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M35a2 Deuce NO START

Guyfang

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OK, then can only be air or fuel. Like Rusty posted, the compression should really blow your finger away from the port. I guess, if it were me, I would get a compression tester and test. Its the simplest thing to do next. If you cant get one, try going to a truck repair shop and getting one of the guys there to come do it for you after he gets off work. Will cost a little something but its the next EASY thing to test.
 

rustystud

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I am a generator guy, but engines are engines. So, to echo several other posts here. Be sure and check air intake.

I watched several guys work on a M35A3 for several days. No start. They did everything you did. Nothing. I went over and several hours later, found the air filter full of water and frozen solid. No air to engine.

I once worked on a gen set that would not start. 3-4 days. We did everything you did. No start. Then we discovered the hose between the filter and air intake had collapsed, but only the inner hose. The outer hose looked brand new due to the spring between the hoses kept it open. No air.

After you eliminate all possible reasons, whatever is left over has to be the cause. For all you know, a big bird made a nest in the air intake. Or some nice person stuck a hand full of rags in there. Easy to check, disconnect the air intake system at the manifold.
Hey Guy !
Having worked on Diesels that had set for years I've found the most common cause of "No Start" to be lack of compression. The cylinder walls loose all oil and the compression rings then "rust" to the walls. Even after you brake them free they are in a "compressed" mode and won't seal. This one engine had only sat for 6 years, so we figured it should still fire up. After spending a week trying to get it to fire we tore it down. The compression rings had rusted solid. So bad in fact we had to throw all the pistons away. From what "85J" has said, there doesn't appear to be any reason the injection pump is the problem. The truck was just parked and allowed to set without any "long term storage maintenance"
done.
 

rustystud

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If the injectors ARE squirting..You know what, If that was me..I would tow that truck to 2000 rpm and see what happened..my 1/2 pene'th
Yes. If you can just get that engine to fire on just two cylinders, the others ones will come around. Of course it will sound and smoke like the world is coming to an end ! I had a 1940 IHC bull dozer that would constantly rust up rings (Of course it sat for most of the year) and the first start-up of the year would take all day ! Once we got at least two cylinders to fire, the others would eventually free up and fire.
Then years later working at the transit agency we had this one V8 Detroit Diesel that had the same problem. It would smoke so bad the neighbors near by once called the fire department !
We did eventually did have to rebuild that engine.
 

ToddJK

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I wouldn't think it was the timing either if it just sat there. The air intake is completely open and the injectors are popping off. My only guess is like others said, the loss of compression as these engines soley depend on that to run using no spark or glow plugs.
If there's nothing that works, then there's either an engine swap or a rebuild in the future.
 

rustystud

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Put it back together and tow it along a nice deserted street and try and get it to run.
That has worked for me in the past. Cussing loudly really does help too !
The faster you can get that engine to spin the higher the chance you will have of it firing on at least a couple of cylinders. The compression created from the faster spinning engine will help push the rings against the cylinders, thus igniting the fuel. The problem here is finding a tow rig strong enough to tow the deuce fast enough. Also a good long straight stretch of road with no traffic.
We once got a friends truck to fire off using this technique. Of course it smoked so bad even weeks later that we ended up replacing the rings anyway. It did start though !
 

ldmack3

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No success yet. I did try soaking the cylinders with a 50/50 mix of ATF and Marvel Mystery Oil for a few days, adding a few ounces every other day. I'm not confident that the mixture did much of anything, because I also soaked an old carbon covered spark plug in the same mixture and it didn't seem to do much.
However, a mixture of ATF/MMO/acetone in equal parts seemed to clean the carbon off of a different spark plug very well.
After soaking the cylinder with the ATF/MMO I added heavy weight motor oil, put the injectors back in, buttoned everything up, cranked the truck, and... nothing.
Because I'm not confident with the test of the ATF/MMO I'm going to pull the injectors again and soak with probably PB Blaster for a couple days and then ATF/MMO/acetone mixture for a couple more days.
If any of you have suggestions on what to soak the cylinders with I'm all ears.
Also got a compression tester that I plan on adapting to a junk injector from a different truck, so I will be able to test before and after soaking.
Were you able to do the compression test?
 

85J

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Hey all, I stopped receiving emails for replies for this thread so I assumed no one else had replied. Guess I was wrong...

Haven't done the compression test yet because life had other plans. Going to stop by the hydraulic fittings shop tomorrow and get an adapter for my compression tester to a dummy injector. Hopefully I will be able to do the compression test tomorrow, soak rings with penetrating fluid for a few days (adding about 5oz each day), and then try to start on Monday.

As for the towing it at 2,000 RPM, I have a running/driving deuce and the correct tow bar. The process you guys were talking about would just consist of putting the dead truck in 1st or 2nd in low gear, letting the clutch out, and pulling the truck so that the wheels force the engine to spin at around 2,000 RPM, correct?
 
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