ThaddeusW

I power washed the crud off the transmission and it says TRTL-72. Now what does 72 mean? I see that if it was a 720 it would denote an overdrive gearbox. is it a 13 speed in the sense that you dont split 5th correct? just 4th hi and strait to 5th.

Rob, Thanks for the info. I still don't know if the thing works correctly. I will take the cover off the governor housing and see how that looks. When I pulled the cover on the side I saw the springs you mentioned. Everything looked in perfect order, very clean too considering how rusty and dirty the rest of the engine is. I also see a line that runs from the compressor shaft housing to the injection pump, is that an oil line? How does the oil return bck to the engine as there is no second line? Does it run back through where it bolts to the gear train? Is the fuel filter serviceable? It doesn't look like it comes apart. How easy is it to find a replacement or can a newer spin on setup be substituted? It had allot of old stagnant diesel sitting it it. Also the transfer pump has a little knob which I assume is the hand primer. Only problem is that its rusted real bad, I don't think it will ever work again. I can unscrew it and the little spring and other parts inside look clean and operable only the handle wont budge. Can that handle part be easily found? The third port on the filter comes together with the injector return line, a port at the top back of the injection pump and a line that I assume is the fuel return line to the tank. My best guess is that the injection pump has a fuel return on it as well. So maybe some of the injector and pump return can be fed back into the filter and in turn back into the injection pump .

Ok I think i need a separate topic for this question. Today I pulled the side cover off the injection pump and saw a row of 6 springs and what appeared to be a rotating collar with teeth at the top of each spring. I assume those are the plungers and the toothed pieces on top make up the fuel rack which controls the throttle. Now there are two levers on the injection pump one that comes out of the top close to the fuel rack, I assume that is the engine cut off. There is a separate section on the back of the pump which has a larger lever which I assume is the actual throttle. Now when I moved both levers nothing moved behind that cover. Was something supposed to move or is there a problem? Ok I circled the four parts of the fuel system I need help identifying. The blue circles the rear of the injection pump which has the large throttle lever. What is housed in that part of the pump? The governor is back there correct? Also there is a round cover on the back that has four bolts holding it on, what is behind it? The red circle is around what the fuel pump? The yellow section is the actual injection system where the fuel is pumped to the individual injectors. The black circle is around what I believe is the fuel filter. Three lines run to it, one from the fuel pump to the side, one from the bottom to the injection pump. And the third runs from the return line to the top of the filter can thing. I would appreciate any and all information about the pump and its inner workings.

I got the turbo off today. It wasn't easy had to heat the nuts with a torch and by using a chisel and drilling hammer expanded the nuts till they freely turned. Its frozen solid but Ill pull it apart and try to get it to spin. I ran water through the turbo cooling ports and no crud came out. Still haven't pulled the oil pan but I did peek under the rear valve cover and all looked good, no rust or crud. Fuel return line is cracked and the primer pump is a hunk of frozen rusted metal. The fuel filter is rusty but was full of old diesel.

From www.hankstruckpictures.com

Oh no I have the compressor. I am just stripping the engine down a little. I am suprised to find bendix still makes the tu-flo 500 and parts which is good because the unloader looks like its all frozen up.

Ok the two bolts under the generator will not come out. Ill try a torch and more PB. Broken by the seller with his loader, thankfully that part unbolts. Left side minus the air compressor. It was a Bendix Westinghouse tu-flo 500. Ha, found out my Gali air starter fits not sure of the pinion though. I bought three for 60 bucks on eBay. Unfortunately allot of crud and dirt came out of the bell housing when I pulled the starter.

Better be sure the axle and springs can take the extra weight. Floats give you a wide foot print and plenty of carrying capacity. You can put floats on any axle, it helps keep the steer axle from sinking into soft ground. But if you have a 16k front ant want to put 18k on it well I wouldn't do that. If your caught and the trooper weighs you and sees your plated front GAW (Gross axle weight) is 16k and your over then guess what, ticket time. The plated GVW is what they go by. If you upgraded the springs and axle then make sure you get a plate that reflects that. But then again I have seen allot of trucks without plated GVW or GAW's.

Ok I got the engine and trans out of the van. Now I started to strip the engine down a little and was busy removing the luberfiner and the generator. Now how the heck does the generator come off? I see three bolts one on top to adjust the belt tension and two on the bottom like a hinge. All the nuts came off the two bottom bolts but the bolts wont come out. I even put the nut on the end and gave it a few sharp blows with a drilling hammer but they wont budge. Next up is the fuel system. I want to remove the injectors and the heads eventually but the fuel lines are rusty and look brittle. How do you go about replacing them? A friend of mine also said that back in the day the injection lines had to be of equal length, I don't see how that would affect timing but I would like to know for sure. I see that the tach cable comes out from the shaft that runs to the compressor is there an electronic conversion kit for that?

