PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-740
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 740
JULY 2014
19
PS 740
JUL 14
Warm It Up
After startup, make sure you have engine oil pressure. Then idle the engine at
1,100 rpms for a few minutes to warm it up.
Warming up the excavator gives the oil time to lubricate the parts. It also lets the
engine warm up enough to boil off condensation caused by normal engine breathing.
Then you won’t have to worry about condensation mixing with the oil and forming a
sludge that’ll clog the engine.
Once you’ve got the excavator warmed up and operating, check the gauges,
especially those for water temperature and engine oil pressure. They should be
within normal operating range.
Cool It Down
After operation, let the excavator cool before shutting down. Idle the engine for
Fve minutes. That cool down prevents excessive heat in the engine and turbocharger
center housing. Overheating can crack the block, warp a head or valves, or bake
the oil until it’s not slick enough to lube the bearings. Cooling down also lets the
turbocharger slow and reduces coking in the turbocharger bearings.
Master Disconnect Switch
Make
sure
the
vehicle’s
battery
disconnect switch is turned O±± after
the day’s run. Leave the switch on and
the batteries can lose their charge in
a week or two. Without juice, your
excavator needs a slave start–or you
won’t be going anywhere!
M870A1 Wood Decking Kit
Get a complete wood decking kit, minus the hardware, for your M870A1 40-ton lowbed
semitrailer with NSN 5510-01-540-5724. Or you can order cut-to-fit purple heart wood
by the board foot with NSN 5510-01-454-8568. That comes in handy if you only need to
replace a few boards. You’ll need carbide-tipped blades and drill bits to prepare it, though.
Linseed Oil Preserves Trailer Decks
Constant exposure to the elements leads to dry, cracked and splintered wood decking
on semitrailers. Prevent that damage by applying a coat of linseed oil to the decking as
needed. NSN 8010-00-152-3245 brings a gallon of linseed oil and NSN 8010-00-684-8789
gets five gallons. A 55-gal drum comes with NSN 8010-00-242-6114.
a
fter you Fnish that cup of coffee, take a look at TM 5-2420-232-10. It’s got
all the info on how to start and shut down your high-mobility engineer excavator,
type 1 (HMEE-1). Here’s what you especially need to remember to keep the
excavator mission ready:
HMEE-1…
Here Comes
the
Day’s Run!
treat me right at
startup and shutdown
and I’ll do All the
EXcavatin’ you want!
Whatever you do,
don’t
use the battery
disconnect switch to
turn off the vehicle.
By the way, when the
battery disconnect switch
is turned OFF, you’ll still
have battery power for
about 30 seconds.
That allows
the vehicle’s
electronics
to shut down
properly.
That can
fry
the vehicle’s
electrical
circuits!
You’ll find this
CAUTION
on Page 0004-12
of the operator’s manual.
Check engine oil
pressure at
startup…
…and engine
coolant
temperature at
shutdown
Turn battery disconnect switch OFF after shutdown
740 18-19.indd
1-2
5/22/14
3:39 PM
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