PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-715
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 715
JUNE 2012
3
PS 715
JUN 12
T
he wheel hubs on your Stryker have sight glasses for checking the oil, drivers.
Seems like it oughta be an easy process then, huh?
It’s a little more complicated than you might think. Checking the oil is actually a
two-step process that involves oil level and oil color.
T
hat clanging noise you heard coming from the rear of your tank might have been
the engine exhaust grilles falling off.
That’s
because
some
mechanics
Fgure any ±at washer will do when
bolting the grilles in place. But a
common ±at washer can’t stop engine
vibration from loosening the grate
bolts. When the bolts work loose—
CLANG!—off come the grilles.
So make sure your mechanic uses
key washers, NSN 5310-00-824-5474,
under the bolts. That’s what’s called
for in the parts TMs. With a tab folded
over the bolt head, each key washer
keeps its bolt tight and the grilles
where they’re supposed to be.
Oil Color
Oil color in your Stryker’s hubs will vary. Knowing how to read the color code
can head off damage.
New oil will be yellowish to clear in color. It soon turns black—usually within
the Frst 25 miles or so. Either color works as long as the level is where it should be.
But if the oil turns milky or
greenish in color, you’ve got a
problem. Those colors mean the
oil is contaminated with water and
has lost its ability to lubricate. Your
Stryker is NMC until your mechanic
can ±ush the contaminated oil and
reFll the hub with SAE 75W90 oil.
Mechanics, make sure you go
slow and easy when replacing the
oil. There’s a small lip inside the
Fller hole that makes Flling the
hub slow work. Go too quickly
and you’ll have a mess to clean up
when the oil over±ows.
Oil Level
Wheel hub oil levels should be
checked after every operation—but
not
immediately
after. You need to
allow about an hour for the oil to run
back from the planetary gears into the
hub to get an accurate reading. Do it
too soon and you’ll end up overFlling
the hubs.
The correct oil level should be
in the upper half of the sight glass,
usually between
3
/
4
and
7
/
8
full.
Keep that oil level
where it should be by
checking the Fll and
drain plugs periodically.
Sometimes those plugs
can
loosen
during
operation and allow the
hub to leak. If you don’t
catch it soon enough,
the hub can seize up.
Stryker…
Two Steps to Hub Oil Check
M1-Series Tanks…
Right Washers the Key
Key washer tabs keep bolt in place
Oil level should be in upper half of sight glass
Lip inside hub Fll hole can cause oil overflow
Loose
Fll/drain
plugs
can leak
how can
all
of your
hubs start
leaking at
once?
you should’ve
checked my
fill
and
drain
plugs after
the last operation!
they loosened
up over that
rough terrain!
I don’t
get it?!
715 02-03.indd
1-2
4/20/12
10:47 AM
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