The WC53 Carryall thread .

[ole henry]

I want a Carryall erector set!!!

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Gary I got such a good laugh out of this today, thank you.

[Alxj64]

Gary, those piles of pretty Carryall parts just simply makes my heart flutter! I'm drinking my coffee, shaking off the morning dew and about to head back out and spend another full day working on mine. Thank you to all who contribute to this thread and my little side project thread! It helps keep me moving by seeing all these great completed trucks, and also the ones that are still in progress!

[Gary Weaklend]

Thanks Alex. You have done an awesome job on your truck and I'm anxious to see it in person when it's completed.

[Bruce in BC]

Oh dear I seem to have created a problem. Got hung up on a log today and had to keep my hand on the steering wheel to keep the front tire forced into the log. The truck had one tire in front and one behind and the truck kept crabbing down the log. I eventually got over the log and out of the bush, but the steering was heavy, almost like there was no assist at all and the brakes are much more difficult to work. Normally I would not have pushed the steering wheel like that but I wanted to go hiking. I do not see any pinched lines and the reservoir is full but something sure is not operating correctly. I really need to lay into the brakes and when braking and attempting to steer the truck pretty much wants to go straight. Perhaps there is air in the system or I have messed up some weird valve that I have no understanding about, but this does not strike me as fun. I certainly will not do that again.
So my carryall is out of commission and I do not see anything leaking, bent, squished or out of place. I will look again in an hour.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Bruce, assuming you are hydro assist on the brakes it sounds like the PS pump might have taken a crap.

[Bruce in BC]

Thanks for that. I just did some mining and found that when up against a log or a rock the power steering pump can fail. That a what I was doing - trying to force the wheel against the tree, I know better, and having thought it over I am willing to bet i had the back side of one tire against the log and the front side of the opposite tire against the log as well. So instead of fighting the log I was fighting myself. I will report back once I replace the pump, which I know will be a PITA, because I rebuilt the one in the truck and remember how hard it was to get it to stop leaking around the can.
Off to Search and Rescue practice...... not in the Carryall.
edit: and here I was planning on taking the truck into town and see about new front springs.

[Bruce in BC]

When you blow a pump what blows? The pump is not whining, never did, so short of me finding a bunch of exploded parts inside what blows inside these things that drops the pressure or volume so low that you lose your brakes and the steering locks up when you apply your brakes? I am pretty sure the pump was stock but the parts were all upgraded for volume and pressure. For the sake of argument 1300 - 1400 lbs.
Not sure if I can reseal the old body or I need to replace it with a new one. I do know I need to use the can that is on the pump in the carryall - its custom. And the bracket and gear as well.

[Desoto61]

My money would be on o-ring will have blown out under pressure. If it's a vane type you'd have to have broken a bunch of vanes to loose that much pressure, and at that point I'd think it would be obvious something is mechanically wrong, but being gear driven maybe not.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Bruce, I believe they are vane style pumps. As such vanes sticking or other pressure valve issues can result in bad or "blown" pumps. I've never torn any of mine apart afterwards, just exchanged them for warranty replacements. steering-pump-diagram.jpg

[Bruce in BC]

Built myself a power steering pump pressure tester. Glad I did. Sure enough the issue was the pump, it was putting out about 25 - 50lbs at idle and 300lbs psi when the line was blocked off. These pressures are too low. I ended up rebuilding a different pump, tossed in new seals , bored out the relief valve to 5/32 (OEM hydroboost spec) and I then adjusted the pressure up to 1500lbs which is also hydroboost spec. This increased the flow a bit and the brake pedal is no longer as squishy as it felt with the earlier pump. Going to have to run it a lot more before I have a decent opinion.
If you are doing a pump change I strongly recommend jacking the vehicle up and turning the steering wheel lock to lock. I did this about 25 times and until last few turns the sound of air moving in the system could be heard.
IMG_1600.JPG

[Bruce in BC]

What burns out in a pump? In this case I am pretty sure it was the seals, the vanes are not damaged or coloured from heat. I plan on either building a spare pump or having a spare set of seals in the shop. Apparently you can peg the pump for no more than 5 seconds. I seldom hit the stops when turning and I was not hitting the stops when I was attempting to climb the log. I was fighting with the steering and will not do that again.

and thanks for the advice - it helped me focus on the right part and I now have a better understanding of how to diagnose the system

[jim lee]

Maybe it would be nice to set up a overpressure light? That way you can know when something is pinned.

-jim lee

[Alxj64]

Wondering if anyone can snap me a few pictures, side and rear view, of the factory tail lamp setup. I am using LED converted M37 housings, both with the white light lenses for the backup lamps. I don't have any tail lamp brackets currently and was going to fabricate my own. Just wondering how close to original I can make them look, and making any improvements while I am at it. Thanks!

[Greg Coffin]

Tail Lights (3).JPGTail Lights (5).JPG Alex, I used a set of M37 lights and brackets on my 6x6 and the brackets bolt right up to the frame, easy as pie.