julezee001

I have to confess that as far as I know my tank hasn't either been taken off or drained in the last few (17 ish) years, so I might have a go after the Cuckoo Fayre. Luckily travelling there with my Explorer too, so we will get there and back one way or another!

Jules

My brother first replaced the original filter in the cab for the twin CAV type shortly after getting the truck on the road about 13 years ago, and then replaced the ridiculous water trap (little bigger than a thumb) about 10 years ago with another filter and water trap. I changed the bottom bowl from aluminium to glass about 3 years ago, because I thought it would show impending problems. How wrong could I be?

In the T.A. I've had similar problems with Bedfords MJ/MK in the past, after a change in policy, the local servicing teams were sacked, and it became an in house responsibility for the unit. This ofter meant that vehicles that had been fully serviced every 6 months were potentially not done for up to 3 years. Twice I slowed to little more than a crawl on motorways/ autobahns because of blocked fuel filters. Luckily both times I had spares on board to fix the problem. Germany was the scariest as REME following at the rear of a convoy travelling at 12mph up the motorway inclines, with the commercial vehicles thundering up behind at 80+mph. Hazards or dart for the hard shoulder?

Jules

Just found a picture I took of your new toy after I beat a path to it a few months ago!

A real beauty!

Jules

I think I found the problem with the fuel this afternoon. My Militant has 3 fuel filters fitted, the first a standard tractor/Landrover type with a glass sight bowl fitted, which replaces the tiny original moisture trap?

The glass bowl had clean diesel and a tiny amount of sediment in the bottom. The filter was a different story. Last changed on 8/4/06. Yuk! It looks like poop, and felt like thin jelly. I suspect the truck faltered on the way to the test as it sucked a lump up the pick up pipe, and then recovered when it reached the filter housing. I think I might drain the tank and try to remove any other floaters?

The other pair of the same type of filters have replaced the original single one in the n/s dash, and both of these were fine but were change anyway.

Jules

It could be many things. Worn/stuck brushes in the dynamo, contamination on the brushes, a loose/broken wire, or indeed as you suggest dirty contact in the regulator.

I'd probably start looking for loose/broken wires.

Next with testing the dynamo on the vehicle, and go from there. Disconnect the wires from it and connect its two contacts, connect a 50v DC voltmeter between the wire and a good earth, and start the engine. The reading should rise with the revs, assuming a 12V system it should start at 8-9V at tickover, and climb to 30V ish at higher revs. No output suggests the fault is in the dynamo.

With voltage regulators it is often dirty contacts, although I've had melted soldered joints, broken wires, and totally burnt out ones in the past.

The above is based on the older Landrovers, but I hope would apply to any dynamo based charging system.

Jules

Presumably all the shoes at the time were asbestos based, so re-profiling was probably not a great job to have done with the dust etc. I am also aware that the shoes fitted and the spares I have are also original too! So I am careful with them.

As an aside has anyone else with a Mk1 Militant had a roller brake test recently either voluntary or otherwise?

Jules

I'm hoping that having had a major go at the brakes this year they should be ok for the next few years. Next year I'll test the brakes first at the local transport company, before going for a proper test.

The only worry is contamination of the shoes from leaking hub oil seals, although the o/s rear shoes were filthy 5 years ago, but having cleaned them thoroughly with brake cleaner, anjd replaced the bellows seals, they have been consistantly better than the clean n/s ones??

Having not been a commercial vehicle mechanic I hadn't heard of shoe profiling. As I said previously, the only shoe with a shim now is the o/s rear axle leading shoe which sits about 3mm from the drum without it? As the shoes wear, the adjustment of the rods can run out of thread. At that point there were specific shim blocks to fit and regain adjustment on the rods. At the rate the brakes wear currently I'm fairly confident that it will never be my problem, and I have a couple of new spare sets of shoes too!

Jules

A friend pointed this site out to me today, which seems to have places of interest close to most people on this forum? Features Cold War bunkers, control centres etc.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/

Jules

Jules, many years ago Pete Gaine had a Militant with the same problem which took ages to find. Apparently there is a small gauze filter within the injection pump that can clog in addition to the main filters.

 

Thanks Mike, I'll have a look on the weekend, when I've caught up with all the proper work! This is the best thing about HMVF, the huge well of knowledge that is now accessible with a few taps on a keyboard. Great!

 

I'll let you know what I find.

