M1117 ASV, M1200 AK: Don’t Forget the Drain Plugs

Photo by Martin Greeson

It’s a fact! Water collects in the hull of the M1117 armored security vehicle (ASV) and the M1200 armored knight (AK).

That’s because water trickles in from the top of the vehicle, off wet boots and uniforms, from the wash rack or gets in through loose drain plugs during fording.

Water Creates Three (3) Problems

Solid: In cold weather or a cold-weather region like Alaska, the water in the hull and under floor plates will freeze. As water freezes, it expands and can rupture lines and fittings.
Liquid: Water under the floor plates will rust the vehicle’s air brake valves and anything else made of metal.
Gas: In warm weather or a warm-weather region like Iraq, the water evaporates and condenses on radios and other electronic gear. Enough moisture can short out electronic gear.

Here’s the Solution

Remove the hull’s drain plugs to keep water in the hull from becoming a problem. Make sure you get all six (6) of them. And when you remove the drain plugs, make sure you put them where they’re not lost.

There’s a plug under all four (4) wheel wells. The remaining two (2) plugs are just past the half-way point under the vehicle, towards the rear.

Bottom view of drain plug locations

You’ll see the locator views of the plugs for your ASV in Fig 2 of WP 0076 in TM 9-2320-381-10 (Nov 14). The drain plug removal and installation task is in WP 0167.

For the AK, take a look at WP 0201 of TM 9-2350-381-10 (Jan 15, w/Ch2, Aug 18) for the drain plug removal and installation task.

When removing plugs, it’s important to catch any water from the hull in a drip pan and dispose of the water according to your unit’s SOP. Fluids like coolant, oil and power steering fluid can end up in the hull, too. So you’ll need to treat water from the hull like contaminated water.

Key Reminder

Don’t forget to reinstall the drain plugs and make sure to do it correctly. Plugs that are too loose will vibrate free. Plugs that are too tight are hard to open and more likely to be left closed when draining is needed. Tighten the plugs enough so they won’t vibrate free. Then they’ll be easier to remove the next time you need to drain them.

Here’s another great tip! Get a 1-lb can of anti-seize compound with NSN 8030-00-087-8630, or as a substitute use NSN 9150-01-087-8254, which brings an 8-oz can.

Before installing plugs, apply the compound to each plug’s threads and don’t forget the threaded portion of the hull. That way all the threads are coated and the plugs won’t stick.

M1117

M1200