m211 leak

[makeshiftrod]

Hello all, i have an m211 and i have been having this issue for a bit and can't seem to figure it out. at the bottom of the bell housing i have a plug hole, no plug just the hole and was wondering what that is for? second after the truck has run for a bit (10 min maybe) oil drains out that hole. i know it is not engine oil because the engine oil is always on point. so i know it is not a rear main. But the trans is always low. Now from what i have read, there should be a plug in the hole on the bell housing to catch the oil because it fills that section of the bell housing like a reservoir? Also someone told me today that it could be the trans cooler which is in the bell housing. now wouldn't the fluid that comes out be green (or what ever color you may have put in)? Now all of this info i have gotten has come from online tech manuals. Where could i purchase hard copies of the manuals for this truck? i hate needing a computer and i can't seem to find them at military show rallies. any help would be great, thanks all.

 

[NDT]

Black oil= rear main leak. Red oil= Transmission oil leak. Green antifreeze= OMG you have a real problem. The drain plug is not there to retain a bellhousing full of oil. The bellhousing should be dry. Trans oil could be coming from the torus housing or front pump seal.

 

[makeshiftrod]

why would the trans oil be red? i know atf and dextron would be red but i thought oil was also used in the trans( not sure off the top of my head but something along the lines of sae 30 or 90)?

 

[hendersond]

Somehwere someone said if you switch to ATF, you will gave smoother shifts. I have one with 10w and one with ATF. The ATF is thinner and tends to leak more.
Also, the transmission is unique. There is a gasket between the flywheel and the thing that holds the torus. I guess I would say it is very much like a 2 piece torque converter with the torus inside. I have one apart. I'll post some pics.

PS. Welcome!

 

[hendersond]

I guess that thing is the torus cover. It seals tight to the flywheel with a gasket and a bunch of bolts. 30 bolts actually. The torus is inside.
The bellhousing cover and plug also keeps water out during deep water crossings.
Tha manual tells you to take the bellhousing cover off, wash down the inside with a solvent and get it clean. Then get a piece of paper and tape it inside the bellhousing cover and re-install. run it 700 rpm for several minutes. Take it apart and inspect the paper. Look at the pattern and go from there. I think it is page 343 in the TM that tells you this.

 

[hendersond]

Ok here we go.

1. Flywheel
2. Bare trans
3. Torus cover
4. torus cover installed
5. Both torus halves installed
6. The first Torus half installed (pic out of order)
7. The torus halves, driving and driven.

Oops, I forgot the bellhousing. It should have been on the bare transmission. Remember the bellhousing is matched to the engine. If you ever swap a trans, use the bellhousing that came with the engine not the trans. If you don't see pic #1, she was too tight!

See pic 5. That is a new torus without the galling marks.

Any way, Do you see the gasket on the torus cover? there is also a small pipe plug on the torus cover, You can see it on pic 4 at 10 o'clock. Maybe you could be so lucky...
Hope this helps!
-Dan

 

[m1010plowboy]

[QUOTE Where could i purchase hard copies of the manuals for this truck? [/QUOTE]

Sounds like a nice solution testing leaking fluids with a bit of paper in the bell, paper towel could work as well. Rumor is that an ATF trani was taken apart and damage was observed on the clutches. We are treating our transmissions with sae non-detergent 10 winter 30 summer so if we have motor oil in the bell housing it could be from engine or trani.

Dipstick monitoring will help understand what's going on. Transmission check procedure is in gear running but get the procedure from the TM.

These engines can "make oil" when the fuel switch is on and no pistons are pounding so be sure that the crank-case is full of oil and not oil/ gas mixture. Most of the time the bell housing is holding oil from a rear engine seal but with these trucks.....there are few rules......

http://www.portrayal.com/ for your manuals........... Have a look at the bottom of the page here, http://www.militarytrucks.ca/ for a partial list.

Add the Bob Kettler Tech Tips pamphlet from a guy that knew these trucks well. If you phone Portrayal Press they know Steel Soldiers, my G749 M135, and are very helpful with correct manuals. Do you have photos?

Great pics Mr. Henderson, Thank you. Just glad we didn't see the ones of your rear end.

 

[makeshiftrod]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I will post pics in the next day or so. thanks again!!!

 

[cmpman]

Most likely the input seal for the transmission has gone.

The threaded hole was only plugged if you took the truck fording. You installed the plug before entering the water, and removed it after exiting the water.

As a mechanic in the Cdn military, I got a Sunday recovery call to repair a militia M220 deuce out in a training area outside the city. The driver's called in that they had lost a drainplug and were losing oil. By the time we got out there, they were nowhere to be found. On Monday morning, I found the driver at the armoury. He related that they got tired of waiting, and had whittled a drain plug out of a stick. Sure enough, there was the stick hanging off the bellhousing. On removing the stick, several quarts of oil came out. Upon starting the engine, a distinctive knock could be heard. Their field fix (in which they cured the symptom and not the problem) had resulted in the loss of an engine.

 

[makeshiftrod]

I know it is not the engine because it is always right on the full line and does not smell of gas or have that gas/ oil mix feel to it. So I am assuming it is the tranny oil. So my next question is, as long as I keep the trans full of the proper oil and do not let it get too low I should be able to drive it to my mechanic to repair the issue without causing more issues correct?
Once again thanks for all the info and i will be posting pics real soon for you all. thanks again!

 

[cmpman]

As long as you keep the transmission reasonably full, you should be OK.