Moving M4 type chassis

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Bob Phillips

Dont foget to check the final drives!

But of course.

I just read the manual a bit, and it says the countershaft pumps the oil, of which there is some 44 liters. So if the engine is not running, then the oil is not being pumped. I may disconnect the shaft and tow it in a suitable gear to get the oil pumping. Or I could have it in gear and have someone depress the clutch. Or am I overthinking it? I would hate to damage anything inside the transmission. I would feel a lot better at least getting some oil pumping through the system before towing. Maybe I can set up some form of an external pump into the oil line before moving the vehicle.

All we have here are photocopies of the operators manuals, and the lubrication charts are missing. I was going to ask what kind of oil goes in the transmission/final drive, but I just climbed into the vehicle and a check of the transmission shows it full (and even a bit overfull, but that could have been the oil lines draining back over the last decade). The smell is the same oil as in the CMP gearboxes and diffs. I have read on other threads where the modern gear oils will destroy the steering bands etc. This oil looks clean so I will leave it as is.

The previous (volunteer) mechanic had started working on this vehicle (and many others) so I have the pleasure of a partially torn down vehicle. The ignition system is all apart on the engine, many panels are off and hardware laying about. Not the end of the world there I guess, just a learning curve coming up. But at the drivers position he cut the control panel out. I think I saw one wire that was actually disconnected, the remainder have been cut. That will add a bit of time to the project when someone decides to spend the time to try and run this thing again. I did find the panel at the other end of this very large building some years back, and it is now located in the storage shed outside. I'll move it in the next time I am out there so it is back with it's vehicle.

Somehow I sense that getting and keeping a machine like this running could be a full time job.