This page contains excerpts from PS Magazine (a monthly magazine published by the US Government for Army personnel involved in maintenance) which describe how to perform a necessary brake vent modification on M44-series 2.5-ton 6×6 trucks such as the M35 cargo trucks or my M109A3 shop van. I used to have a couple of pages with many PS Magazine excerpts with 2.5-ton and HMMWV tips, but they are no longer necessary now that you can download individual articles from 1988 on at the PS Magazine web site. I kept these particular excerpts here because the vent line modification was published in 1983, and is not yet available on the PS Magazine web site. It’s a very good idea to check the PS Magazine index for other articles which may apply to your truck. For example, there’s an article in issue 542 (January, 1998) which describes a necessary brake light switch modification which replaces the old hydraulic pressure actuated switch, which could blow out and leave you rolling without brakes!
MWO
Modification Work Order: Both official modifications and not-so-official ones.
This design is a solid-state replacement for ballast tube R-32 in the AM-65/GRC audio amplifier. When the AM-65 is used as a power supply for the RT-70 transceiver, R-32 regulates the RT-70’s tube filament current. The original part is described as follows in the service manual for the AM-65/GRC (TM 11-5039):
R-32 RESISTOR, thermal: current through lamp greater than .58 amp w/4.3 v measured across lamp and less than .625 amp w/9.7 v measured across lamp; designed for DC; T-9 bulb, 2 7/8″ lg o/a; intermediate octal base; Amperite type #6-4; Fed Tele & Rad part/dwg #GH-2677-2.
AM-65 Thermal Relay Replacment
This design is a solid-state replacement for thermal relay K-1 in the AM-65/GRC audio amplifier. When the AM-65 is used as a power supply for the RT-70 transceiver, K-1 protects the filament chain by reducing the filament current if the filament voltage rises too high. This can happen when certain tube filaments burn out, and can cause a chain reaction that burns out many other tube filaments. The original part is described as follows in the service manual for the AM-65/GRC (TM 11-5039):
K-1 RELAY, thermal: SPST normally closed; cont rating 2 amp max; silver cont; single wnd heat coil, operates at 6.9 v DC w/ 1 amp cont load, release at 2 to 3.5 v, heater current 250 ma w/6.9v applied, ins; coil and cont leads terminate in octal base; 1.275″ diam x 2 7/8″ lg excluding base cont and locating pin; mts by means of octal base; operates within 10 sec; incl in type T-9 bulb w/std octal base; Raytheon #CK-118; Fed Tele & Rad part /dwg #GH-2392-12.