Common Commercial Truck Heating Problems

 COMMON COMMERCIAL TRUCK HEATING ISSUES:

Commercial trucks often have heating issues that need serious attention. Heating issues could cause breakdowns that keep you off the job unless the repairing is done completely. There are a lot of causes why your truck should be having heating problems. Knowing them would aid you to take better care of your vehicle. 

That is the reason why diesel brother - commercial truck repair in Milton put together an informative guide to aid you in recognizing and fixing the common heating issues. 

1. THERMOSTAT:

The thermostat is a valve between the radiator and the engine. Whenever the engine coolant is heating too much, the thermostat would open so that the coolant can easily enter the radiator and cool down. A faulty thermostat that does not perform this basic function could cause the engine to overheat. 

Symptoms of this overheating include a higher than normal temperature gauge reading, a quick temperature change in the cab, coolant leaking, malfunctioning heater, and muffled noises. Thermostats must last about 10 years, but the only way to fix a faulty one is to change it.

2. BLOWN HEAD GASKET:

This common commercial truck heating issue occurs for a few reasons. A cylinder could overheat because of a bad injector. Improper engine timing could outcome in a spike in pressure. There can as well be too much fuel in the engine or the coolant passages can be plugged up. 

Signs include white steam or smoke coming from the engine or the tailpipe, coolant bubbling in the radiator, milky white discoloration of the oil, and usual engine overheating that causes the temperature gauge to rise suddenly. The engine of the vehicle could last up to a month relying on how bad the damage is, but it is finest to get a new head gasket as quickly as possible.

3. RADIATOR CAP:

The radiator cap does not just serve as a plug to close the radiator after changing the radiator fluid, but it as well acts as a pressure relief valve, making it a crucial part of your vehicle that could cause heating issues if it is faulty.

Often overlooked as an overheating cause, a worse radiator cap could outcome in major engine damage. Signs of a worse radiator cap include leaking coolant, reservoir overflow, white streaks on the radiator, rupturing radiator hose, overheating engine, and air in the cooling system. 

To avoid these issues, always check your radiator cap and change it instantly if it is faulty. It is an inexpensive part that would save you a lot of cash by only changing it rather than enabling it to cause even more costly problems. Never forget it because even a minute unassuming part could be the cause of an overheating issue of your truck. 

4. COOLANT LEAKAGE:

Coolant is crucial to avoid your engine from overheating. That is why a coolant leakage is not a good thing. The most evident signs of coolant leakage are finding puddles of coolant under your vehicle or finding that your radiator or expansion tank is low or dry during a checking. Other signs include coolant warning lights, leaky hose or cap, rusty radiator, and bubbles in the radiator. 

If you could recognize where the leak is coming from, you might be capable to seal it off temporarily yourself. But ensure you get it sealed rightly by a technician as quickly as possible. 

5. WATER PUMP FAILURE:

The water pump circulates coolant through the engine block. A defective water pump that fails this task could cause piston failure, cracked cylinder heads, and blown head gaskets. That is a lot of possible cash loss. So, you want to change the water pump instantly. Signs of water pump failure include whining noises in the coolant leak, engine, overheating, and corrosion. 

6. TRUCK HEATER:

Maybe your truck engine isn’t overheating, but you’re freezing in the cabin. A defective truck heater is a likely culprit here until you don’t turn the heater on because you like cooler temperatures. Though, if you did try turning it on and it did not come on or it shows down somewhere along the road, there are a few causes why your heater is malfunctioning.

THERMOSTAT – Once again, that pesky thermostat is not rightly controlling coolant flow through the radiator. Warm air won’t come out of the vent if the coolant cannot heat up. Fortunately, thermostats are cheap and simple to install. 

COOLANT – You might not have sufficient coolant, which can show that you have a leakage. Find the source of the leakage and seat it up yourself or have an expert do it. Once you have sufficient coolant again, your healer must work like normal. 

CONTROLS – Perhaps the issue is that the heater controls are not working. You could press the buttons or turn the knobs all day without getting even a wisp of mild air. That does not significantly mean you have a malfunctioning thermostat or another kind of technical problem. It can be that you want new controls or they want to be reconnected. It can even be an electric issue. 

HEATER CORE – A defective or old heater core might be the cause of your heater problem. The heater core is basically a device behind the dash that takes heat generated by coolant flow and pumps it into the cab through the vents. Over time, the heater core could become clogged or rusty, avoiding air from flowing as freely. You might be capable to fix it by flushing out the passageways or you might want to change it completely. 

Additionally, valves in the core could get stuck in the closed position, needing you or a mechanic to open them up. 

AVOIDING HEATING ISSUES:

The finest way to avoid heating issues of any kind is to daily check your equipment and perform routine maintenance and cleaning. Parts do not last forever, so they would ultimately fail one way or another. But they could last much longer if well taken care of. Beyond that, just watch out for signs of malfunction and get any issues fixed early before they become major issues that cause more harm and cost you more cash.