So you just got an FMTV and you need help fixing it...

[sjohn116]

This forum is a gold mine of information; people are willing to help and will point you in the right direction, tell you how they fixed it after spinning their wheels for only God knows how long, sell you parts at a good price, etc. etc. etc. I have learned A LOT from this forum, old posts and new, and most of it I read from READING other people's posts/replies/threads. Everyone is here to help, and no one is here to create obstacles.

All of this is to say there appears to have been a recent influx of SS members/LMTV owners who post NEW threads for easily searched/found OLD topics....topics that have been discussed in depth, parsed out, and even list the most up-to-date part numbers. Granted, some threads go off-topic, but that is a different issue.

On that note, please do everyone a favor. Before asking every thought that enters your brain like a 4yr old asking "why...why?...WHY?...WHY!?!?!?!"

"Search" the forum and see if your questions are already asked/answered.

The BEST advice I can give is this:

"The FMTV forum is relatively short compared to others (51 pages of threads, not 1,000s like other older military vehicles). READ ALL THE THREADS, get familiar with the TM's, and then when you have a problem you'll think "Oh, I think I read this somewhere in the thread about air/hydraulic pumps..." and then you go back and BOOM...ITS THERE."

And the rest of us dont get distracted with fresh philosophical posts like "why is a steering wheel round" that clutter the forum.

Thats my rant for the day. I love this forum and the members who provide endless information/resources, to include, but not limited to:

Wes, Quido, Will, NDT, Mark, Coach, TNT, Awesome, and many many others. These people do a lot to help us out. Lets do our part by not asking them to repeat themselves.

 

[Aernan]

This forum is a gold mine of information; people are willing to help and will point you in the right direction, tell you how they fixed it after spinning their wheels for only God knows how long, sell you parts at a good price, etc. etc. etc. I have learned A LOT from this forum, old posts and new, and most of it I read from READING other people's posts/replies/threads. Everyone is here to help, and no one is here to create obstacles.

All of this is to say there appears to have been a recent influx of SS members/LMTV owners who post NEW threads for easily searched/found OLD topics....topics that have been discussed in depth, parsed out, and even list the most up-to-date part numbers. Granted, some threads go off-topic, but that is a different issue.

On that note, please do everyone a favor. Before asking every thought that enters your brain like a 4yr old asking "why...why?...WHY?...WHY!?!?!?!"

"Search" the forum and see if your questions are already asked/answered.

The BEST advice I can give is this:

"The FMTV forum is relatively short compared to others (51 pages of threads, not 1,000s like other older military vehicles). READ ALL THE THREADS, get familiar with the TM's, and then when you have a problem you'll think "Oh, I think I read this somewhere in the thread about air/hydraulic pumps..." and then you go back and BOOM...ITS THERE."

And the rest of us dont get distracted with fresh philosophical posts like "why is a steering wheel round" that clutter the forum.

Thats my rant for the day. I love this forum and the members who provide endless information/resources, to include, but not limited to:

Wes, Quido, Will, NDT, Mark, Coach, TNT, Awesome, and many many others. These people do a lot to help us out. Lets do our part by not asking them to repeat themselves.

Can we get some new sticky posts that help summarize and index the answers? It's challenging to find the actual resolutions through all the suggestions and wrong information.

Answers like it's in the TM are not very useful.

Answers like it's in tm (id) in section 3 and if that doesn't work read this other tm is very helpful.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[simp5782]

After you read the TM you should know how to locate and source information based on sections in it. Or just google search for the best answer. it is a lot easier than the TMs and chances are your question has been answered several times over.

You don't know how many people text me at all odd hours to ask something that a simple google search could do. Or that is a common thing talked about on these forums.

 

[sjohn116]

Can we get some new sticky posts that help summarize and index the answers? It's challenging to find the actual resolutions through all the suggestions and wrong information.

Answers like it's in the TM are not very useful.

Answers like it's in tm (id) in section 3 and if that doesn't work read this other tm is very helpful.

"The FMTV forum is relatively short compared to others (51 pages of threads, not 1,000s like other older military vehicles). READ ALL THE THREADS, get familiar with the TM's, and then when you have a problem you'll think "Oh, I think I read this somewhere in the thread about air/hydraulic pumps..." and then you go back and BOOM...ITS THERE."

Depending on where you live, here in MD the weather is crap a good portion of the year (cold, raining, snow, windy) and its a pain to work on a truck in crap weather. Use those days inside and reading the forum, and familiarizing yourself with the 10,000 page TM. The beauty of the 10,000 page TM is this: CTRL+F.

ITS SEARCHABLE. You just have to learn what it is you're looking for....your vernacular likely doesnt match that of the military. Ex: "air/hydraulic" is what you need to search for anything related to the air over hydraulic pump that raises cab/spare tire. And how does one learn such stuff? By fingering through the TMs. Using this method you can quickly click "NEXT" and find the page you want that gives you a full breakdown of the pump assembly.

 

[98G]

One can learn as much or more by answering the questions of others, as by asking questions.

And having these answers out in the open for all to see is the only way to find errors in your own information... someone will point them out for you.

 

[TNriverjet]

I agree that reading TM’s just to read them is a bit mind numbing. I’ve chosen to follow other’s detailed threads that start with recovery and every problem, fix, issue & victory detailed in chronological progression. Here is one particulately good thread that is worth reading.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?152882-Working-on-the-M1078-LMTV&highlight=Working+on

I’ve also done a shorter version similar to Mark’s. Once you find an issue with your truck, you can then dive into the TM’s for more detail. Remember the TM’s are in searchable PDF format, so let the computer do the hard work for you. It is also helpful to make sure you are in the correct manual. (-10, -20, -24P etc). I’ve learned a lot be reading others accounts.

You can also PM a member who seems to have the info you are seeking. That can keep the simple repeat stuff from being rehashed.

Also, the more seasoned members need to be patient as the forum will never be organized like TM’s. There’s going to be some chatter and repeated topics. The social aspect is part of the fun!

 

[Awesomeness]

I went off topic briefly in some other thread recently and stated that there is a big difference between a forum (a place for discussions) and a knowledge base (a repository of information). I think that's where a lot of the disagreement comes from, and the two don't really mix well.

That's part of the reason I started making my "common problems and fixes" document. I wasn't necessarily making it for everyone else, but certainly for myself (and then sharing). You read through dozens of hundreds of posts in a topic, and really the key take-aways (e.g. root causes, fixes, part numbers, sources, etc.) boil down to just a few sentences or paragraphs. Why make every person that comes spend the same 3 hours carefully reading, and the potential human error when there are mistakes posted that then get corrected pages later, when a consolidated answer would be better? It's an attempt to separate the forum from the knowledge base.

 

[TNriverjet]

Well said sir. I clicked the link for LMTV common issues and fixes in your signature recently. That is a really well organized and concise summary of the main issues. I know it’s a work in progress. Kudos to you for the effort. It will be a great resource for noobs and reference for those of us who forget...