Info needed: 1967 M38A1 Lubrication?

[rob love]

Both proto and gray brand 1/2" drive deep length sockets will do the trick. There will no doubt be others. Forget about spark plug sockets, they are too short internally.

I just went to the tool box to try some others out, and my 1/2 dr princess auto socket only barely makes it onto the hex, so I won't reccoment that socket. However I tried a westward 3/8 drive 13/16 socket and it fit well. Part number is DS386K.

Best bet is to take a spark plug to the tool store with you and try some out. Plugs are not in that tight, so you don't need top quality.

[Les Kovacs]

Thanks for your response....I will try NAPA and if all else fails I will scour Barrie's auto shops for a longer 13/16 socket....many thanks!

PS...Jeeps goes into shop tomorrow for rear pinion seal and add a leaf to the driver side rear spring pack....which leads me to my next question....even without the add leaf to the passenger side (carried 200 lbs of radios) the angle of the "U" joint and shaft coming out of the transfer case seems somewhat drastic....how much angularity can the joint handle?...(jeep already comes with standard 12 leaves per rear pack).

Also, I ran across a few posts of some people drilling a 1/8 inch hole in the skirt of their thermostat....why?

Regards,

les

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Les Kovacs

Thanks for your response....I will try NAPA and if all else fails I will scour Barrie's auto shops for a longer 13/16 socket....many thanks!

PS...Jeeps goes into shop tomorrow for rear pinion seal and add a leaf to the driver side rear spring pack....which leads me to my next question....even without the add leaf to the passenger side (carried 200 lbs of radios) the angle of the "U" joint and shaft coming out of the transfer case seems somewhat drastic....how much angularity can the joint handle?...(jeep already comes with standard 12 leaves per rear pack).

Also, I ran across a few posts of some people drilling a 1/8 inch hole in the skirt of their thermostat....why?
Regards,

les

The angle of the drivetrain is just fine. I have never dealt with any significant damage to U joints or rear driveshafts on the M38A1s.

The hole is likely peoples attempt to make a bypass so there is flow, preventing hotspots within the engine. Really not neccessary, since all the military Jeeps have the bypass hose running from the head to the water pump. We didn't do that in the military....really no reason for it.

[Les Kovacs]

Rob....thanks for clarification.

The jeep got a new pinion seal this AM....took only 30 min....I let the mechanic know where to apply the RTV as per your earlier suggestion....drove home and so far no leak/weep....the old seal did not have any rubber seal left at all. Old one used to leak standing still overnight....gave me a chance to change diff oil again as the first change (two weeks ago) oil came out like malted milk.

With new add a leaf on the driver side both sides now measure 37 inches to top of rear fender well. Mechanic did say that now with 13 leaves there is no issue with U joint-over-angularity at diff or coming out of the transfer case.

PS.....with all this priceless knowledge about M38A1's, I assume you had something to do with the vehicle maintenance in the military....if so, thanks for your service!

Regards,

les

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Les Kovacs

....

PS.....with all this priceless knowledge about M38A1's, I assume you had something to do with the vehicle maintenance in the military....if so, thanks for your service!

Regards,

les

My service was to drive around in these vehicles as a teenager and into my early 20s, learning about soldiering. Since then I've owned a few M38A1s, one of which Rob surveyed for its faults. My current money-pit is a 1974 Pattern M151A2.

[Les Kovacs]

Interesting....I would not mind owning a M151....however, they never come up here in Ontario....keep looking at kijiji & other sites but no luck....M38A1's and older MB's come up every once in a while but never M151's.

les

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Les Kovacs

Interesting....I would not mind owning a M151....however, they never come up here in Ontario....keep looking at kijiji & other sites but no luck....M38A1's and older MB's come up every once in a while but never M151's.

les

Mine turned up on Kijiji in Edmonton, and was publicized here on CGN.