LMTV M1078 Transmission oil confusion...please help!

[alwayskaos]

So I just received my M1078 from a DRMO in Hawaii, and all of the vehicles they sell are completely drained of fluid. I flew out there and temporarily got all the fluid up for shipment. My question is, Ive read the procedure to change the fluids, and even watched an informative video. The dipstick shows full, but when I removed the drain plug from the transfer case, only about 3-4 quarts came out. Im scratching my head because the video I watched showed many gallons draining. The dipstick still shows full. Any information would be greatly appreciated

 

[simp5782]

So I just received my M1078 from a DRMO in Hawaii, and all of the vehicles they sell are completely drained of fluid. I flew out there and temporarily got all the fluid up for shipment. My question is, Ive read the procedure to change the fluids, and even watched an informative video. The dipstick shows full, but when I removed the drain plug from the transfer case, only about 3-4 quarts came out. Im scratching my head because the video I watched showed many gallons draining. The dipstick still shows full. Any information would be greatly appreciated

Cause you didn't remove the correct plug.

 

[Keith Knight]

“Alert” there are Two drain plugs!!! Don’t make my mistake, my LMTV also came drained of fluids they also felt it necessary to throw the drain plugs away. Any how I decided to change from motor oil to ATF not knowing there are two drain plugs and I filled mine with ATF and it drove great for about 100 miles then my transmission stopped working…long story short I had to replace the transmission, NOT a fun job.

 

[alwayskaos]

That sounds logical, but it is the first plug to remove, and there is only one, at the lowest point bottom of the transfer case.

 

[Keith Knight]

One is on the transfer case and one is on the transmission even though they share fluids.

 

[alwayskaos]

Thanks Kieth!
All the plugs in mine are installed. The video I watched, clearly showed removing the transfer case bottom plug, and many gallons draining.

 

[Keith Knight]

here is the transmission drain plug location.

 

[alwayskaos]

Thanks. I removed the transfer case first and was surprised at the limited amount of oil that drained. Being such a big cavity and much lower, I assumed more would drain. The video showed a full 5 gallon pail almost filed in real time.

 

[Keith Knight]

There is a lot but they probably only drained the transfer case.

 

[Ronmar]

Yep, the transfer case on most vehicles is an entirely separate animal. On this beast, that is only partially true. The transfer gets fluid fed to it thru the transmission output housing, and they use a scavenger pump on the passenger side pto location on the transmission that pumps fluid back from the transfer thru that hose that connects the two. This keeps the transfer case at a stable level, but they have 2 distinctly separate sumps. As shown, the main transmission has a sump drain on the side of it’s sump casing and the transfer has it’s own drain plug…

 

[BERZERKER888]

The TMs have a lot of info and are located at:

M1078 TM's

Listed below are a number of the TM's for the M1078 trucks. To save them to your computer, right click, select "save as" m1078_TM 9-2320-365-10.pdf TM 9-2320-365-10 for the M1078 series trucks. m1078_TM 9-2320-365-20-1.pdf TM 9-2320-365-20-1 for the M1078 series trucks. m1078_TM...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Keith Knight]

That’s great for the A0 trucks but not so good for the A1 trucks.

 

[BERZERKER888]

That’s great for the A0 trucks but not so good for the A1 trucks.

thats true... it's my understanding that those who own A1s are SOL when it comes to TMs...

 

[Ronmar]

Yea but in nearly every instance they use the same basic hardware and are serviced in the same way, so even if you have an A1, read the A0 manuals… the biggest difference is electrical, but even there there are a lot of similarities…

 

[m-35tom]

The truck has to be running to check the fluid. One level is automatically set and the other is by dipstick.

 

[alwayskaos]

I have the manual, and have followed it. The manual does not say the quantity within the transfer case. The dipstick showed full, but after draining all of the oil from all locations, I only had about 5 gallons. This is only about half of what it should have. The rear driveshaft is missing, but I don't know how that would matter. Either way, I'll fill it and stop thinking about it. If it shows full, it's full. Thanks again everyone!

 

[simp5782]

I have the manual, and have followed it. The manual does not say the quantity within the transfer case. The dipstick showed full, but after draining all of the oil from all locations, I only had about 5 gallons. This is only about half of what it should have. The rear driveshaft is missing, but I don't know how that would matter. Either way, I'll fill it and stop thinking about it. If it shows full, it's full. Thanks again everyone!

Only holds 7.5gallons total. The torque converter is still full of fluid. This is why there are multiple drains and refills to transfer from motor oil to atf.

 

[Ronmar]

In addition to the torque conv, There is also oil in the cooler and lines. As mentioned takes a few drain/fill/run cycles to purge most of the old oil, that or a complete disassembly and teardown

 

[GTUnit]

“Alert” there are Two drain plugs!!! Don’t make my mistake, my LMTV also came drained of fluids they also felt it necessary to throw the drain plugs away. Any how I decided to change from motor oil to ATF not knowing there are two drain plugs and I filled mine with ATF and it drove great for about 100 miles then my transmission stopped working…long story short I had to replace the transmission, NOT a fun job.

Why did your tranny die?

 

[Keith Knight]

I’m guessing because it had a high mixture of original engine oil and ATF and it didn’t like like.