problem with year in netcdf file on x86_64

[Etienne Tourigny]

I just tried compiling and running grads-1.9b4 on centos 4.4 x86_64 and
encountered the following problem with netcdf files:

the dates are messed up, the days appear OK but the year is a huge and
unrelated number, for example

Time = 21Z31JAN4697254411347429307 to 21Z31DEC4697254411347429307
instead of
Time = 21Z31JAN1979 to 21Z31DEC1979

when I open the file, the date is ok but if I use "set t" or "set time"
commands, the years change to weird values.

I tried various pre-compiled versions of grads (on centos.karan.org), and
the netcdf utilies seem fine, because the dates appear OK in ncview.  I
suspect it is related to the 64-bit platform?  Or perhaps udunits? I was
unable to compile it myself and used the version from centos.karan.org

I would really appreciate any help.
thanks Etienne