Lmtv m1078 questions.

[Kswiney]

I am really interested in getting a m1078. What are some common problems/issues with these? I have no experience with them and just looking for some info. Thanks in advance.

 

[mkcoen]

Electrical issues are common. Either be a Ninja with a multimeter or make friends with someone that is. Common maintenance on everything else is fairly straightforward. There have been a number of issues with military mechanics swapping airlines to the wrong valves so something to be aware of and check.

Here's a link to my work thread: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?152882-Working-on-the-M1078-LMTV

 

[Kswiney]

How reliable are they? Honestly thinking about using one for our business as a daily driver.

 

[coachgeo]

How reliable are they? Honestly thinking about using one for our business as a daily driver.

Keep in mind your looking at 7ish MPG and top speed 53MPH ... more happy at 50ish unless you change center section of the axles. Center section upgrade gives you little faster speeds. Some report it not much help with MPG others say more MPG. Might be driving differences though. (City vs Hwy vs Weight of foot etc. )

 

[tburk49760]

I drive mine a lot. At least 125 miles a week. Everyone's experience will vary. Mine has been around 10 mpg. Cruising around 60 mph with a regear. Very reliable so far. A few minor issues but nothing major. Currently some small engine oil leaks to resolve. I think tire wear is going to be my biggest concern...

 

[coachgeo]

I drive mine a lot. At least 125 miles a week. ..... I think tire wear is going to be my biggest concern...

That sparks a potential interesting conversation. Wonder if folk like yourself who do that much driving; or more, would be better off with a second full set of big rig highway tires and matching 22" rims? Feel free to PM or start new thread.... don't want to hijack this fellows thread.

 

[Suprman]

The lmtv is about as daily driveable as a large military truck gets. Lots of people daily drive humvees and cucvs. If I had a farm I needed to drive around every day I could see using a lmtv. Bed is high. Intended for palletized cargo to be machine loaded and unloaded. Ride is comfortable and the cab has good heat. Not too loud in the cab. Loads of pulling power especially in low range.

 

[sargentwolf]

Basic hand tools is about all you need to keep these Behemoth trucks running. Metric sockets and wrenches are your friend. Watch for cab floor rot (leaking turret cover), run ATF in the transmission. All fluids are just normal fluids but in much great amounts then normal. Its quite normal to clean out a Rural King or NAPA of fluids to just change the oil...

I drive my Behemoth almost daily around STL. Lots of fun, handles great. Slow off the line and on the highway, but it can MOVE on the side streets. Kinda blows peoples minds when they get passed by the beast. Be ready for double takes and people's jaws on the ground.

I get into a different frame of mind when driving something this big and slow. You see things you usually wiz past, found a new fave lunch spot because of the truck.

 

[Suprman]

I have heard that "slow off the line" from alot of people. My 1994 1078 takes right off from a stop, the turbo spools real fast. The 25-57mph isnt super fast but its pretty quick in military truck terms.

 

[sargentwolf]

Yeah, but from a dead stop, its slow. Your right, spools up fast and starts moving once it gets out of the first few gears.

 

[Suprman]

Mine spools right away. I can mash the gas and put you back in the seat.

 

[sargentwolf]

Really? Huh, mine takes a good 5-10 seconds to spool fully. Wonder if its the throttle cable, need to adjust that anyways...

 

[Suprman]

Thats a long time. Sometimes you can just bend the gas pedal straight and get more throttle. Did you change both fuel filters?

 

[sargentwolf]

Yes, one of the first things I did.

 

[Suprman]

Without a tach its hard to tell what your engine is revving to. I believe all the lmtv cats are governed to 2600 rpms. The 8.3 cummins I know how to tweak. I dont know anything about cat motors.

 

[sargentwolf]

I have a winch truck, so next run I'll take notes of rpms

 

[TNriverjet]

For the OP, there is tons of good reading here in this FMTV forum section. I would suggest spending some time reading through Mark's "working on" thread linked on page one of this thread. There is a lot of good information there. I also just started one and there are a few others. Door handles, window cranks, electronics/fuses, CTIS, fan clutch, planetary geared hubs, fluid changes, driveline slop, tire failures, lighting, seating, lubrication order, etc. All covered in multiple threads with comments and photo tutorials on how to remedy. You know... just fun weekend tinkering for most all here.

Also, all the technical manuals are available in the TM section when you first log in to SS. You will hear this repeated, but read, read, read. There are thousands of pages of PDF documents on this vehicle alone. Make sure your PDF viewer has a text searching function and learn how to use it! It will save you countless hours of scanning the TM's. It's amazing how quickly you can find something in the TM via text search. On my Macbook, each page with the searched term comes up as a clickable icon in the left margin. I can click through 1,500 pages of TM seeing only the pages addressing my search term... priceless!

Carry on.

 

[Kswiney]

Thank you all for the great info. I have been looking over the TM's for a while was just curious about everyone's personal experiences. I have to say this is a great group and I feel privileged to be a part of it. I bid on my first m1078 tonight we will see how it goes.

 

[sargentwolf]

Ohhh good luck! Hope you win!

 

[texfireman]

M1083

we just got this M1083 for a brush truck it is very slow on take off but once it winds up its great but not good in the bush starting off . changed fuel filters and air filters , any Idea's ?