Restoration of a M38A1-CDN3 106mm recoilless rifle Jeep

[Martin Dauphinais]

Batteries are plugged in. Dash board is working with temperature, battery power and pressure. The horn is working too. My switch light appears to be dead. Are there anyway that we can bypass the switch in order to see which lights are good or not?!

[rob love]

Not without a wiring diagram, and even then it's going to be confusing. As well you won't have any circuit protection in the event there is a short to ground. Just order a switch from any of the retailers (or ebay) and then you'll know. Or if you are in a big hurry, ask a vehicle tech (or the maintenance officer) if you can borrow a switch for a day to find out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Willys-M38s-...RYSzPq&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-TON-M35A...67UBGg&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24V-3-Lever-...9Satm0&vxp=mtr

[chris vickery]

I had numerous troubles in my wiring which took awhile to sort out.
Especially compounding the issue when you have two or more issues happening at the same time in the same circuit. Bad grounds and bared or shorted wires can cause havoc on the system while troubleshooting.
I had to replace my solid state flasher switch as well.

[rob love]

Any issues with a short in the signals usually leads to a failure of the flasher. They eventually put an inline fuse into the system, and in Martin's case, it can be seen in the photo of the engine compartment just near to the flasher. While the entire light system is protected by the 20 amp (if I recall correctly) breaker built into the switch, this was obviously too high for the flasher to handle.

The indication that you have a short is that the indicator light on the signal switch will stay on. But that is also an indication of a overheated or failing flasher.

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by rob love

...They eventually put an inline fuse into the system, and in Martin's case, it can be seen in the photo of the engine compartment just near to the flasher. While the entire light system is protected by the 20 amp (if I recall correctly) breaker built into the switch, this was obviously too high for the flasher to handle...

I noticed that fuse in the photo of Martin's jeep. Which wire should the fuse be installed on, and what size fuse?

[Martin Dauphinais]

Hey guys,

I want to thank all those who do not hesitate to step in this thread. Your guidance and sometimes your questions are leading me through some new things to learn for me. My learning curve is very steep… I would like to get the manuals but they are not easy to find.

So, I spent almost 24 hours on this Jeep in the last 2 1/2 days and it was really great. Full of good news. The future looks really good for this one.

First, we flushed the old gasoline from the tank. It was just awful and was close to get a nice buzz with, even outside of the garage. In fact, the tank was full… I looked twice on the invoice to see if it was written that the Jeep came with a full tank, and it was not! The gas is not cheap today, I was not expecting this special attention. :happy: However, I will have to change the tank or to bring to a place where they can apply a coating inside it. The tank is way to complicated to scrub. I don't think I can do it myself.

So, as soon as I can get a switch (I found one near me) I will go try the electrical system. The general shape of this Jeep is really stunning. Not a single screw did resist to be remove. The floor is all in great shape, except where the batteries drooled. Then, I'll try to find the gasket kit for the carb and resolve the problem with the gas tank.

I don't know yet how I will thoroughly clean the Jeep. How you guys do to have the cleanest engine compartment as possible? Are you putting the whole beast in pieces?

Finally, few pictures I took of the cleaning/assessing session.

[Martin Dauphinais]

Few other pictures. If you see something wrong on the pictures, feel free to let me know!

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Wayne Hingley

I noticed that fuse in the photo of Martin's jeep. Which wire should the fuse be installed on, and what size fuse?

Wire number 460/461, which is the power in to the signal system. I am currently away from my manuals (Mexican Mayan riviera) so the fuze amperage will have to wait.

[chris vickery]

Yes Rob, in the case of my short it was a light on the flasher that stayed lit. What it turned out to be was the wire running from driver side to passenger side turn signal across the top of the rad shroud/grill. The wire was bared from rubbing which caused the short. I also ended up replacing the solid state signal switch as it was NFG as well as a few light bulbs here and there.
For those not familiar with 24v military wiring, a good study of the schematic in the manual is always helpful.
Once again, as in past comments, I strongly suggest guys look at their wiring harnesses very carefully. Repair if possible with new wire where needed, tape, wrap and secure in place. If in doubt, get off the wallet and buy a new harness.
Electrical fires happen all too easily on old vehicles with tattered wiring.

[Martin Dauphinais]

[QUOTE= I am currently away from my manuals (Mexican Mayan riviera)...[/QUOTE]

What?! You really flew the nice cold winter season of Shilo to this poor little place to ended up with sand in your shoes and risking a sun burn?!

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by rob love

Wire number 460/461, which is the power in to the signal system. I am currently away from my manuals (Mexican Mayan riviera) so the fuze amperage will have to wait.

Got it, thanks Rob. Since there is already a connection in the 460/461 wire at the firewall, the fuse can be installed without cutting the wire. This sure beats the cost of replacing a flasher unit if a fault occurs. Also as Chris mentioned, it is way better than having a fire.

Enjoy the sun in Mexico! Its sunny here too, but -21C... and I don't see any girls like the ones you speak of.