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New owner in Arizona.

microjeep

In Memorial
In Memorial
850
468
63
Location
blairsville ga.
Hi from Georgia, good looking truck and it looks like you've got your motor pool assembled, they'll be helpful pumping brakes and pressing/holding buttons.
Be sure to study the Tm's they take a little getting used to but are an invaluable resource as are the members of this site. Read the TM before doing anything, something as simple as adding brake fluid can create issues (wrong type) that can be avoided. Welcome to the site and good luck with the truck, don't let the little things bug you as my wife really put it in perspective " you bought a 50 year old truck and are upset with issues?". :-D
 

fasttruck

Well-known member
1,265
633
113
Location
Mesa, AZ
The right fuel tank may be disconnected because it leaks. Especially true if it is empty. The fuel lines between the tanks and the selector valve and between the valve and the engine after 50 years have been known to deteriorate and clog the lines or restrict fuel delivery to the engine which will require they be replaced. Possibly this is what is going on. Adapters to convert the oil and fuel filters are popular to avoid the mess associated with cartridge filters. Open the battery box and see if there are 4ea 6TL batteries inside. These are expensive so a lot of people substitute smaller batteries which works here in Mesa but might be a problem to jolt the Cummins into life at 30 degrees.

Familiarize yourself with table 2-3 on page 2-130 of the operators' manual so you do not overload your truck. We have lost souls on this site who think you can put 10 cubic yards of wet clay on a M817 and not overload it. Just because you can hold the load up and start it does not imply that you can stop it.
 

travistodd1

Member
54
11
8
Location
Camp Verde, Arizona
I know I should be posting this in a technical thread but you all have been pretty good at giving pointers so I thought I would toss it out in here first.

Well, I spent the day working on the M817. I don't know that I gained any ground. I will definitely need a new overflow tank. Mine is rusted out and leaks. I am definitely having fuel delivery problems and I fear I made it worse... Here is where I am with my mess.

I replaced the shut off valve with a new unit today. When I acquired the truck, the previous owner or someone working on it had partially tackled this and the old shutoff valve was in pieces.

The fuel line runs directly from the left tank to filter and then to the pump. Lines look to have been recently replaced and are in good condition up to the pump. Initially, I was able to use the primer pump to build up pressure. I noted pressure would bleed off somewhat quickly and started tracking the fuel lines. I opened and closed the petcock associated with the primer pump (made a small mess). I also pulled the fuel filter (screw on type) and found it was full and naturally, the fuel up to the pump drained. Now I can't build up any pressure with the primer pump on the dash at all. The truck is not getting any fuel which is the entire reason it was not being driven in the first place.

I bled the brakes out with a power bleeder. Initially, the pedal would go straight to the floor with no resistance at all. Now, it has a little pressure but I can still push it to the floor. The reservoir was nearly empty when I started. Surprisingly, I didn't pull much air out of the lines other than the left front wheel. I have no experience with air over hydraulic brakes and am unsure how much resistance I should have at the pedal without the engine running building air pressure. Also, pretty sure I will need to flush the entire system anyhow because the old fluid in the truck does not appear to be Dot 5. That said, I would like to get this thing home sooner than later where my tools are.

The truck is very clean underneath and it appears to have been well maintained by someone and I think it is well worth saving, I just need to get her moving and stopping. It will start with ether, but I am trying to avoid using it.

If someone in Arizona has an overflow tank, I would be interested in buying it. Any other pointers, please let me know. Thanks in advance.
 

fasttruck

Well-known member
1,265
633
113
Location
Mesa, AZ
Check with Jack at Jack's Military Surplus in Tucson. Maybe he has a tank. The hydraulic side of the brakes is the same as a car. The Army put air on the trucks to inflate the tires and act as a power booster for brakes. There should be 1.5" of free travel at the top of the stroke. The -20 manual will say so. Then the pedal should be firm and not settle appreciably after that unless you have a leak some where. The left front wheel in post 18 suggests there is a leaky slave cylinder at that wheel. The pedal should never go all the way to the floor.
 
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