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Successful M923A2 recovery: New Castle

ClarkeF

Member
206
5
18
Location
Hestand, KY
I picked up the 2011 Rebuild M923A2 I won earlier in the month from GL's Truck Center in New Castle Delaware last week. The truck looked complete, was driven to the lot, started and ran in the video and had no flats. I took the chance on bidding sight unseen and it paid off.

Gl was great to deal with there - they accommodated my request to pick up with just two days notice. I called the first time the Friday after a snow storm and the lot was closed. My insurance company had insured my Deuce - so he wrote me a commercial policy for non-commercial use for the 5-ton. Made arrangements with a friend (Thanks Joe!) with experience on the M923 to provide chase. Wednesday we loaded up his car with fluids, filters, belt, and tools. It was raining when we got there and then thunder started! One of the GL guys was stuck on the lot taking shelter from the storm and lightning. Once the thunderstorm and lightning passed, the GL team headed out into the maze to find my truck. I was amazed at the number of M900 series trucks they have on the lot there. Literally hundreds. A few trailers and quite a few civilian semi tractors too. Anyway, they disappeared in the lot to bring the truck out and eventually it came around the corner running on two flats. :-(
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The GL lady Lisa pulled it up to where we were standing and we both started to look it over. for the first time in person. It's clean! Nice paint, no rust, no damage, cargo cover, troop seats, bows, spare... No extras in the boxes, battery is still under the seat, and best of all - 3/4 a tank of fuel! The GL lady commented that it started right up without a jump.

We hit the CTIS runflat button and oh so slowly the tires that were low started to inflate: L/F and R/R. in looking over the two wheels with flats, air was escaping through the holes in the wheel halves where the schrader value sticks through to the inside. I'm guessing I need to split the wheels and put new o-rings in? Sounds like a leak at the CTIS manifold(?) in the cab which I'll need to track down - but it still ran and pressurized - if very slowly. I added my clip on schraeder hooked to the emergency glad-hands and tried to help it along - didn't seem to go any faster. While I was standing there in the rain Joe took off with the GL guy to preview a couple of trucks he was interested in.

When Joe got back we opened the hood and check fluids - the engine dipstick was dry when I pulled it! I ran back to the cab to check the oil pressure gauge and it was reading 30psi. Killed the engine and it dropped to 0. Put all three gallons I brought with me into the truck and still no reading on the dip stick. Must have been very little oil in the truck. checked all the lights and signals - everything worked! Decided to take my chances on the rest given the ice, snow and rain and cautiously testing the brakes in the lot we pulled out. Air wipers take a bit of getting used to, but I think I like the chuff and huff as they operate...

I'm not sure how I missed that overspeed light in reading the Dash 10, but I did. it started to flicker around 55 - just as soon as the tranny shifter into 5th. I pulled over thinking low tranny pressure (someone had labeled the tranny oil temp gauge with a label - right next to the idiot light light. I hopped out and was focused on tranny level's - apparently Joe asked me if it was the overspeed light but I was focused on tranny and didn't hear him. Tranny was a little low - added three quarts of Dex-III from the case I brought with me. Back on the road and **** if that light came on again - right at 55... "Nursed" it home 20 miles at 54mhp doing my darndest to keep the light off. :) The CTIS went solid on highway after a while - until the leak caught up at which point the CTIS highway light would flash and keep things topped off - until it leaked down enough. It was holding 70PSI so I wasn't worried about the 7 miles I had at highway speeds..

Got home, pointed the truck at the 10" of snow in my back yard, engaged the front-axle and drove it up the hill and around behind the house where he's currently parked. The rear tire was no longer leaking when we parked it. Front drivers tire still does leak. Maybe I need to drive it some more before I try and replace the seal?

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I have an older hard top on it's way, the rest of the filters, a couple o-rings for the wheels and will go through and service/check everything when it warms up a bit while I wait for the SF97 to come in.

:DVery excited about my new truck!:D
 
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ClarkeF

Member
206
5
18
Location
Hestand, KY
Nice truck. What did you do for the registration to bring it home?
Brought a bill of sale with me, insurance paperwork and the plates from my friends M923A2.. Not quite legal but I was told I couldn't get a PA temp tag to move it from out of state. Seems silly but I didn't push it.
 

ClarkeF

Member
206
5
18
Location
Hestand, KY
Glad things went well..
Thanks John - I was certainly crossing my fingers. I did have a couple tow companies on my list if it turned out we needed them. Thankfully we didn't. I'll bring the truck into town and have the heavy truck shop look it over and give it hopefully a clean a bill of health for safety reasons. Not sure if I want to go down the route of making it fully compliant with market lights, clearance lights, corner lights and so on or register it it's original age.
 

atomoros

Member
35
0
8
Location
Pittsburgh,PA
Picked up my 2010 rebuild last month from New Castle, DE Had one low tire but aired up after a jump start. GL people there are very helpful and nice. I was also biding on a 2012 rebuild but it went too high for me. Drove it off the lot after a quick go over. Drove the PA turnpike all the way to Pittsburgh. Overspeed light came on and I pulled over beacuse I didn't know what it was. Then the CTIS lights flashed the entire way home. Windshield washer fluid didnt spray. Little hairy in the narrow contruction areas but I held my own. It started to get cold, swithed drivers with my son outside Breezewood. He got in and pulled out the heater valve and took his coat off to drive the rest of the way...duh! It started up the next few days then the cold hit our area. Batteries got low and the ether start system didnt work. I added a 24v solar charger and will try to start it when it gets warm again. The tire is loosing air again. Had it insured for the drive but you cant get a temp tag in PA unless you have the title, at least thats my understanding. Took the chance and drove it....haven't seen a MV pulled over yet. It is a 1990 so next year it will be eligible to be registered as an Antique. Didn't get a cover or bows but did find a hydraulic bottle jack in the tool box. Looking for a cover and bows for it.
 
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