 80% of deuce problems stem from owners/users don't know the proper maintenance procedures and why they were designed that way, so invariably try and fix them like civvy rigs.

The deuce was custom designed for one purpose: A very reliable, simple, and robust mid-level off-road platform available in many different configurations for our modern military.

Speaking of bugs, they have far less than CUCV's overall.

DG

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks G7, that's true what you said tho about all them having their own problems, so I guess not to worry about it throwing a rod? Sorry G7 and others that may read and enter this thread, just worry about stuff like that.

 

[V8srfun]

The axle seals and boots are not bad as long as you have the time. It is not a hard job in the sense that it is not technical but it is labor intensive and heavy. I jacked my truck up and picked away at it one wheel at a time until it was done.
I don’t want to get in to the engine reliability to much but to say most of the trucks that threw rods had the fuel turned up. If you have your injection pump set as per the manual the engine will last as long as you have the truck.

 

[CUCV MANIAC M1028]

Thanks again V8, I was gonna say you still see Deuce's here and there and I never really hear anything about rods flying very often, like you said turned up injection pumps and another is over revving them Ive heard these motors like to stay around 2k at tops. Yeah sorry V8 I hate to admit it but I'm a pessimist about certain things especially when it comes to my vehicles. But sounds like it's all about how you treat it/user error causes It .