Under The Hood

In the heavy-duty trucking business, fleet managers must be ready to expect the unexpected as seemingly minor unexpected maintenance can ultimately lead to a major system failure

Three years from now, you'll see a new API diesel engine oil-service category, designed to help meet federal greenhouse gas/fuel economy standards, which have a final phase-in date set for model year 2018 trucks.

For years, some fleets have turned to synthetic engine oils for easier starts in cold-weather climates and to help them extend oil drain intervals

You don't have to go far to find a fleet having trouble with engines. Mostly they report emissions systems problems, not surprising given the short time the engine makers had to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's tight timelines. To be fair, owners of diesels meeting EPA 2010 standards are reporting fewer problems than they had with the first few generations of EPA 2007-compliant engines

Uptime and utilization are everything, so you don't want a truck sitting on the shop floor during basic battery maintenance. Most fleets pull the batteries at the first sign of trouble and replace them with fresh batteries to get the truck moving again, planning to deal with the bad batteries later. But what killed the batteries in the first place

By January of 2016, you'll see a new API diesel engine oil classification, designed to help meet federal greenhouse gas/fuel economy standards. In fact, you may, for the first time, see two separate categories

High diesel and crude oil prices may make headlines, but the cost of engine oil has risen, as well, making an extended-oil-drain strategy more appealing

One of the biggest misconceptions is that batteries charge the same throughout the year. They simply don't! In warm weather (above 40 degrees), batteries are very easy to recharge

Oil and coolant are like your blood and your sweat, respectively, and they have to work together to keep you aliv

Diagnostics took a while to become a high art, though for for a long time it was a human one.

Lead acid batteries - the most common type of battery found in trucking and automotive applications - were developed in the mid-1800s. After more than 160 years, the technology still delivers, because lead acid batteries are relatively inexpensive when compared with other types of batteries

Grease has been called the "Rodney Dangerfield of lubricants." The late comedian was often known to lament, "I just don't get no respect." Likewise, grease is often an afterthought when it comes to truck maintenance

Synthetic oils make up only a small part of the lubricant market, but they are set to take on a more significant role