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M923a2 ctis issue

Amosclifford1978

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Celina ohio
I have a 1990 bmy m923a2 with ctis issue. It does no checks at start up, no terrian lights are on. Lights up with headlights. Terrian buttons light with headlights on while pressing that button. Overspeed light also works. Clueless where to start
 

cbrTodd

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Indianapolis, Indiana
Have you verified that the supply pressure switch is closing? It's downstream of the pressure protection valve, passenger side of the truck down low and inboard of the air tanks. Try shorting the 2 pins of the harness together and see if it does anything. Fyi at least mine is a 3 pin connector with only 2 pins used. Mine appears to be drifting with time and has required me to bump the air pressure up once and acts like it needs it again sometimes now. It is not a cheap part.
 

Amosclifford1978

New member
8
2
3
Location
Celina ohio
Have you verified that the supply pressure switch is closing? It's downstream of the pressure protection valve, passenger side of the truck down low and inboard of the air tanks. Try shorting the 2 pins of the harness together and see if it does anything. Fyi at least mine is a 3 pin connector with only 2 pins used. Mine appears to be drifting with time and has required me to bump the air pressure up once and acts like it needs it again sometimes now. It is not a cheap part.
Will check it out. That will keep it from doing anything?
 

cbrTodd

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Will check it out. That will keep it from doing anything?
It will not actuate until the switch closes, no. And if the pressure drops and the switch opens, it will stop again. Normally it will flash the mode it is set on when the switch is open. I don't know what it might do if it's been a long time since it successfully received input pressure though. Seemed worth a shot to check first.
 

KN6KXR

Well-known member
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Location
Felton, CA
There's a 4-way fitting off the primary tank that has the pressure switch. It closes at about 120 and opens about 90psi. It has an amphenol 3 pin connector (but only uses 2 contacts). You should test this switch. If the switch is bad the OEM ones are expensive but you can fit an HVAC switch with the same cut in and out pressures for a fraction of the cost.

The fact that you have no lights at all is interesting. You should have a blinking terrain light until the system has met the parameters for that selection. In other words it should blink, then the pressure switch will meet, then it will attempt to make the setting. Once the setting is made it will go solid. No light at all is not normal but perhaps there are other issues.

Do you have a black colored module or green? You appear to have blackout function to the CTIS module so I assume it's a black box that's the later ones.

The overspeed light blinking is good. Means the speed transmitter is working and the box is seeing it. Most of them are set to 55mph (when in HWY mode it's settable for each mode). When you go over that the yellow light on the dash will begin to blink. There is a time delay to activate. If you wish to change the settings you can use a Dearborn adapter, custom make a breakout cable (these trucks were never wired for the comms to the CTIS), and a laptop with free software from Dana. I've done this but it only works on the later black boxes with the J1939 protocol I haven't been able to link to the older green boxes. You can set overspeeds for each mode and inflation pressures.

I put a lot of work into my CTIS and developed tools to test hubs, talk to it and make field repairs if I blow a wheel hub. I've replaced 4 of the 6 hub seals it's a bit of a job but not crazy. A couple of things I like about it enough to keep it are the automatic checks so I know I'm good and the off road capability. My wrecker is quite heavy and when I get of road being able to air down keeps things from flying around. Also when I use outriggers for a lift I deploy them then hit sand mode and it sets right down on them. That thing weighs 37,000 pounds by itself it needs as much help as it can get.....

Lots of folks get fed up with it and ditch it but I wouldn't be without it. I suppose if I never knew any better I wouldn't care but a fully functional system is, for me anyways, a real feature of the truck.

Lots of threads here on the subject I've commented on a few. Do a search and read it all. Some of the stuff over in the FMTV area is similar. Those units are wired a bit different but essentially the same hardware. I'll be talking to my M1087 shortly the parts are on the bench waiting for me to have the time.
 

Amosclifford1978

New member
8
2
3
Location
Celina ohio
There's a 4-way fitting off the primary tank that has the pressure switch. It closes at about 120 and opens about 90psi. It has an amphenol 3 pin connector (but only uses 2 contacts). You should test this switch. If the switch is bad the OEM ones are expensive but you can fit an HVAC switch with the same cut in and out pressures for a fraction of the cost.

The fact that you have no lights at all is interesting. You should have a blinking terrain light until the system has met the parameters for that selection. In other words it should blink, then the pressure switch will meet, then it will attempt to make the setting. Once the setting is made it will go solid. No light at all is not normal but perhaps there are other issues.

Do you have a black colored module or green? You appear to have blackout function to the CTIS module so I assume it's a black box that's the later ones.

