From: Mel Miller (nourmahal@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Wed Jul 21 2004 - 08:26:04 PDT
Howdy List,
I love my M884 and M886 vehicles because they are a blend of military
toughness and civilian parts availability. I have run into many of there
idiosyncrasies which have been mentioned here plus a few not mentioned.
Here are a few of the things I have encountered and learned from. I hope
this helps someone in the future.
1. Ammeter failure will kill ALL power in vehicle. The schematic in the
DS TM shows that power should still flow, but it DOESN'T (trust me).
Quick fix: If no ammeter is available, unscrew dash; reach behind
ammeter and jump the connections with a piece of wire and two alligator
clips or unscrew one nut from one post, place that wire on the other
ammeter post and use the nut to tighten it down and effectively
eliminate the ammeter from the system.
2. One or more wiper arms will not move but motor runs and is
accompanied by loud metallic thrashing from the cowl area.
Fix: Unscrew cowl screws and replace worn out, broken tough plastic
pivot sockets. Press wiper arm linkage(s) back into place lubed with a
little white lithium grease. A couple of sellers on Ebay are selling the
plastic sockets in three packs every now and then.
Interesting Factoids
Saturn Surplus sells the blackout light kits brand new with instructions
for about $100. I think most of the BO sets were Unit installed, with
the exception of the Ambulance.
All M880 series keys fit all the vehicles when they left the factory. If
you want to secure yours, buy a replacement ignition lock, not the whole
switch, just the lock, and have your door locks re keyed to the ignition
switch. (Hint: Take the door cylinders to the locksmith with the new
ignition lock to a locksmith BEFORE you install the new lock.)
The trucks are 12V throughout and uses one 12V battery mounted on the
drivers side under the hood in the normal manner. In trucks with the
auxiliary 24V system, a hulking 100Amp, 24V two belt alternator and two
batteries in a separate tray with wiring to the rear for radios or the
Comms shelters is installed completely separate (electrically) from the
12V system. This setup will power the 1,000,000,000 candlepower
White/Infrared searchlight usually found mounted on M60 Tanks and M151
series "Searchlight Jeeps". Mount that on the roof and give a Martian a
sunburn! Think of it as a Military Fog Lamp. Saturn Surplus also has a
lot of these units brand new.
Power steering from any W200 4X4 truck will bolt right in with no
modifications. I know a mechanic who specializes in Dodge cars who found
the unit in a junk yard, pulled it off, cleaned it up and installed it
on my M884 for $350, YMMV. The trucks with the 24V system come with
three belt pullies - one for 12V and two for the 24V alternators. Four
belt pullies can be purchased or you can run the 24V alternator on one
belt while running the power steering on the other. Best addition you
can make to the vehicle, IMHO.
In conclusion,the reasons I love the M880 series are as follows. I find
the cabs larger and easier to enter and exit than the CUCV's Course, I
am pushing 350 lbs. They are as simple as a box of rocks and parts are
cheap. They make an inexpensive entry into the MV collecting game and
can haul a ton (and 1/4) of stuff. It is hard to over load them unless
you are hauling granite blocks.
Regards,
Mel Miller
Corpus Christi, TX
361-937-3317
M725
M884
M886
86 VW Doppelkabin Drop Side Diesel PU (OD)
On Wednesday, July 21, 2004, at 07:00 AM, chance wolf wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Doherty" <mofta@hiwaay.net>
> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 7:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [MV] M880/M887 Questions
>
>
>> My 1977 M886 was from a NG unit. It was missing the 3 lever light
>> switch,
>> and my dash insert was also broken.
>
>> As far as the military wiring harness goes though, it was very
>> professionally done. It was a well designed add-on, that simply
>> plugged
> in
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