Funny thing was yesterday I went and did a job for a local volunteer fire dept and they had two mint American Lafrance pumpers blocking the street. Well they stared the older of the two (don't know the model) and man it was the sweet sound of a 6v53. A jimmy and an automatic is a real noisy combo but damn does it sound good, plenty of smoke too.

I have an engine hoist thats good for 1500 pounds. So lifting some modestly heavy stuff isnt a problem. I just need to make a stand for it.

Trent, I didn't know you were that close! I wanted to post Monday about the upcoming excursion but the bad news threw me off. I would have definitely met up with you. Well if the engine isn't too far gone I will build a stand out of 2x2 1/4 inch tubing and 1000 pound dumpster casters. I tried to turn the crank by hand and it doesn't seem like it wants to budge. The turbo intake elbow was still installed and a bottle shoved into it which isn't going to keep water out so I have no idea about the cylinders. I have 2 die pry bars which will help me yank the injectors. If the engine is started without the turbo it should start and run but with allot of smoke due to too little air in the cylinder correct? Who knows if the turbo will ever spin again but I will try my best to get it spinning. The triplex linkage is frozen up but the main seems to operate smooth. From what I feel the 2nd and third gear shift smoothly. The output shaft can turn by hand but I don't know if the compound is stunk in gear or not. Where is the name plate on a triplex? Oh there are 2 linkages going to the injector pump, one out of the back side and another one further back. Is one the throttle and the other the shutdown lever? Both seem to move freely which is a good sign. The starter I am guessing is an inertia type with no solenoid. Everyone thinks I am crazy but I didnt want to see an old 673 and triplex go to the scrap heap. Hopefully I cant get it running.

What a crazy week I had. Monday august 20th I get a call informing me my close friend of 20 years Dominick Jaksic died in a car crash. I went to his parents house and helped get the funeral ready. Wednesday went to the wake and then got ready for my road trip. The up side was I made the trip not only to get the engine but to get my other good friend Joe up in Lakemoor Il. Thursday I left and made it to the Vickery Ohio area and spent the night. The I80 was backed up in pa dead stop for construction. Sat for about 1.5 hours. Friday arrive in Peru IA around 4pm and the guy had a good laugh about me bringing a cargo van. The engine made it in but he broke the intake manifold elbow that bolts on so it can be replaced. Left Peru and headed down 24 to I65 and man I headed into a storm that was total white out. Get to the I80 and take it west only to hit yet another traffic jam. I call my friend who says there is serious flooding on the 80 thanks to the storm. well two hours later it opens back up and UI now find out something I never knew before. Apparently the divider barrier on the 80 is water tight. The water was about 4 inches from the top of the barrier on the opposite side. Finally we start moving and I get to my friends house around 10:30. We leave around 12 and see 2 accidents on our way to the 80. Again we hit traffic because of the flood. I creep down until the next exit where I got off went down and around the traffic and get back on 80. While im on the 80 I pass a truck that went off the road down the embankment and into a field. Must have just happened because there wasn't an emergency vehicle in sight and the trucker set up cones. If he fell asleep at the wheel that sure woke him up. Made it to the Ohio border where we caught 4 hours and continued to his grandmothers house in Ellicott City, MD. He hasn't seen her in years and his parents decided to surprise her with a visit from him. Go out that night have some fun and get sleep. Sunday we leave and get to NJ where we met up with some friends and then went home. What a trip, 2035 miles total the longest drive I have ever made. I got to admit the 3500 van handled the weight pretty good. brakes held up nice too but the hills in PA were a real pain. Well on to the engine: Looks like its been sitting for more then 3 weeks, more like 3 decades. Turbo seized, generator barely turns, triplex compound linkage frozen solid but the water pump and fan spin freely, yay. Don't know bout the crank. My question is what voltage would the starter be? I dont want to try to turn it over only to let the magic smoke out of the starter. Also how hard should it be to try to wiggle or turn the crankshaft by hand if the transmission is in neutral? If the engine is seized up my first try should be to try and remove the injectors to peer into the cylinders right? Now how does one go about that? I see two bolts but is there anything more? The engine still isn't out of the van yet but hopefully tomorrow or the next day I will have some more time to get it out.

