62 |
Overdrive
| June 2014
9 things owner-operators too often overlook
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CUSTOM RIGS PRO TIPS
A
fter working with owner-
operators for the last 37
years, I've concluded there
are at least nine items or practices
that struggling owner-ops usually
are defi cient in:
Turbo boost gauge: Driving
without a turbo boost or manifold
pressure gauge is like driving blind.
The boost gauge will inform you
when you have a leak in the charge
air system, a failing turbo, clogged
fuel lines, a faulty ECM, dirty air
fi lter(s), a dirty fuel fi lter or are us-
ing too much throttle on the level,
resulting in a fuel mileage loss.
Exhaust gas temperature gauge
(or pyrometer): This gauge works
in conjunction with the turbo boost
gauge and will inform you if the
exhaust gas temperature is too high
or if there is a boost leak. If you're
lugging the engine, the fuel fi lter is
dirty or there is a power problem,
you'll need to know the differences
in the boost and pyrometer gauges.
Kevin Rutherford's Scan Gauge:
This gauge will give you an instant
readout of your fuel mileage
and about 63 other useful bits of
information from your truck's data
link. It's available at letstruck.com,
the website of trucking radio host
Kevin Rutherford.
Fresh fuel fi lters: Many owner-
operators are not changing their
fuel fi lter soon enough. We get
many trucks in for dyno testing
for low power complaints and fi nd
dirty fuel fi lters. Back in the 1980s,
we used to change the fuel fi lter
once a week. Now, it's at oil change
intervals, and 30,000 miles is way
too long to run a fuel fi lter.
New crankshaft torsional vibra-
tion damper: This part is located
on the front of the crankshaft and
removes torsional vibration from
the engine. It must be replaced
every 500,000 miles.
Usually, mechanics don't change
them, but this is a wear item just
like a tire and must be replaced. It
has a large steel ring that rides on a
Tefl on bearing and fl oats in a thin
layer of silicone. At about 380,000
miles, the Tefl on bearing starts to
wear, and that impregnates the
silicone. At 500,000, the silicon has
gotten hard, and the steel ring won't
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ProTips_0614.indd 62 6/3/14 10:34 AM
