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Tech TipsBARE BUTTONYou won’t find a replacement cover for the horn buttonon your M715 five-quarter truck—unless you’re luckyenough to latch onto one in a boneyard—because there’s noFSN for one and won’t be. It’s a non-stock item. You don’tneed that cover anyway. It was only put there to cover upthe manufacturer’s name. If the color of the button botherssomebody, your CO can authorize you to paint it OD. —PSMagazine, 1971M37 FOUL-UPDo your G741 series 3/4 ton trucks keep coming up withfouled spark plugs, especially in number 5 and 6 cylinders? Ifso, be sure you check your fuel pump’s vacuum booster beforeyou send a truck to Ordinance. Quite a few trucks have beengoing in that didn’t have anything wrong with them except aleaking diaphragm on the vacuum side of the fuel pump. This’llreally foul up those spark plugs because the vacuum line comesinto the manifold between number 5 and 6 cylinders. An easyway to fi eld check this is to start your engine and turn on yourwindshield wipers. Then goose your throttle. If the wipers slowdown or stop, check your fuel pump with a vacuum gauge becausethat’s where the problem probably is. —PS Magazine,1958EEEEH WRONG!I don’t believe that overpriced synthetic oil or additives doany good. The transmission in my 1968 AM General deuce wasnoisy, and all synthetic oil did was leak out. 140 weight oil worksmuch better and the transmission is a lot quieter.— J.P.Sure, 140 weight oil doesn’t leak as much and quiets downworn gears and bearings, but just think how much quieter andeven less leaky it would be if you filled your transmission withgrease... at least until it seized up. There are sound reasonswhy both the transmission manufacturers and the militaryspecified certain types and weights of oils for various operatingconditions... and 140 weigh oil for your deuce transmission wasnever specified under any conditions. Your transmission wasnoisy because it is worn, and it was leaking because of wornout seals and/or a clogged vent line. You haven’t fixed anything,you’ve only masked the problem; and 140 weight oil will onlyincrease the wear.CRUMMY MANUALI just bought a 1963 M151. I took your advice and boughta manual but it is a manual for later model MUTTs and thepictures are crummy. Maybe because it is a copy of a manualand not an original. I don’t mean to knock your advice but thesecrummy pictures will not be much help working on my M151.—Ray SlaterYou’re correct that many U.S. military vehicle manualsdiminished in quality, especially in the quality of theirillustrations, after the 1950s. Anyone who doubts this has onlyto compare a manual for an M37 and one for an M715. I have a1943 manual for CCKWs with illustrations so good that I oftencopy them for use in articles. You’re also correct that many reproby Steve Turchetmanuals are of even worse qualitythan the originals. However, if youtrack down a manual for your M151(not later manuals for A1s or A2s)you will find the illustrations muchbetter.UNSATISFIED WITH SOLEXI’ve had over 15 different types of Jeeps over the past 60 orso years, M-38, CJ5s & CJ2s. I’ve restored most of them includingmotors and drive train with one exception. I’m no body& fender mechanic. A couple years back someone decided heneeded my Carter YF carburetors on three of my CJ5s with the Foverhead intake valve. I’ll make this short. I now have six SolexSK5 made in India, %@*#! My Irish language. I had them tocarburetor shops and to two different ace? mechanics. I’ve nevergot them even to idle right, stalls when being accelerated whendone by the book.—R.L. White(Note: Mr. White’s letter went on to say he considers it tooexpensive to locate the correct Carter YF type carburetors for hisjeeps. He asked if I know of any less expensive alternatives otherthan the Solex.)Since your letter was snail-mail, I assume you don’t yet haveaccess to the Internet? When you do —or perhaps a friend or familymember can help—you will find any number of Carter YF typecarburetors offered for sale at widely varying prices and in allconditions from NOS, to rebuilt, to take-your-chances take-offs.Rebuild kits are also available. While buying from privateInternet sellers entails some degree of risk, venues like eBayguarantee satisfaction and will refund your money, as well ascensor a disreputable seller; so, other than buying a Carter fromone of this magazine advertisers, the Web would seem a logicalsource for the right carburetors for your jeeps.You’re obviously not having good luck with your Solex carburetors,so why keep spending money to have them rebuilt?You’ve said you’ve eliminated any other problems your jeepsmight have and narrowed it down to the Solex carbs. But, haveyou tried one of your remaining Carters on those jeeps to see ifthey then run properly?The most common problems with Solex replacement carburetorsfor early model jeeps are poor idle—often either when theengine is cold, or when it’s hot, but seldom both— and they areusually easy to flood, especially during cold starts. Solex idiosyncrasiesare often individual and usually require tinkering...and sometimes a lot of it. I know of no “one-size-fits-all” fixfor Solex carburetor problems, and again suggest you access theWeb for forums and message boards where someone describestheir Solex problems (which are often the exact opposite ofsomeone else’s problems) and has found a fix.One possible alternative if you’re totally fed up with the Solexsand don’t want to find the right Carters, might be a single-barrelHolley as were used on early Ford Falcon cars andEconoline trucks. Of course you will have to adapt them to yourjeep’s engine. A little-known advantage of these carburetors isthat they are short enough to allow the installation of a F-headWillys engine in a WWII, CJ2 or CJ3A jeep without having tocut a hole in the hood. ✪Military Vehicles Magazine June 2013 91