The overspeed light blinking is good. Means the speed transmitter is working and the box is seeing it. Most of them are set to 55mph (when in HWY mode it's settable for each mode). When you go over that the yellow light on the dash will begin to blink. There is a time delay to activate. If you wish to change the settings you can use a Dearborn adapter, custom make a breakout cable (these trucks were never wired for the comms to the CTIS), and a laptop with free software from Dana. I've done this but it only works on the later black boxes with the J1939 protocol I haven't been able to link to the older green boxes. You can set overspeeds for each mode and inflation pressures.

I put a lot of work into my CTIS and developed tools to test hubs, talk to it and make field repairs if I blow a wheel hub. I've replaced 4 of the 6 hub seals it's a bit of a job but not crazy. A couple of things I like about it enough to keep it are the automatic checks so I know I'm good and the off road capability. My wrecker is quite heavy and when I get of road being able to air down keeps things from flying around. Also when I use outriggers for a lift I deploy them then hit sand mode and it sets right down on them. That thing weighs 37,000 pounds by itself it needs as much help as it can get.....

Lots of folks get fed up with it and ditch it but I wouldn't be without it. I suppose if I never knew any better I wouldn't care but a fully functional system is, for me anyways, a real feature of the truck.

Lots of threads here on the subject I've commented on a few. Do a search and read it all. Some of the stuff over in the FMTV area is similar. Those units are wired a bit different but essentially the same hardware. I'll be talking to my M1087 shortly the parts are on the bench waiting for me to have the time.
So my controller was bad. Bought a new one and it now flashes on selected mode until truck airs up. Then all 5 modes flash. The guy at Those Military Guys said i have a leak so i would love some input. If truck us aired up it flashes only 3 times and then errors. All tires are aired up.to 70 psi. I here one solenoid make noise for a split second
 

Valley Rock

Big wheeler cat peeler
Steel Soldiers Supporter
446
840
93
Location
Orygun
I cannot help you with this problem, I can however tell you that your future self will thank you when you have finally had enough of attempting to make an old wacky system work that had a multitude of issues from start, and you eliminate your CTIS .

My analogy of troubleshooting a CTIS is like driving two hours one way to buy expensive whips to continue beating a dead horse .

Eliminating that bad movie from my 5 ton was probly the best improvement I ever made to the truck .

Best of luck 🙏
 

Jbulach

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Sunman Indiana
So my controller was bad. Bought a new one and it now flashes on selected mode until truck airs up. Then all 5 modes flash. The guy at Those Military Guys said i have a leak so i would love some input. If truck us aired up it flashes only 3 times and then errors. All tires are aired up.to 70 psi. I here one solenoid make noise for a split second
Yes, you have an air leak. The CTIS can’t tell how many PSI is in the tires if there is a leak before them.
 

KN6KXR

Well-known member
238
561
93
Location
Felton, CA
Sounds like the CTIS is failing the pressure check. It sends a pulse to check and if the sensor sees it fall (when the pressure should be steady) it faults out because quite obviously there's a leak.

Here's what I would do:
-Get an air supply for the truck you can't work on it with it running to pump air. Shop air if you can. Portable compressor parked a bit away from the truck maybe. Make a glad hand adapter pump it in there.
-Make the pressure test tool from the TM. I made mine from a gas pressure test gauge (Home Cheapo), swap the 15psi gauge with a 100psi, a 3/4" tee, some 3/4" nipples, a 3/4" valve to blow it off and a 3/4" JIC (rear) and 3/4" SAE (front) adapter.
-The tool above allows you to check each hub. Unplug the flex line from under the truck, swing it out, plug the tool in, check the hub seal/tire/wheel valve by inflating. This works very well you will know right away if it's a hub seal. Reference the TM it's pretty good.
-If you have a bad seal it's a 4 hour job. You'll need the parts and the 8 point sockets but you needed those anyway. Most of the PTA is the tire.
-Take apart and clean the PCU (pressure control unit). They get gummed up. They are really simple devices there's a schematic in the TM. Test the solenoids while you're in there.

That should get the issue sorted. I love my CTIS and won't be without it. My wrecker goes down logging roads and such as soon as I get off road I hit the button. It also gets me awesome traction pulling stuff. Lots of folks can't be bothered with it I guess. The biggest reason for failure is hub seals and the biggest reason for that is sitting. The seals get stuck and tear. Running the truck around once a month will be the best thing for the system it'll get some lubrication out to the seals. I fixed 4 hub seals and cleaned everything a couple years ago and haven't had an issue since. Then again I use my truck.....
 
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