{"id":2435,"date":"2020-07-20T15:27:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T15:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2435"},"modified":"2020-07-20T15:27:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-20T15:27:13","slug":"the-truck-technicians-log-seals-and-battery-testing-and-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/the-truck-technicians-log-seals-and-battery-testing-and-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truck Technician\u2019s Log: Seals and Battery Testing and Maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to QuickTSI\u2019s latest installment of The Technician\u2019s Log<\/em>, our long-running look at all things shop-related in trucking. In today\u2019s piece, we are going to talk about two big topics in the shop: seals and batteries. While batteries may seem like a more critical component in the immediate moment, seals are just as equally important in the long run. Let\u2019s look at each of these categories individually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seals Under Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any shop technician will tell you that properly installed\nand maintained seals will prevent downtime. Leaks are bad. They cause serious\nheadaches for technicians. It is important that the proper tools are used when\ninstalling the seal. Manually pushing it into place can lead to problems. There\nare seals on drive axles, crankshafts and cam shafts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a seal installation is not completed properly, the metal\nof the shaft it is installed in could break through, which leads to serious\nproblems. Once the seal has been compromised a small leak could turn big rather\nquickly. And when you try to recover from a leak, it isn\u2019t a matter of simply\nadjusting the seal. Often, compromises seals need to be replaced entirely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, you may have to remove other vehicle components\njust to get to the seal. If the timing belt or driveline are in the way, you\nface lots of downtime. It is so important that seal work is done right the\nfirst time. Seal installation kits make the job much easier and go a long way\nin ensuring you don\u2019t botch the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before embarking on seal work, it is important you clean the\narea where the new seal will be applied. Contaminants can compromise a seal job\nfrom the outset. Depending on how long the old seal was on installed, there\ncould be even more contaminants. When you look for a seal installation kit,\ncheck for an insert tool to put the seal in the right position. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, oil damages seals. If you aren\u2019t operating in a\nclean environment, the simple act of getting a bit of oil on the seal could result\nin you trashing it. Always handle a seal by its outside perimeter. You never\nwant to grab it on its fragile inner side. When you install the tool, ensure\nyou apply enough pressure to the tool you are using. Loose seals defeat their\npurpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some drive axle OEMs offer their own on-line\nreference manuals<\/a>. The best seal installation kits should include\ncolor-coded tools. Instructions should be easy to read, but thorough enough to\nclearly explain the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working on pinion seals? Make sure you check and possibly\nreplace them whenever you service the universal joint. If you are nervous about\nthis procedure, there are vendors out there who offer kits to assist with this\nkind of job. Also consider that maintenance recommendations for these seals\nmust be carefully considered. The manufacturer will generally provide that\ninformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work on pinion seals require the removal of other critical\ncomponents, such as the driveline, pinion shaft and yoke. Any time you work on\na seal or must take other components apart to get to a seal, you must use the\nproper tools and take extra care. It will make your life a lot easier in the\nshop if you get seals installed correctly the first time, every time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping Battery Testing in Mind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The electrical systems in commercial motor vehicles are\nincredibly complex. Their sophistication has risen over the years thanks to the\nmany sensors and connections they must now handle. Whether it be for engine\noperation or truck driver navigation, there are a lot of things going on in the\ntruck that draw on the battery for power. Your vehicle\u2019s electrical systems\nmust have a stable voltage supply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common battery voltage used in North America is the 12-volt battery. The only difference between a passenger vehicle using a 12-volt battery and a large commercial vehicle are the numbers of batteries they use. Heavy duty commercial motor vehicles require multiple batteries strung together in parallel. This setup provides the cranking energy necessary to start the vehicle and handle the larger, more powerful engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can generally put commercial motor vehicles into two\ncategories: heavy duty automotive and heavy-duty truck. An automotive heavy\nduty would be something akin to a Ford F350 to F550 chassis. These vehicles use\na Group 65 battery for operation. Tow trucks and ambulances also fall under\nthis category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entirety of the heavy-duty automotive truck market generally\nuses the Group 31 model battery. The size and application of the vehicle will\ndictate how many batteries are required in its operation. Small or medium-duty\ntrucks typically use two batteries. Dump trucks, refuse trucks, and other\nlarge-type models will generally rely on three to four batteries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy-duty commercial motor vehicle batteries are expected\nto perform well in harsh conditions. They should not only start high\ncompression diesel engines, but they need to provide plenty of power for other\ntruck components that need to draw from it. Urban delivery vehicles sometimes\nhave no-idle requirements. Batteries are required for this. Sleeper cab trucks\nwith lots of internal components need to draw upon copious amounts of power as\nwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at Battery Type and Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trucks used in certain inner-city applications may need\nhigher amperage alternators for starting and stopping loads. Plus, as truck\ndrivers request more entertainment and support systems, more and more power is\nrequired. That\u2019s why it is important that you know what type of battery you\nneed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you can address battery issues, you have got to know\nwhat kind of battery you are working with. You should easily be able to\nidentify the batter, especially if you have worked on it in previous\napplications, or perhaps installed it. Commercial motor vehicles use three\ntypes of lead acid batteries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n