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Grove MZ66B Manlift — Documentation & Diagnostic Research

This page consolidates the general research behind the rest of this site: where the manuals came from, where to source parts, and cross-validated engine specs. Every link below was independently found via search or direct page fetch — none are fabricated. Where a page could not be verified directly (blocked by bot protection, paywall, dead link), that is flagged explicitly so you know how much to trust it. For the diagnosis of the specific problems found on this particular machine and what’s being done about them, see My Story.

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Do not pay for anything below without calling the seller first to confirm what you’ll actually receive — several of the manual resellers show signs of being unverified scan/reprint operations (see §2.4).
A follow-up pass found several genuine, complete, free manuals — a full illustrated MZ66B parts catalog, a T60/MZ66 Operators Safety and Maintenance Handbook, the Nissan A15 engine service manual, the model-exact sales brochure, and — hardest-won — the actual electrical/hydraulic schematic set. All are on the Manuals page. Start there before paying for anything in §2.

1. Equipment identification

ComponentIdentificationConfidence
MachineGrove MZ66B — self-propelled telescoping-boom aerial work platform, ~66 ft working height, 500 lb unrestricted platform capacity, ~20,500 lb operating weight. Built by Grove Manlift (later part of Manitowoc), roughly 1987–1999.High
EngineNissan A15 — 4-cylinder, water-cooled, gasoline, industrial/forklift-derived engine (also used by TCM and other forklift OEMs). Bore × stroke 76.0 × 82.0 mm (2.992 × 3.228 in), 1,487 cc, industrial compression ratio ~9.0:1. Engine S/N: 85029.High
Spark plugsAC Delco R44TAs given
Rebuild spec (this unit)Bore +.030" over, main bearings standard (.000), rod bearings standard (.000)As given

Two important naming disambiguations worth keeping in mind when searching further:

  • “Grindstaff Engines” (grindstaffengines.com, Independence, MO) is a remanufactured-industrial-engine and rebuild-kit supplier — not the engine’s original manufacturer. The engine itself is a Nissan A15; Grindstaff sells rebuild kits and remanufactured long blocks for it.
  • Don’t confuse the MZ66B (telescoping boom, this machine) with the MZ66D/MZ66DXT (different, later variant) or the AMZ66/AMZ66XT (articulating boom — different machine, different manual). Several manuals and forum threads online are for these look-alike model numbers — verify the exact model suffix before buying a manual.

2. Manuals & documentation

2.1 Official / rights-holder source — MinnPar

In May 2007, MinnPar LLC (Roseville, MN; subsidiary of PartsZone LLC) acquired from Manitowoc the rights to manufacture/sell replacement parts and documentation for the entire Grove Manlift aerial-platform line, including the MZ66B. Manitowoc transferred blueprints, engineering drawings, and records to them and now refers all Grove Manlift customers to MinnPar directly. This is the closest thing to an “official” current source.

Per forum reports (unverified — call to confirm current price): MinnPar sells a Parts & Service manual for ~$150, or ~$239–280 for a full set including electrical and hydraulic schematics, with a 2–3 week lead time. Figures conflict across sources/time, so call 1-800-889-3382 and ask directly — this is the best first call.

Note: Manitowoc’s own manuals portal (https://www.manitowoc.com/manuals) does not list the MZ66B or any Grove Manlift model — they exited that product line to MinnPar in 2007, so this isn’t a source. Genie is unrelated (separate company, acquired by Terex in 2002) and has no MZ66B documentation.

2.2 Cheapest option — Tradebit (parts catalog only)

2.3 Full manual set — DIY Repair Manuals (pricier, claims “factory”)

Category page: https://diyrepairmanuals.com/product-category/construction/grove/crane-grove/mz66b-crane-grove/

TitleURLPrice
Shop Service Repair Manualhttps://diyrepairmanuals.com/product/grove-mz66b-telescopic-boom-shop-service-repair-manual/$410.69
Electric Wiring Diagram Manualhttps://diyrepairmanuals.com/product/grove-mz66b-telescopic-boom-electric-wiring-diagram-manual/$384.18
Parts Catalog Manualhttps://diyrepairmanuals.com/product/grove-mz66b-telescopic-boom-parts-catalog-manual/$383.08
Owner Operator Maintenance Manualhttps://diyrepairmanuals.com/product/grove-mz66b-telescopic-boom-owner-operator-maintanance-manual/$383.06
Hydraulic Schematic Diagram Manualhttps://diyrepairmanuals.com/product/grove-mz66b-telescopic-boom-hydraulic-schematic-diagram-manual/$380.39

Caveat: pricing is unusually high and uniform across unrelated equipment on this site — a pattern associated with drop-ship “manual” operations of uncertain legitimacy. Call the number on their site before paying, and confirm exactly what format/content you’ll receive.

2.4 eBay / Scribd (physical or scanned copies)

Avoid: commillrater.wordpress.com/.../grove-mz66b-parts-manual.pdf (only 35KB — almost certainly SEO-bait, not a real catalog) and any manual link on unrelated/government domains that shows up in search.

