Photo By Kristyn Galvan | The Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment team: Jeremy Gray, Kyle Williams,...... read more read more
Earlier this year, the Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment team, housed on the Yermo Annex aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California, helmed the calibration and software programming of the engine of an amphibious combat vehicle. The TMDE team consists of Kyle Williams, Inspect, Repair Only As Necessary team lead and electronics technician, Jeremy Gray, contact team lead, Jeffrey Houlemard, electronics mechanic, Mark Kent, instrument mechanic, and Richard Sardeson, instrument mechanic.
Working on the ACVs is a joint effort with the United States Army, through the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, with Army engineers based out of Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.
“The ACV is a new vehicle to the United States Marine Corps, it will eventually replace the amphibious assault vehicle,” said Williams.
“Marines have already been using and driving the ACVs,” said Gray. “Now that the warranties are up, the USMC will begin maintenance on them, and the components will be pushed out to the shops. We are getting a head start on the process for maintenance because we know the shops will eventually start to get the vehicles. Right now, they don’t have the capability or tools to work on them.”
“(Marine Corps Base) Camp Pendleton has been the base for all the training and their schooling for the operators to learn how to use the ACVs. The vehicles haven’t been deployed or used anywhere yet. At some point, the Marines are going to need to be able to run the engines on their dynamometers,” said Sardeson.
“Here, we have the capability of testing engines and transmissions on the dynamometer or ‘dyno.’ All the new equipment that does come in, we do the testing on it here, first, and we’ll write the software and all the programs. Then we’ll push it out to the fleet,” said Gray. “Here, we have the engine dyno, transmission dyno, fuel pump tests, injector tests and altimeter starter testers and it is all very expensive equipment.”
“Once we write the test procedure for the ACV, we will use it here at Production Plant Barstow, Marine Depot Maintenance Command, but we will also share information and data with MCLB Albany, so that they can test ACVs as well,” said Williams.
The team also works closely with Jorge Guerrero, referred to as Doctor Diesel, who is the founder of Dr. Diesel Technologies, a civilian owned company that provides information technology support to commercial and government organizations. Guerrero is a retired Marine, based in Temecula, California, and his company is working on the electronics for the ACV.
“The ACV engine is all computer controlled; electronics are running it. The engine dyno needs a way to communicate with the engine, for it to be able to run properly. These newer engines that are electronically ran don’t communicate with the dyno, so that’s where Dr. Diesel Technologies comes in. They make the adapter so the engine and dyno can communicate,” said Sardeson. “Because the whole system inside the vehicle is run by computers.”
“The main thing inside of the engine the dyno needs to talk to is the throttle,” said Kent. “Then we can see all the sensor readings inside of the engine, come up on our computer then we can adjust where it’s needed.”
“The biggest hurdle is the electrical portion, which is almost done, but the team from Dr. Diesel’s Technologies did it very quickly. They were only up here for a few days. All at no cost to us,” said Gray. “The USMC will buy the equipment from them, so it helps us out and it helps them out. They are well-versed in building and testing electrical equipment.”
“For us, we’re able to scrounge around the maintenance center to go look at other vehicles. For the rest of the fleet, they don’t have that ability. So, there are a lot of specific individual parts to hook that engine up to the dyno. Once we get to where we’re running it and we start fielding those parts to the unit, we’ll put together a kit to give each unit,” said Sardeson.
The manufacturers of the ACV, British company BAE Systems, will not troubleshoot the vehicles, so the maintenance and troubleshooting are up to the TMDE team and USMC personnel who have been trained to work on the vehicles.
“There’s also a calibration side of this process, so we travel to train the Marines on how to calibrate their equipment,” said Gray, “There are operators who operate the vehicles and then there are calibrators who calibrate the equipment. If there is an issue, we call the calibrators or get them on a video call so they can troubleshoot. Once we’ve figured out the problem, we’ll send them the equipment that they need to fix it. Our team doesn’t have to be there, but we travel every year to the same locations to certify and validate equipment. Also, to train new Marines, update software and install new hardware.”
From July to December, the team travels across the country to sister base, MCLB Albany, Georgia; MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and MCB Camp Pendleton, California. They also travel out of the country to MCB Camp Smedley D. Butler, in Okinawa, Japan. This period of travel is part of an annual schedule, because of the large equipment that cannot be physically moved.
The team also received a transmission from a failed Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement engine, which is nearly identical to the transmission of an ACV. “The transmission has a bigger purpose now,” said Williams. “The same process we did with the engine, we will do with the transmission, but it’s a little bit easier because Dr. Diesel Technologies does not need to be involved.”
“We’re the only ones that do this in the entire world, that support this equipment. That’s why we’re such a tight group. When its software related, it’s locked down for the USMC, so even the manufacturer wouldn’t be able to get in and our software is different, compared to what the manufacturer first gave us,” said Gray.
“The manufacturers don’t even offer the support or troubleshooting that we do,” said Sardeson. “Last January, I was in Okinawa and Gray was in Saudi Arabia, and I needed some help on some of the troubleshooting, but I couldn’t reach him. So, I email the manufacturer and they tell me to get ahold of Gray for support and I said ‘yes, I know him well, we work on the same team, I just can’t call him right now.’”
Although they had been working together or in other capacities on base for many years, the IROAN team started in 2018 and the entire group has been working together ever since. Their role in the USMC is different from the operators or calibrators for the fleet of vehicles. They use the dynos as tools for troubleshooting, to maintain a constant of service across the fleet and prioritize the longevity of the equipment.
“Cliché, or not, I think it is very appropriate to say that our team and our operation runs like a well-oiled machine,” said Williams. “At least, it certainly feels that way.”
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2024 15:50 |
| Story ID: | 481987 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 671 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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