 

Jules

Certainly bored of taking them on and off. The wheels,and drums are all rather heavy as you know; all have been off fairly recently, and so there isn't a real fight, but it all just takes time and effort.

Fortunately I haven't had to buy any parts, but despite this it's cost almost £400 to get the truck through the test this year, with test fees, fuel, and cash for the other 2 commercial brake tests. Today I finally got an M.O.T. pass, so we will go to the shows!

The test centre still made a mess of the voluntary test, coming out with a fail, having programmed the Militant as post 1968! Luckily the imbalance was gone (low enough at least) so I managed to pursuade them to re-test it straight away as a proper test, which it passed. Hoorah!

I just need to make and fit a folding frame for a double matress in the box body to keep the better half on side, ready for the weekend after next, and re-stock the tea, coffee, biscuits and beer, which has all been robbed for the workshop!

The most important job now is to replace all 3 fuel filters, as I ground to a halt on the way to the test almost at the top of the main hill into Hastings on the A21. S**t! Kept her going just, and she picked up and was fine after a couple of minutes which felt like ages.

All together a better day, so now I can book W&P and other shows knowing I'm fully legal again for another year.

Jules

As an update to my saga of brakes and LGV test: still no good on Monday for a voluntary brake test. O/s on no.3 was better than ever, and n/s had dropped 200kg from the last test after my technical measuring and shimming! Took shim out today....

Booked for another vol. test tomorrow (Wednesday), but spent a couple of hours at a local transport firm on their rolling brake tester. They were really helpful, and tested my brakes when I arrived, and then let me re-adjust them, and tested them all again for a tenner, Bargain!

Adjusted n/s no.3 to a slight bind, and slackened o/s a bit, and have a service brake of 1775kg and 1934kg respectively, giving only 8% imbalance. Hopefully this will be repeatable tomorrow for the test?

As an aside, a friend has just declared his Scammell Crusader M.O.T. exempt as a vehicle used to carry display items only, i.e. his T54! Taxed it etc. no problem, great.

Jules

Hi Richard,

I'm really glad someone has ended up with it to restore. I looked at it about 3 months ago and it was far too straight and original to break or scrap. Did you find the second engine cover in the brambles? I had a really good look, but couldn't find it!

I look forward to seeing it at any show you get it to.

Jules

Laughton. Anyone else going? We hope to get over on Friday evening, and stay til Sunday evening. Plenty of beers in the fridge cos it's going to be HOT! (Well mild and dry will do) Or tea, coffee and biscuit if the weather's normal.

Jules

Sven Hassell a superb collection always read over and over again.:-D

Definitely a great read, although I think it's almost 30 years since I last read them! I might dust them off tomorrow and start again!

Jules

Totally agree with you, having only seen and shot the lower version. I can only think the woodwork would be needed if a great number of rounds were fired to save scorching fingers? This would have been an unlikely happening for those issued with the weapon as the idea would have been to shoot briefly, and scoot asap!!

Jules

Having had some fun trying to make my Mk1 Militant brakes work evenly for an LGV test, I was wondering if anyone has had the need to shim their similar brakes to make them even?

Last year the examiner couldn't work out how to test the brakes on the rollers, and so used the Tapley meter. Fine! This year a different examiner used the rollers and found imbalance on the rear axle.

As explained elsewhere the rear brakes on the Militant are simple but not a great design. Obviously fine for a Tapley test but never designed for the rollers. On my Militants rear axle, I can only think that the "S" cam which operates the brakes on the o/s is set low as it has a home made shim of about 3mm to raise the leading (top shoe) to bring it into contact at the same time as the trailing shoe. I have made a similar 2mm shim for the n/s which had the trailing shoe doing nothing with the leading shoe binding the drum.

In service it wouldn't have mattered as the shoes would have eventually worn even, but in my hands the shoes would take a lifetime to bed in that much!

Fingers crossed for a voluntary brake test 8.40 Monday morning, then hopefully sneak straight round for a re-test!

Jules

Cor!!! Thats lurvly. Great paint job on the engine. I think I'd have to lift my Eagle out too, to fix the clutch etc, as it's all a bit tight 158 UXL. PSY 974 has an extra 4 inches on the chassis, bonnet etc. to leave the clutch housing in the original position, making clutch repair easy. Mine was in good condition, and with care should last a good few years undisturbed?