2.4b Update — free manuals actually obtained

Several of the “paid only” items above turned out to be retrievable for free after all — see the Manuals page for the actual files and full provenance on each:

  • MZ66B Parts Catalog (400 pages) — genuine illustrated parts catalog, via Internet Archive.
  • Operators Safety and Maintenance Handbook — genuine Grove operator/safety/maintenance handbook, via Internet Archive.
  • MinnPar Replacement Parts Catalog (120 pages) — MinnPar’s current official parts catalog with photos, via their FlipHTML5 flipbook’s Print feature.
  • Nissan A12 & A15 Engine Service Manual (91 pages) — the actual Nissan factory engine service manual, via a FlipHTML5 flipbook.
  • MZ48B/MZ66B Sales Brochure (6 pages) — genuine Grove factory sales brochure for this exact model pair, via Scribd’s free in-browser preview. This is the single most model-specific document found — its spec table is headed “MZ66B” by name, unlike every other source in this document. Its drive-speed/gradeability figures supersede the ones pulled from the T60/MZ66 handbook — see Top Speed.

2.5 Community / forums

heavyequipmentforums.com blocks automated fetching, so open these directly in a browser:

Reported common issues on this platform (from forum snippets): sluggish boom-lower/drive traced to hydraulic pump/valve wear or low or contaminated fluid; no-start after reversed battery polarity requiring relay-board repair; basket control failures traced to interlock switches and relay panels.

3. Nissan A15 engine — specs & rebuild reference

3.1 Manuals

TitleSourceURLPrice
TCM Shop Manual for Nissan “A15” gasoline engine (No. ME-A15AE) — dedicated single-engine factory manualeBayhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/285117187750 , https://www.ebay.com/itm/126628875580~$34–80
Nissan A12 & A15 Industrial Engine Shop Service Repair ManualeBayhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/256404928248$113.58
Nissan Model A15, Z24, SD25 Engines Service ManualeBayhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/Nissan-Model-A15-Z24-SD25-Engines-Service-Manual-/173321452577not confirmed
Nissan A12-A15 Manual (91pp scan)Scribdhttps://www.scribd.com/document/788981984/Nissan-a12-A15-Manualpaywalled

The TCM ME-A15AE manual is the best single find not already obtained — it’s a factory manual dedicated solely to this engine (TCM used the A15 in their own forklifts).

3.2 Engine specs (cross-validated across engine-specs.net and Grindstaff)

SpecValue
Bore × stroke76.0 × 82.0 mm (2.992 × 3.228 in) — matches the +.030" kit against a 2.990" standard bore
Displacement1,487 cc
Compression ratio (industrial)~9.0:1
Head bolt torque51–58 ft-lb
Main bearing cap torque36–43 ft-lb
Rod bearing (big-end) torque23–27 ft-lb
Valve clearance, hot0.014 in (0.35 mm), intake & exhaust
Firing order1-3-4-2, distributor rotates counter-clockwise
Oil capacity3.3 L w/filter, 2.8 L w/o
Factory spark plug gapConfirmed from the actual Nissan factory manual (p.MA-9): 0.031–0.035 in (0.8–0.9 mm). This superseded an earlier engine-specs.net estimate of 0.039–0.043 in once the real factory manual was obtained — see the engine service manual and Specs.

Sources: https://www.engine-specs.net/nissan/a15.html , https://www.grindstaffengines.com/specs.html

Firing order source: https://ratsun.net/topic/23669-what-is-the-firing-order-for-a15/

3.3 Grindstaff Engines — rebuild kit

  • Product page: https://www.grindstaffengines.com/nissan.html — lists a remanufactured A15 long block and an “A-15 Rebuild Kit” (pistons, rings, main/rod/cam bearings, gasket set, valves, guides, timing chain and gears, tensioners, valve springs). No prices or oversize options published online — call for a quote referencing the +.030"/std-mains/std-rods spec.
  • Contact: 1041 S. Vista Ave, Independence, MO 64056 · 816-796-7676 · Fax 816-796-6053

3.4 Parts (gaskets, bearings, carb)

Important — the A15 commonly ran dual-fuel (gasoline + LPG). Evidence: Nissan’s FCG15N7 forklift model paired an A15 with an IMPCO I125 propane mixer (https://store.nashfuel.com/products/nissan-fcg15n7-a15-propane-carburetor-i125-mixer), and genuine Nissan LPG solenoid valve part numbers exist for A15-equipped trucks (17962-00H05, 17904-FC300, 17904-FC001). Confirmed directly for this machine’s model line: the MZ48B/MZ66B sales brochure lists “Nissan A-15 dual/fuel engine” as a factory-offered option, right alongside the alternative Deutz diesel option. This is directly relevant to the hydraulic-line coil diagnosis in My Story.

4. What this means for this specific machine

See My Story for the diagnosis built from everything above — which specific parts and schematics resolve each issue found on inspection — and what’s being done about the one that’s still genuinely open.