m35a3 engine colors

[abh3]

Maybe one is Regular and the other Light with fewer calories but the same great taste...

 

[CobraCDR]

 

[olly hondro]

Worked at the Motor Pool, huh ? Ya mean Engine Pool ?

 

[sigo]

I had always understood that green engines were original and yellow were replacements. I know when I was a motor officer (XO) replacement engines would usually be rebuilds, not new.

However... sometimes when unit level maintenance determined that an engine needed replacement, it was sent to direct support maintenance and no replacement engine was available. In that case a NEW engine was ordered to replace the worn out engine. The new one was off the factory line sitting in a warehouse waiting to fill the gap when no rebuilds were available. We always liked when new engines showed up as some of the rebuilds wouldnt last as long.

Back to the topic. My understanding was that the yellow engines were factory replacements to be used when rebuilds weren't available. In the past, Army rebuilds were not factory rebuilds, but depot level rebuilds of engines that were already in the Army supply system. Some items may get rebuilt at the factory, but most systems get rebuilt at an Army depot. As we have often witnessed in the MV hobby, and more often in the Army, depot level rebuilds sometimes are not quite to standard, and rarely are returned to the line like factory new.

So, when a replacement engine was ordered, a rebuilt engine would be sent to replace the broken engine. In return, the broken engine would be sent to a depot to be rebuilt and returned to stock to await the call from a unit for a new engine. There are new engines in stock to fill the gap when the demand for replacement engines exceeds the supply of rebuilt units, hence the need for factory new sitting on the shelves. Sometimes, new contracts are written for factory new engines to re-fill the supply lines when old broken engines aren't recovered for re-build like they're suppose to be.

I have no idea if this is why some are yellow and some are green, but this type of supply arrangement is common within the Army and that's the explanation I've understood as the reason behind the different colored A3 Cat engines.

 

[AceHigh]

Nope. Some came off the line with yellow engines, some with green.

 

[sigo]

Nope. Some came off the line with yellow engines, some with green.

That does seem like the better explanation considering most of the A3's weren't in service lone enough to get a replacement engine.

 

[AceHigh]

Yeah, a former Cat employee explained the situation earlier. Cat only paints the engines yellow. From time to time the DOD would reject some engines and demand CARC, so Cat would send a bunch off to get painted. Once things got quiet again the engines became yellow once more. That is as good a version as any! Thanks for your service by the way.

ETA some of the guys with green engines report that there is yellow under the green. Who knows. The above story may be true!!!

 

[Hoefler]

I have a 95 M36A3 with a green engine, and also have a 96 M35A3 with a yellow engine. The yellow engine looks newer-however both trucks have roughly the same miles on them-about 5K. The yellow engine starts immediatly-barely turns one revolution and she is running. The green one starts after about 1 or 2 seconds on the starter. I really like the sound of these engines.
Both of these have very cracked lower radiator hoses-the rest are fine. Seems a bit unusual-but both are cracked identically. The section that attaches to the pump is where they are cracked-easy to miss this and have a blown hose. Found mine when I caught a faint anti freeze smell-the cracks are weeping. Heads up-check yer hose!

 

[Jbrowning22]

Yeah, a former Cat employee explained the situation earlier. Cat only paints the engines yellow. From time to time the DOD would reject some engines and demand CARC, so Cat would send a bunch off to get painted. Once things got quiet again the engines became yellow once more. That is as good a version as any! Thanks for your service by the way.

ETA some of the guys with green engines report that there is yellow under the green. Who knows. The above story may be true!!!

Mine is yellow under the green.

 

[autigers35a3]

Ser. number 500901 here with a green motor.
I understand that since my motor is green, that is why my tranny has a fifth gear!!!!