Jules

I heard of a Pioneer Tank Transporter recently, and was told that it had to go, and that it would otherwise be scrapped. I hate to hear of things like that, so rushed off to look at it. I made what I thought was a reasonable offer, bearing in mind the alternative was scrapping it, only to be told the following that it was worth at least 3 times what I offered. It took 20 minute to hack through the brambles to get to it, it hadn't moved for 20 years, and for 10 years prior to that, and was sitting outside. I'll try to get hold of some photos of it that a friend took at the time.

I don't know if it has gone, but having put my Explorer together from a large pile of parts, I think I have a realistic idea of what a vehicle is worth, and how much it costs to put one back together, not counting time and effort. I only hope it has been saved as it was mostly there, less the trailer coupling, and could be an excellent project for someone.

Jules

It looks a bit like a night flying trainer I helped collect for a local aviation society?

Jules

An Eagle Diesel squeezed in there? Looks familiar! What kind of clutch is fitted? I grafted the old Meadows one onto the Eagle flywheel just to keep the clutch release simple (original).

Jules

Sorry but no, you need to remove a rear wheel to get a good picture of how it works, but basically the Martian rear end is similar to the Watford version but heavier duty and with a conventional spiral bevel diff instead of a worm and wheel. Each wheel has a large drum with a vertical air actuator, all four actuators running from a common feed. It could have been even better if the actuators had a spring for parking, but the simple solution of spring secondary/park brakes was not thought of until the 60s and parking was catered for by a large disc on the transfer.

I wish my Mk1 Militant had a set up like the Martian, with one cylinder per wheel on the rear instead of one for both axles each side, it would give her better brakes, make her far easier to adjust, and get through a brake test! She probably has a better handbrake with the ratchet on type working all 4 rear brakes, similar to the Scammells.

Jules

From my experience it doesn't take long for the sticky gunge to spread itself almost everywhere again, and where it doesn't cover the rust starts again, or the wood rots, etc....

Why do we do it??

Jules

I replaced my oil cooler a couple of weeks ago, as it was leaking both into the axle and to the outside too. Luckily the one on my Mk1 Explorer (for spares) seems to be perfect. The only difference seems to be that the feed pipes and right angled adaptors are smaller on the Mk1. The later ones swap over fine, and the threads seemed to be cut with the same orientation on both coolers, which made re-fitting the pipes easy (possibly just lucky?).I had a run out last Sunday, and finally seem to have a water tight cooling system, this week anyway. This should stop the need to top up the coolant with several gallons before every occasional trip.

Good luck with repairing your cooler. I tried to fix mine with chemical metal, which slowed the external leak, but obviously had no effect on the internal leak!

Jules

Great photos Andy. Glad to see you're making progress. She'll look great when you've finished. Another couple of weeks?

Jules

The brakes do work on an "s"cam. I spent this afternoon having another go at the rear axle brakes. Swapped n/s leading shoe (top one) for o/s trailing shoe (bottom one), which should give similar linings on both sides and positions; also easy as the return spring posts are in the same position on those shoes. The levers and bars which operate the cams move freely, and the drums are in good condition both sides.

The only odd thing is that there was a home made shim on the leading shoe on the o/s. On re-assembly I removed it, expecting to adjust the shoes on the cam. On adjusting I the drum began to bind, but only on the trailing shoe, leaving the leading shoe a good 2mm from the drum! Wheel off again, drum off again, and refit shim, perfect!!

So I looked closer at the n/s. Leading shoe perfect, and can be seen through an inspection hole with the drum fitted. Trailing shoe can't be seen, so had to measure shoe height using a straight edge and feeler gauges against the hub with the drum off, and compare to the leading shoe. Again almost 2mm difference!

All the shoes are the same size, and are all like new for wear, so the difference must be in the build of the axle? I can only think that in the past it would have been good enough at stopping with new shoes, and as whichever shoe was originally doing most work wore down, the brakes would become better as the other was allowed to bed in too. With the mileage I do, I think I'd be long gone before that would happen naturally!

Has anyone else had to shim "s" cam brakes for this reason? In the manual it shows tall block shims for when the linings are worn, but they are almost 1/2 an inch deep, and not for precise adjustment. Has anyone else had their Militant brakes tested recently, and had fun with the rear brakes especially?

Anyway, I made a new shim from a Landrover inlet valve, (Patent applied for), so hope now the problem is sorted, and will have another go at a test next week.

Jules