Mine died today

This is the place to get help with technical matters concerning your M151 jeep

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Fil Bonica
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by Fil Bonica » September 17th, 2018, 2:01 pm

With the exception of the body I would say that the 151 is far superior than prior vehicles.
It is a much better ride, easier steering and braking.
Working on it is a dream compared to the 38s I have owned.
The problems we see right now are compounded by distance, experience and a variable source of parts.
Assisting by remote control is laudible but not necessarily efficient or effective.
My only suggestion is the be thorough and persistent.
Dont give up the fight!

Fil Bonica
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kmam
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by kmam » September 21st, 2018, 5:19 am

Today I changed the distributor for one with points instead of Swiss Control module. It fired up straight away and revd up smoothly. In the morning I will check the timing and idle speed then take it for a reasonable test run. Hopefully my problems have all gone away (well the MUTT problems at least).
Howard

Daimler Ferret Mk 1/2
AM General M151A2
Austin Champ

kmam
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by kmam » November 21st, 2018, 5:45 pm

On the weekend went on a fairly demanding run with three others, two WW2 Jeeps and a Blitz Buggy. MUTT went well, or at least it did until I ran out of fuel! Topped up and away we went again. Only mishap was when one of the Jeeps got its right hand wheels in a ditch so I had to pull him out.

Main point, though, is that compared to the ride in the Land Rover Series 2A I sold to pay for the MUTT this was heaven! The Land Rover used to be a bone jarring, tiring experience leaving me exhausted at the end of the day and by comparison the MUTT was like riding on air!!! Just need more runs to go on...

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Howard

Daimler Ferret Mk 1/2
AM General M151A2
Austin Champ

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rickf
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by rickf » November 21st, 2018, 5:52 pm

And if you had gone in the same ditch you probably would have been able to keep driving due to the very high clearance under the center of the mutt.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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rickf
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by rickf » November 21st, 2018, 5:54 pm

I am so glad to see you are FINALLY getting to enjoy the 151 instead of constantly working on it.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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m3a1
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by m3a1 » November 21st, 2018, 8:03 pm

Yeah, it's always time to celebrate once the last gremlin has been sent packing. I agree with your assessment of the 151 vs all prior 1/4 ton trucks. Almost superior in every way. Whatever the vehicle, the M-series are far easier to deal with, especially mechanically. All that came before are just a product of the usually way of doing things up until that point. For example, setting preloads on the many bearings in a Jeep (unless you do it day in and day out and have developed an aptitude for it) are just a time-consuming and tedious process. Happily, after WWII Uncle Sam finally got it right. Setting specifications for vehicles that were not only more robust (less breakage) but also easy to fix (less down time) meant he needed fewer and that meant extra money for other things. I would love to know exactly how all of this came about but I suspect the Quartermaster Corps listened intently to what their military mechanics had to say before anything was decided. Little has been recorded about what goes on in a motor pool beyond the drudgery but you can be assured keeping a motor pool running smoothly is really a fascinating process.

Right now I happen to be reading a book about the development of Ford tractors (and we know that Ford had a LOT to do with our little M151s) and the author delves deeply into the process of bringing those simple machines into the tractors we know and love today. Quite an arduous process because manufacturers (especially Ford) had a tendency to stay with designs that they knew worked and by extension, helped them make money. There was also a surprising amount of industrial espionage back then so, to invest heavily in huge departures from the mechanical norm, only to see it pilfered by the other companies who would then be just another step ahead really wasn't how they did business. Ford routinely bought tractors from his competitors and took them apart to see what he was up against.

One of the things that doesn't come up much in discussion here are some of the finer details of why things got designed in certain ways; things we take for granted today. Something as simple as a soldier's kit has a great deal to do with the design process. By way of example, if you look at a soldier's load bearing gear (especially post-Korea) it quickly becomes obvious why such emphasis was placed upon having more space behind the steering wheel. That's just one example...but a good one nonetheless.

Anyway, we are facing some problems with our trucks that the military did not. Our trucks are, for the most part, well beyond their expected service life and so, we are up against things like spotty performance from electronic ignition modules (which is, sadly, becoming almost routine) and all the things that are to be expected from ownership of aged vehicles. So, to all members of the site, when you finally achieve success, be sure to thank those who helped make it possible!

Cheers,
TJ

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Vzike
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by Vzike » December 11th, 2018, 7:11 am

TJ, did you ever check the rotor on that electronic ignition? If it ran with the wire interference, it could be damaged or loose. I had that situation with my Encore, and the same symptoms you described. Vin

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m3a1
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Re: Mine died today

Unread post by m3a1 » December 12th, 2018, 3:02 am

No my problems were not due to a rotor issue of any kind - simply an electronic ignition that had some component that was going bad. when the temp was up, it would continue to run (with a weak spark) until shut off... then refuse to restart.

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