A few Maintenance issues with my '44 MB

[lewis505]

Lads-

The 1944 MB that i help maintain for the National Infantry Museum has a few issues that I'd like to see if others have run into the same;

1. Gas Cap
Replaced the Gas Tank & cap about a year ago & went to do some maintenance on the MB this past weekend & I cannot get the gas cap off; does vapor lock happen w/ MB's like this?

2. Brakes / Wheels
Took the MB out back in December & after a few miles, whenever I pushed clutch in & took her out of gear, the Jeep wouldn't "coast" that much, almost as if something wasn't preventing it from doing so; rims weren't hot when I stopped driving & emergency brake was completely disengaged - any ideas?

As always - thanks for any/all assistance

Chris

[bmorgil]

Chris it sounds like a brake shoe is dragging. gmwillys once pointed out that the adjusting cams can loosen and apply the brakes. They may not heat the rims. That would take some serious dragging and distance. Make sure you are not in 4 wheel drive (Transfer Case In). That will create some drag.

The stuck gas cap is a new one!

[gmwillys]

I would look at the cross shaft that the pedals pivot on. Both pedals are attached to the shaft via a bushing, so if they are not greased, the pedals stick to the pivot and apply pressure on the pedal not pushed. A quick way to troubleshoot this is one of two ways, 1) see if the brake pedal moves when the clutch is applied. 2) drive the jeep and push the clutch in to coast, pull it out of gear to neutral, and release the clutch. If the jeep starts coasting more after the clutch is released, then the pivot needs attention.

The cams generally show problems when applying the brakes during a stop, i.e. pulls hard to one side.

Military style fuel tanks can be real boogers to remove the fuel cap when they sit. Most MBs didn't have fording kits installed unless it was a Marine Corp variant. The fording kit vents all air to the air cleaner assembly, so the fuel tank should still breathe....mud dobbers have a bad habit of plugging vents. We use rubber strap wrenches to break the seal on the caps. Apply some dielectric grease on the rubber seal or cork gasket to aid in future removal of the cap. If you do not fill the tank completely full, don't tighten the cap all the way to the stop. That will help too.

[lewis505]

Thanks for the intel fellas - will bring her to Auto Skills her on Benning tomm or Friday & will update with what we find out!

Chris