I just bought a '51 M38 jeep in good condition but before I do any driving
with it I wanted to take care of a couple maintenance items... hopefully
someone can offer this newbie a bit of advice.
First, and most worrisome... there is a lubricant leak coming from the
right front steering knuckle -- about ten drops a day, I'd estimate. The guy
who sold it to me said it was brake fluid from the wheel cylinder, but it
sure doesn't look like hydraulic fluid -- looks more like old 90 weight oil--
and it looks like it is coming from the seal(s) around the steering knuckle
(the semi-spherical section around the constant-velocity joint) , not the
brake section.
I was going to open up the master cylinder and see what the brake fluid looks
like for comparison to the leaking fluid, but it wasn't clear to me how to
open the master cylinder -- it has a small knob on top -- is that it? Or
does the whole square top lift off somehow? Hmmm...another question to find
answer for.
Anyway, assuming I'm right and it is leaking from the steering knuckle, I
feel I should top it off until I have time to fix the leaky seal. The tech
manual "lubrication order" says to remove the plug and fill the knuckle to
that level of the hole, just like one would fill a gearbox or differential.
But it indicates that GAA grease is to be used. Is this a typo? If they
want you to fill it that way, rather than pump into a fitting, wouldn't GO
gear oil be the lubricant? I'm so confused...
The other thing that confuses me is the engine oil filter. It has a handle
on top and a drain plug on the bottom. The TM says to turn the handle daily
and periodcally drain the sediment. Is this a "permanent", clean and reuse
sort of filter? If so, it is the first I've seen and I don't really know
what's going on in there.
Thanks for any advice...
Steve Johnston sbjohnston@aol.com
*Extremely* excited about owning this piece of history, but also extremely
new to the world of military-vehicles.
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"If you cannot convince them, confuse them."
- Harry S. Truman
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