This Week in The Garage
The jobs that go on in our garage change day to day since we really don’t know what ‘s going to fail or what needs to be serviced next. There is always something to do around the shop. Of course I don’t have to tell any of the guys in our shop what to do next because they are very efficient in that department and like to keep busy.
Here are a few jobs that I am documenting in this post to give you a look at the random repairs that pop up. It’s part of our responsibility to make sure the entire fleet is running safely. Sometimes failures happen without warning and that is unfortunate. We just have to keep on top of everything with wheels to prevent unexpected mechanical failures.
Front Brake Job Chevy One Ton Van
These G Model Chevy vans have a common problem with front brake pulsation. The cube style box is larger that the standard body so naturally they can be loaded up at will. One thing we tried was to send the van to the scales to get weighed to see if perhaps they were over the GVW. They feel like they literally have a boat anchor in the back end with an extremely laboured launch from a standing start.
The rotors on this job can be saved so machining is the standard procedure. Measuring the rotor thickness is the first step to determine if it’s salvageable. For the cost of labour, brake pads, 2 wheel seals and some bearing grease repairing these brakes on site is much more economical.
Cummins Engine Oil Pan Replacement
The weld around the drain plug was rusted which caused a steady drip of engine oil. Since I don’t trust rust and it’s unpredictable properties we immediately ordered a new oil pan. An elementary repair but well worth the effort. It was surprising that the price of the new oil pan was well under 300 dollars. In the trucking world that much money usually does not get you much.
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Broken Steel Coolant Line To The Doser Valve
The doser valve in a Mercedes diesel engine is responsible for shooting diesel into the exhaust downstream line to cook out the soot and ash that accumulates in the DPF filter. The heat generated gets rid of the bad emissions collecting in the exhaust system. The doser valve gets so hot it requires cooling from the engine cooling system. The cooling line is this case broke at one of the mounting tabs.
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These repairs are a well rounded example of the repairs we experience in a fleet garage. Thanks for stopping by and reading this post. Please post your comments and questions below.
