My truck is crapping on it self.......ideas?

[Tooljunkie]

Glad you figured it out. And on that note i think i will take mine out for one of the last rides of the season. 

[Jeff Balazs]

Tooljunkie;

You should take it out. It is good for them to get used.

I am glad we don't have a season for using our classics here. I have used my truck year round for the past 7 years. It about drove me crazy to not be able to use it for a week or so. Had to use a couple of different "modern" vehicles.......and I must say I missed driving the real thing. I am just so used to it.

I still can't believe how this brain fart experience went down.? But at least I can say it was the operator and not the truck that was at fault.

Jeff

[Tooljunkie]

Went for a little ride, was nice to go for a ride to town. Heater was on but thats fine. Was hoping for one more weekend, doesent look like it. 

[bkahler]

On 10/23/2021 at 10:11 PM, Jeff Balazs said:

Yep. Sure wish it would have occurred to me a bit sooner. What is funny is that it didn't feel like it was in gear at all.

I will be sure to check for this from here on out. ?

 

I can guarantee I never would have considered any thing like that.  I've never had a fluid drive and never driven one.

 

I'll bet you don't do that again ?

[Jeff Balazs]

Yep. Fluid drives are a little different. It is funny as it is not something that comes into my daily driving routine very often. I rarely ever use it as such. Once in a while in heavy stop and go traffic....

It is sort of a novelty item otherwise. And having one complicates your build as there are some FD only components. Different bell housing....different clutch......Dash pot carb to name a few. And with the added weight behind the flywheel there is a special main bearing that should be fitted.

 

But in general I drive it pretty much like you would a non FD transmission. One significant difference is you must have a perfectly functioning parking brake. Because a FD will roll freely when it is not running....in gear or not.

 

Jeff                                                                 

[wallytoo]

23 minutes ago, Jeff Balazs said:

One significant difference is you must have a perfectly functioning parking brake. Because a FD will roll freely when it is not running....in gear or not.

 

Jeff                                                                 

 

oh, yeah!  back in high school, i parked my b3c at a friend's place, and came out an hour later and the truck was gone....down the hill, across the state highway, and into a neighbor's yard.  got lucky - no damage to the truck or the neighbor's place.  still have the truck.

Edited October 25, 2021 by wallytoo

[Jeff Balazs]

Uh-huh. My driveway is fairly steep. Not at all optimum. I would say the front tires are about a foot higher than the rears when parked. When we first moved into this house a few years back I had to go through a whole series of parking brake adjustments. I remember seeing the truck inching down the slope one day. Definitely gets your attention!!!!

[wallytoo]

another thing i discovered back in high school; a FD truck can indeed be push-started.

[Jeff Balazs]

Wally;

I had no idea you could actually push start one of these. Did you use another vehicle to push it? My 3/4 ton is a heavy beast......about the only direction you could push it manually is downhill. ?

[kencombs]

2 hours ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Wally;

I had no idea you could actually push start one of these. Did you use another vehicle to push it? My 3/4 ton is a heavy beast......about the only direction you could push it manually is downhill. ?

They need to be moving at a pretty good clip to have the coupling spin the motor.  So really steep, long hill or another vehicle.  A lot like early full automatics.  Lots of joke back then having to do with 'you need to be going 35 to push start it'.  AFTER  you get both moving, not a head start from the pusher!

That stopped when all the makers removed the rear pump.  Driveshaft turning no longer ran a pump, and created oil pressure to apply servos.

Edited October 26, 2021 by kencombs

[wallytoo]

7 hours ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Wally;

I had no idea you could actually push start one of these. Did you use another vehicle to push it? My 3/4 ton is a heavy beast......about the only direction you could push it manually is downhill. ?

 

from personal experience (with the 3/4 ton), if it was rolling down a modest hill at about 10mph it would be able to start.  not anywhere near 35 mph, ever.  but, that truck (and my 1.5-ton) starts easily when using the starter.  if one is driving a hard-to-start truck w/FD, perhaps 10mph would not be sufficient.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Might be info in the owners manual.

I know years ago I pushed started a couple Dodge and Chrysler's at less than 20 mph.

[Los_Control]

On 10/23/2021 at 7:12 PM, Jeff Balazs said:

Oh Dopey me. I finally "discovered" the problem........and I can't believe it either. 

Sure hope your issue is fixed.

Sure is fun to post the original issue & the fix.

Sad to see the trolls here who want to attack you then give you their opinion.

I say GO GO GO JEFF!

