Regular maintenance

[Graymist]

What kind of regular / periodic maintenance should be performed on a truck to try and limit downtime to the extent possible, and to try and increase up-time / productivity as much as possible ? Let's assume that it's a 4-5 year old truck.

[allan5oh]

Every time I'm under the hood I'm checking all fluid levels. Oil, coolant, clutch fluid, power steering fluid.

Grease at least once a month, check brake chambers and brake throw every time your under the truck. I also regularly check the ride height. I make sure all tires are at 105 psi at least once a month. Rarely do they drop more then a couple psi. During the monthly inspection I'll also check all the battery/starter connections make sure they're tight and clean. I'll also lubricate all the hinges/shocks and clevis pins. It really pays off to lube the pins. Trust me on that one.

Every year I get an alignment, and a valve set.

I do oil changes every 30,000 miles. Every oil change I check the tranny/diff fluid level. I also swap the 2 magnetic plugs on the diffs to see if there's any metal collecting on the bottom one.

Every 2 years do the air dryer, power steering fluid/filter, and change the coolant and coolant filter. I'm going to start changing the hydraulic clutch fluid every 2 years as well. Diff oils get changed about once every 2 years. Tranny oil I believe is good to 500,000 miles as long as you use an approved oil.

The clutch gets adjusted about once every 3 months. Having a clutch brake is nice!

Whenever I take it in for the 6 month inspection, I tell them to have a good look at the 5th wheel and adjust if necessary.

Every winter I do the usual winter stuff, make sure my tires are in good shape and test the coolant.

That's all I can remember for now!

[allan5oh]

If it has older batteries I'd consider some high quality units such as the odyssey or optimas. The odysseys have more power, but are more pricey. These will outlast regular batteries several times over.

Also, with better batteries, your starter will last longer.

[rank]

If you do a good circle check you will catch most problems before they strand you on the road.

The only things that have stranded us are:
-An alternator (once, we carry spares now)
-A Turbo
-Blown Tires (failure to check pressure)

[heavyhaulerss]

well some manufacturers suggest you change oil, rear dope & trans at different miles. see when yours should be done & do it. also if any belts or hoses are old or worn replace, but put old one's in side box as spare. have at least one spare of every size hose & belt on truck. this way you will never be stranded because of it. i carry several gallons of water too. that is just my choice. most dont. check all fluid levels before leaving out on trip. also watch where air lines & hoses are touching one another or rubbing anywhere. they will rub a hole eventually. i just had one rub thru on air line going to the fan clutch. after replaced. just slice an old peice of hose down the middle and wrap around where the rub spot is & fasten with plastic ties. this will keep from rubbing another hole thru air line. there are so many other things to do. like carry spare lights & fueses of every type on truck & trailer. the list goes on..

[GMAN]

The two most critical things to check are grease and oil changes.

[heavyhaulerss]

I agree g-man. every 12000 my oil gets changed & I grease everything front front to back. maybe thats why ive had 8 years & never had a breakdown away from home other than a 1 time sensor going out. also maybe the reason I was able to hit 1 mil miles & still going.

[GMAN]

A little grease, fresh oil and filters can prevent a lot of problems, heavyhaulerss. 8)

[Graymist]

A little grease, fresh oil and filters can prevent a lot of problems, heavyhaulerss. 8)

At what intervals should greasing be done, and air filters changed ? What are the main areas that should be greased ?

[GMAN]

I know some owner operators who grease their trucks about half way through their oil change cycle. If you change your oil at 15,000 miles, then grease at around 7,500 miles. I met a guy a few years ago who parked his truck the same place I parked and he greased his truck every week. I think that is a bit too frequent. I would look around for all the fittings. The front end and drive train will likely see the most wear, so I would pay close attention to those fittings. There are fittings around the steering box and transmission. There is on fitting on my International which can easily be over looked unless you are used to doing maintenance on them. It is up around the transmission or bell housing. You always want to pay attention to fluid levels in the rears and any leaking around wheel seals. I check my air filter and change when it needs it. I would say about every third oil change at my intervals. If you run in dusty areas, you will probably need to change the air filter more frequently. At one time, I changed my air filter when I did the oil change. At about $36 it is a bit pricey. Changing that frequently isn't usually necessary.

[Mackman]

my oldman grease his truck every 2 weeks. He always said he like greaseing his truck himself cuz you can look around for other problems while your under the truck.

[Kranky]

I believe in greasing every 5 working days.

This is for dump trucks.

Grease is cheaper than parts and it's a lot easier to install.

Don't forget the fittings on the clutch cross shaft at each side of the bellhousing, and also be sure to grease the clutch throwout bearing.

[merrick4]

Excuse my ignorance, but does some of the truckstops do the greasing and how much do they charge? I have no problem taking care of the truck, but I'm not much for doing stuff like this myself.

[GMAN]

Most truck stops that have a garage should be able to lube your truck. Prices will vary, but I believe I usually pay about $18 for just the tractor.

[SilverWulf]

There is no way I'll ever let some minimum wage drop out in a truck stop garage grease my truck.

I'll never be convinced they know where all the fittings are, or how much grease to put in each one, nevermind how much is too much to put in each one.

I went and spent around $200 on an electric grease gun and grease once a week. I look for other problems and do a thorough inspection while climbing under and around the truck. I keep a pair of coveralls inside a garbage bag in the side box just for this. When the coveralls get too slimed, I toss them and buy a new pair.

Other PM is changing oil every 12-15K, checking all oil and fluid levels daily, changing belts and hoses when showing wear, keeping the radiator and grill clean (keeps temps down). I check tire pressures every time I fuel (gotta get some of those crossfire things). Every time I grease I check the transmission and differential oil levels and adjust the brakes.

I carry spare belts and hoses of every size and type I might need along with air hose splices and a variety of fittings. I also have a spare alternator, several gallons of water and oil, spare fuel filters, and enough tools to do pretty much anything short of an in-frame on the side of the road.

I probably forgot a few things... will add more later if I think of anything.

Dan