The governor controls the compressor, air dryer and even an alcohol injector. Its purpose is to cycle the compressor which keeps the air system charged. The governor has three air lines coming from it: one controls the compressor, one line comes from the tanks to monitor the system pressure and the third controls the air dryer and an alcohol injector.

I believe in PA there are certain towns or jurisdictions that allow the 80+k on three axles.

I am surprised that the Japanese haven't entered the class 8 market yet. Isuzu sells the Giga and other heavy duty models in Australia and New Zealand but their small cab size and non existent sleepers will limit them to vocational and regional/short haul. That may be the answer.

Ok I won the auction. Now i need to get it home. I am going with a cargo van to pick it up. Now the cargo van is limited in size but has the capacity to haul the two. The thing is if I need to seperate the transmission from the engine how hard is it? Do I just unbolt the bell housing and the two come appart correct? I am going to take some 2x4 and 4x4 lumber and a saw and drill to make custom skids so it can easily be loaded and unloaded. About a 10 hour drive but getting though the city will be a nightmare. Thankfully my friend lives an hour and a half from the pickup so i will drive there first and then the next day pickup the engine and we will both drive to NY so he can visit his parents.

Your saying its inside the engine compartment or next to the cab?

I just bid on a 673T 250HP and a triplex still bolted to it. I need it moved from Peru, Indiana to New York City or possibly I can meet up with someone at the Courtland Brockway show, upstate NY.

Hmmm 2500 pounds will fit in our chevy cargo van. My only problem would be if it makes it through the doors . I could bring wood and build a skid or modify a skid the guy has and split the two and load the engine sideways. I have plenty of tools and wood lying around. I don't have a forklift or loader at my shop but ill just use plain old ingenuity to unload it. Or someone could haul it for me. I just got a reply from the girl and she said the engine was sitting for about 3 weeks as the truck it was in was scrapped because it was badly rusted . She lowered the price to 250 bucks and I placed a bid. You cant go wrong for that price.

Well I dont have the room for a full sized Mack but I did spot this eBay auction and it looks like a good price. If I cant restor a whole truck I would love to try and restor a Mack engine and transmission. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=280139741730 Now I don't know how long its been sitting in the grass but I am waiting for an answer from the seller. What would be a guesstimate on the weight of the two? I want to know if this might be a good project to work on as it isn't too far from me and I could also double up the drive and visit a friend in Chicago. Maybe even someone could help deliver it to me on the transportation board. And If I don't buy it hopefully someone here will. That triplex alone I bet is worth more then 300 bucks.

Ok now think about it if its only hissing when the truck is running then have a look at your charge/wet system. The primary and secondary air tanks have pressure protection valves and check valves to prevent the air from running back into the wet tank. the two gauges on the dash only register pressure from those two tanks, not the wet tank. You might have a leak in the charge system or wet tank. How about this little test, all air accessories like horns and seats are ran off the wet system. When the hissing stops after you shut the truck down, try to blow the horn or operate the air seat. If nothing works then the charging system has a leak somewhere. If you have a shop air compressor find the wet tank (which is easy as it should be the only tank hooked to the air dryer and governor.) and get air to it by unscrewing the drain valve or a plugged port and screw a coupling or hose to it. Charge the system using your shop compressor (make sure your compressor only supplies about 100-120 PSI, use a regulator is necessary). This method will make tracing the leak easier as the noisy engine wont be running. Start at the governor/compressor then check around the air dryer. Sometimes those purge ports on the dryers get stuck open. Check all air lines and accessory lines for PTO's, transmission, air suspension, air seats, air horns etc... Maybe the break is in the middle of a run from one air device to another so spray over all the hoses. Let us know of your progress.

There might be maintenance kit that includes a new valve slide and O rings. You would have to check with the manufacturer. If you have the individual valves I would replace the whole valve. They can be had pretty cheap, something like 20 bucks for a new PP-1 on eBay. If you have the compact all in one two valve unit like the Bendix MV-3 it might be more economical to rebuild it since they can cost around 200 bucks.

Rob, Some air dryers sometimes have a built in purge reservoir that holds dry air to purge the desiccant after the compressor cuts out. Thats why they are so big. Some dryers let dry air from the wet tank back through the dryer to purge so they are more compact. Some dryers even have a small external purge tank like the Bendix ADIS. I would replace that park knob before it gives you any more trouble.

Sounds like a fun project. Just remember to save the engine and transmission to sell/give to someone else.