Tech Tips
Trust our experts to tell you like it is
You can trust Universal Truck & Trailer for in-depth knowledge and a wealth of expertise to tackle your toughest maintenance and service challenges. Our top-notch training program ensures our technicians are always on the forefront of best practices and new techniques.
Here are some helpful tech tips (organized alphabetically):
Daily draining of the air tanks is an easy, in expensive way to monitor the condition of the air system. If a milky or oily sludge is expelled from the air tanks, it may be necessary to have the Air Compressor inspected and a performance check done.
Before removing the old belt, check the alignment of the pulleys. If the driveshafts are not parallel or if the pulleys are misaligned, the drive could be wearing out the belt before its time. If there is misalignment, you will have to adjust or replace the bent or broken pulleys, pulley brackets or shaft.
When removing the belt, do not use any hand tools to pry the belt off the pulleys. Be sure to loosen the belt enough to remove with your hands. Once the old belt is removed, inspect the pulleys for worn grooves, foreign particles, rust or oil in the grooves. If pulleys cannot be cleaned or repaired, they should be replaced.
Ensure that the new belt you are putting on is the correct size. Be sure that the new belt has the proper top-width and outside circumference dimensions. Matched belts must be replaced in sets.
A new belt added to a set of old belts will not ride in the pulleys the same way as the old ones. As a result, the load of the drive will not be distributed evenly among the belts. If one belt in a matched set fails, all the belts must be replaced.
Proper tensioning of the belt is the most important step you can take to extend your belt’s service life because it controls the problem of slipping - the leading cause of belt failure.
When tensioning a newly installed belt, remember to set the proper tension initially and then allow the motor to run 15 to 20 minutes to seat the belt into the pulleys, the belt should then be readjusted to the proper specifications.
Clutch Adjustments are an important part of a preventative maintenance program. Regular clutch adjustments will enhance the performance of the vehicle and increase the longevity of the clutch.
Indicators of problematic clutches can include excessive “Free Play” which will cause improper clutch disengagement making it difficult to shift the transmission into gear and/or out of gear. Insufficient “Free Play” will cause the clutch to slip.
Close inspection of linkages and bushings that are worn may uncover another situation that we refer to as “False Free Play”. This happens when components are worn to a point where there may not be actual necessary clearances to ensure the required “Free Play”.
Check the following before lubrication
1. Yoke-strap cap screws for proper torque
2. Input/output yokes for cracks, looseness or improper phasing
3. U-joints for looseness/wear
4. Midship bearing, cushion and bracket for looseness or wear
5. Slip-joints for spline wear (Look for rust trace or excessive grit in grease.)
6. Driveshaft tubes for dents, bands, twists or other damage. If appears damaged, check for excessive runout.
7. Driveshaft tubes for missing weights and debris buildup
8. Slip joint driveshaft with loose or missing yoke plug
Did you know that it is very important to maintain engine coolant all year round?
A proper mixture of water, antifreeze and a coolant additive is essential for many reasons. Antifreeze not only provides freeze protection in winter months, but raises the boiling point of your coolant in the summer.
This means that by having just water in your radiator, it would start to boil at just above 212 degrees F, depending on your radiator cap pressure setting and conditions, whereas a 50/50 mix of coolant and antifreeze would start to boil above 230 degrees F.
Care should be taken when mixing antifreeze, as too much antifreeze can cause problems. If your mixture is more that 65% antifreeze, 35% water, this can cause poor heat transfer and actually raise the freezing point of your coolant.
A mixture of 60% antifreeze and 40% water is recommended for the Maritimes.
Another clutch item on most heavy-duty trucks is the air operated engine clutch fan that engages the engine-cooling fan. Since it is a clutch, it has a friction surface that will wear out over time. Depending on the style of the clutch fan assembly, the clutch disc is often visible and can be measured.
On the common Horton fan, a measurement below 1/16th of an inch indicates the fan needs to be rebuilt. A periodic check of the clutch fan for missing friction material, excessive fan blade side-to-side movement and air leaks may prevent costly downtime when the fan fails to engage or the fan goes threw the radiator.
Regular adjustments of the fifth wheel will minimize the amount of slack between the tractor and trailer. Lack of lubrication of the fifth wheel top plate and Pivot pins can create a sense of erratic steering where the vehicle will not turn properly and the operator may feel as if he is constantly working the steering wheel.