 

[Dave72dt]

Out of curiosity, do you normally start the truck with the clutch pedal depressed or with it out.  If depressed and in  gear,  does it start and run OK?

[wallytoo]

55 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Sure hope your issue is fixed.

Sure is fun to post the original issue & the fix.

Sad to see the trolls here who want to attack you then give you their opinion.

I say GO GO GO JEFF!

 

 

what?  who’s attacking jeff?

[Jeff Balazs]

? Nobody attacked me. ( I attacked me ?)

That has never really been a thing on this site in my experience. This has always been a good source of help and moral support.

The truck is running fine now. Perhaps a little better than before the incident as I went through the entire fuel and ignition system trying to solve a "problem" that it never actually had. Oh well nothing lost there. It is all good.

 

Dave; I don't generally leave it in gear so I don't depress the clutch when I start it. I would if it were a conventional stick though. But I will always check for neutral from now on. ?

[Dave72dt]

Here in the upper midwest winter it may be more common to depress the clutch for starting, even if it's out of gear.  Whatever helps an engine turn over better for starting when it's subjected to .our winter temps.  Gear oil gets like molasses in the winter.  It could have been a different story if it was in first gear, one of the reasons they put safety switches on clutches now

[Los_Control]

19 hours ago, wallytoo said:

 

what?  who’s attacking jeff?

Maybe I should have thrown in a RAH RAH RAH along with it .... really was my best cheer leader voice and rooting Jeff on.

I love Jeff truck and the fact he drives it ... nobody here attacking them.

 

1 hour ago, Dave72dt said:

Gear oil gets like molasses in the winter. 

This really brings up a good point or discussion for gear oils in cold weather climates.

The standard 80/90 gear oil is thick. I had a friend in Montana & they ran synthetic oil in the trans for cold weather issues .... is there a good synthetic oil for our trucks?

 

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Fwiw I use Semi fluid grease in my trucks transmission. Keeps leaks to a minimum and really quieted the old transmission down. It was noisy with 90wt. in it. I have been running it this way for more than 30,000 miles now....so it works. But then it is going to be 85 F here tomorrow.........

[Los_Control]

Just now, Jeff Balazs said:

But then it is going to be 85 F here tomorrow.........

Cold day here, 72 today so making a pot of navy beans 

I suppose there are as many suggestions for trans and rear differentials as there are suggestions for motor oil.

I do need to change both the trans & diff oils and been considering using synthetic.

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Well if I was you I would stay away from synthetics. It is very hard, almost impossible to get it to stay in older machinery. I know lots of people who have tried and gave up. And most of them were running stuff that was quite a bit later than our old trucks. Not saying it can't be done but it takes more effort...costs more and when it starts leaking out you will never get it to stop.

I have buddies who have shops that constantly struggle with oil leaks on very new cars. Some of these new vehicles use 0-16wt oil. May as well be water. Talk about oil that can find it's way out of the slightest imperfection. All this new stuff is pretty much throw away in my eyes.

[wallytoo]

1 hour ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Some of these new vehicles use 0-16wt oil. May as well be water. Talk about oil that can find it's way out of the slightest imperfection. All this new stuff is pretty much throw away in my eyes.

 

yup.  my dinosaur self can't wrap my head around 0w-16 oil, or anything like that.  and i have a hard time picturing many of the vehicles manufactured today even being able to be operated in 30 years because of all the gadgetry and computer-related controls, nevermind 70 years from now.

[wallytoo]

3 hours ago, Los_Control said:

This really brings up a good point or discussion for gear oils in cold weather climates.

The standard 80/90 gear oil is thick. I had a friend in Montana & they ran synthetic oil in the trans for cold weather issues .... is there a good synthetic oil for our trucks?

 

 

 

 

fwiw, i run a multi-grade non-synthetic gear oil in the 2-speed eaton on my B-1-FA here in new england, and i run it year round.  thick is good in my book; sticks to the gear surfaces.

[Merle Coggins]

I run Amsoil 80W-90 in my truck's transmission and have had no issues with it. 

[Jeff Balazs]

Well when I built my truck I did not rebuild the engine or the tranny. When I got it running the tranny was pretty noisy with 90wt in it. It definitely sound and felt like it could stand a complete rebuild. But with the semi fluid grease I run in it it is pretty quiet and works well. And it stays inside instead of dripping out. So far I have gotten 7 years out of it. I am certain that just the noise factor with 90wt in it would have made me pull it and have it rebuilt. So it has been an effective "bandaid" to say the least.

Jeff