Deciphering the Fluid Leak From Your Car

Trucks are robustly made because they are subjected to heavy-duty work carrying heavy loads for long hours and often on not ideal roads. Their parts are made to endure these harsh conditions and meet these expectations in normal circumstances. But trucks undergo wear and tear and require regular repair and maintenance. As a fleet manager, you should expect to incur heavy-duty truck repairs as part of the business. However, good care and maintenance can keep these costs affordable. What are some of the common truck repairs to expect?

Brake System Repairs

Truck brakes take a lot of stress because of heavy loads. As a result, they overheat, especially when going long downhill sections. Well-maintained brakes are essential to a truck's safety. You should have brakes checked after every long trip.

Brake failure can happen for several reasons. Leaking brake fluid eliminates hydraulic braking pressure. Worn brake shoes and pads can also cause less effective braking, and a faulty air tank reservoir will cause the failure of the air brakes. Therefore, any truck repairs session must include an inspection of the braking system.

Wheel Bearing Repairs

Long driving hours place an extraordinary load on wheel bearings. You can expect worn-out wheel bearings, especially on long-distance haulers. Lack of proper lubrication quickens the process of wheel bearing failure. Signs of worn-out bearings include wobbly wheels and funny sounds from the wheel wells.

In extreme cases, worn-out wheel bearings will cause wheel separation, with catastrophic results. Therefore, worn-out wheel bearings should be replaced during truck repairs. It makes movement smoother and improves fuel efficiency.

Clutch Repairs

Trucks have a wider range of gears than family cars to handle varying load demands. Therefore, a truck's clutch is under heavy demand, especially on uneven terrain. Manual clutches can wear out faster because of poor driving habits when drivers do not understand gearing well. Luckily, today's truck clutches are self-adjusting and suffer less abuse.

Clutch failure can happen because of worn-out throw bearings, damaged pressure plates, and stretched or broken cables. Leaky cylinders also cause failure in hydraulic clutches. Signs of clutch failure include squeaking sounds during a gear change and poor response to gear change. Puddles of oil under the engine point to leaky cylinders. You might also hear over-revving when the gears do not change properly and sense a burning smell. If so, schedule urgent truck repairs to fix a faulty clutch.

Are you worried about the performance of your fleet of trucks? Talk to an automotive repair shop about regulartruck repairs for optimal performance.