Fuel additives are intended to disperse contaminants, clean components, increase fuel lubricity and decrease extreme temperature effects; all impacting filter and component life.
This gauge tells you when to change the primary or suction side fuel filter. Service intervals of fuel filters vary due to factors such as fuel quality, temperature, and filter size. The fuel filter restriction indication gives the operator an easy to read gauge that gives feedback on the remaining life of the fuel filter.
If You Are Looking For Ways to Improve Your Truck’s Fuel Economy, Consider These Factors...
Cruise control - The proper use of cruise control can increase fuel economy up to 6%.
Vehicle settings - It is important to adjust wheel bearings and brakes and a wheel alignment should be performed on all axles twice a year in the spring and fall.
Air cleaner - A dirty or undersized air cleaner can reduce fuel economy up to 1%.
Exhaust system - A restrictive exhaust system or poor location of an exhaust outlet can reduce economy up to 2%.
Aerodynamic devices – These can save up to 14% in fuel economy. For example, the cab roof/fairing can save up to 10% and side skirts over fuel tanks up to 3%.
Lubricants - The use of gear trained synthetic lubricants can save up to 0.5% summer and 2% winter.
Tires - One set of tires can produce up to 14% worse fuel economy than another set. This can depend on the size; tread design and depth and the air pressure.
Drivers - The difference between a good driver and a poor driver in the same truck can make a difference in fuel economy up to 35%. For example, if one driver can achieve 7 mpg, another may only be able to reach 4.55 mpg.
Other factors - In addition to the factors already mentioned, fuel economy can be affected by speed, idling, excessive brake applications, coasting, touch on the throttle, progressive shifting, use of accessories, trailer gap and the route selected-flat versus hilly, traffic versus no traffic, and day versus night. Of course all of these factors can be affected by the age and condition of the vehicle.
On the highway, a lot of money can be saved simply by driving slower.
The whole idea is to run your truck in the highest gear possible, and at a reasonably low RPM to maintain maximum fuel economy at the legal road speed, or below.
There are two customer parameters that’ll help you do that.
1. VEHICLE SPEED LIMIT - No power available above this limit.
2. HIGH GEAR LIMIT - Limited RPMs in all high gears below top gear. If you want the maximum road speed, you have to be in the top gear.
The engine should be fully warmed up (coolant temperature should be above 185F).
Engine must be at slow idle (cannot be in Fast Idle or PTO Mode).
The transmission must be in neutral.
Set the park brake (cycle the park brake OFF to ON). .
Press and release the clutch pedal (if configured).
Hold the DPF Switch to the ON position for five (5) seconds and release (engine speed will increase and DPF Lamp will go out).
The regeneration will take approximately 20-40 min.
The regeneration is complete when the engine returns to low idle and the DPF lamp remains off.
If the DPF lamps comes back on the regeneration failed. (Contact the Customer Support Center).
To Cancel a Parked Regeneration hold the DPF Switch to the ON position for five (5) seconds and release.
A Parked Regeneration will stop if the key is turned to the off position, the truck is put into gear or the parking brake is released.
When replacing single shocks on an axle, always remember to match hydraulic to hydraulic and air to air. You should not mix on an axle as they react differently from one another.
Your vehicle’s starting/charging system may not be much for concern during warmer weather, however after the arrival of cooler temperatures is when the system is put to the test. It is well worth the effort to having the vehicle starting/charging system diagnosed to minimize costly and unplanned down time. Call our Truck Service Department for an appointment.
When it comes to fuel economy, wheel alignment can be a major factor. It takes just one tenth of an inch to have a large impact on tire wear. For example, if a forward drive axle shows just one tenth of one inch thrust, the result in 100,000 kilometers of highway travel, is the equivalent of dragging the tire sideways for 100 kilometers.
It is necessary to have the alignment checked whenever components such as kingpins and bushings, tie rod ends, spring pins and spring bushings, or springs are replaced, or simply as part of regular preventative maintenance. Any of these issues may cause a tire wear issue.
In addition to extended tire life and increased fuel mileage, there are other key reasons why regular alignments make good sense. Alignments cut maintenance costs, improve straight line stopping, improve handling, reduce drive fatigue and assure safer driving.
To help improve the cold weather performance of your engine, have a winterfront installed. It will help your engine warm up quicker, run warmer, help save fuel and it will stay warmer longer.
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