REMOVAL of ALL “EXTRAS” from 1083A1

[AKAustria]

Good day everybody!

I would like to remove almost anything that only makes sense when being used in a battle environment, broadly speaking.

Are there others that have done so or know where to look for guidelines to do just that.
I would like to simplify the truck as much as possible and make the rest bullet proof. Which they are already, so I shouldn’t need to do too much I would guess.

For example.
The C130 compression brackets, the either start, battery reverse polarity protection, the chemical detection thing.. if that is even a thing, or the spare tire lift, which I have already done, but would like to cap the hydraulic lines or use them for something else.

My trucks are 1083A1’s, one runner, one spare.
Both year 2000.

Simplifying for one, and improving otherwise, like adding a block heater and oil pan heater…

Thank you!

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Don't worry about simplifying till you address the early HEUI system, superceded engine oil pump, and cleaning/servicing every electrical connection and everything rubber on the entire truck.

Beyond that - there are many threads on how to remove the LBCD, change over to a commercial alternator (if that suits your desires), and lots of other stuff. Check the stickied threads and use the search feature.

It's an Army truck. There's not that much fluff on them. Be mindful of your choices - they often come with unintended consequences. As always - don't fix what ain't broke and don't armchair engineer your way into a stupid decision.

 

[AKAustria]

Don't worry about simplifying till you address the early HEUI system, superceded engine oil pump, and cleaning/servicing every electrical connection and everything rubber on the entire truck.

Beyond that - there are many threads on how to remove the LBCD, change over to a commercial alternator (if that suits your desires), and lots of other stuff. Check the stickied threads and use the search feature.

It's an Army truck. There's not that much fluff on them. Be mindful of your choices - they often come with unintended consequences. As always - don't fix what ain't broke and don't armchair engineer your way into a stupid decision.

I should have added:
I have owned the trucks for about 6 years now, my running truck is registered and road worthy. License plate/insurance etc.
My other truck is purely parts, too many missing parts unfortunately but it came with it.

I already upgraded to a commercial alternator, I believe it came from RONMAR, but might remember wrong.

Looking for sticky threads then.. Thanks

 

[GeneralDisorder]

How many miles and how often do you drive it? What's your oil pressure and have you checked out the HEUI injection actuation pressure stability?

What are you ultimately planning to do with the truck? For most of us, ECO hubs are a very good idea for drivetrain longevity.

 

[AKAustria]

How many miles and how often do you drive it? What's your oil pressure and have you checked out the HEUI injection actuation pressure stability?

What are you ultimately planning to do with the truck? For most of us, ECO hubs are a very good idea for drivetrain longevity.

Not often enough due to mechanical problems and time constraints.
I want to make it a reliable Expedition RV platform, but I m FAR away from that point.
Oil pressure is low and bouncy.
HEUI injection actuation pressure stability!? That’s a mouth full! No idea and obviously not touched it.
ECO hubs are certainly on my radar when taking it on long road trips, for sure!

Thank you for the pointers.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Not often enough due to mechanical problems and time constraints.
I want to make it a reliable Expedition RV platform, but I m FAR away from that point.
Oil pressure is low and bouncy.

The oil pump is shot. I would stop running it under load till you get the oil pump replaced. The pumps were redesigned by CAT several times and the relief valves on the pump are weak in addition to changing from a gear pump to a trochoid (gerotor) pump and the idler gear bushings/bearings wearing out. Watch this video with the understanding that ~90k miles on this RV is equivalent to 5-10k miles on the FMTV because of our ridiculous stock gearing that runs the engine at redline (far past it's torque peak). Our use case exposes the design flaws of the early oil pump about 10x faster than a typical truck or RV application that cruises at peak torque. Another feather in the hat of the ECO hubs - they bring our RPM back to where CAT intended these engines to cruise for long periods.

HEUI injection actuation pressure stability!? That’s a mouth full! No idea and obviously not touched it.

For the 3126b and the C7 trucks, you really NEED a laptop setup with CAT ET (Caterpillar Electronic Technician) software. Otherwise you can very easily be left stranded in limp-mode without even a clue what the problem is - I've encountered trucks in limp mode that can't do more than ~20 mph without even a check engine light.

Unfortunately it is all too common for the early HEUI pumps on the 3126b engines to suffer damage from the dual threats of the badly designed oil pump that quickly fails in our application along with the oil cooler warping issue that causes dirty oil to bypass the oil filter. This can result in not only failure of the HEUI pump, but if allowed to progress it can contaminate and cause failure of the injectors as well. The HEUI pump is expensive and the injectors are $1k each. Along with replacing the HEUI pump and sometimes the injectors it is best to also fit a HEUI pump post-filter from these guys to prevent contamination and damage to the ~$6k injectors:

IFS

IFS by Delam Solutions, LLC Lodi, Ohio 44254 330 416-5626

ifskit.com

And here is a the NHTSA bulletin about the C7 oil cooler warping/gasket issue (don't be fooled - the 3126b is just an early, less refined version of the C7):

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10090065-6903.pdf

Unfortunately I've personally witnessed this on two 3126b trucks - both with under 10k miles on them. I'm beginning to think that essentially all of them are affected (especially early ones) and if I owned one I would be VERY worried about taking it any distance without installing a new oil cooler (or having it decked), new oil pump, and the HEUI post filter and carrying a spare HEUI pump with me. Replacing it sucks since it requires removing the air compressor and hydraulic pump..... it's a bunch of work and not what you want to be doing far from home in the back country.

In addition to all that - the early 3126b engine blocks are known to crack back by the bell housing down to the oil pan rail. This usually results in oil leakage. So it is absolutely critical that you balance the driveshafts and replace the u-joints, and then also ensure that all the brackets and attachments to the engine still have their Nord Lock washers in place and securely tight. Driveshaft balance is a significant problem with all these trucks and u-joint failures can result in essentially a total loss of the drivetrain - one user on the Facebook group recently had a rear driveshaft u-joint failure that broke the entire transmission behind the bell-housing and cracked the engine block besides destroying the shaft, the rear differential, and beat the hell out of the under-carriage. The recommendation from the group is to scrap the truck - find another one to transplant his M1079 box onto......