Hi there, my name is Nellie. Welcome to my site. I am excited to share my knowledge about automotive service on this site. I would like to help everyone learn about how to keep their cars and trucks in excellent condition over the years. My site will cover all of the different maintenance and repair tasks required by vintage and modern vehicles. I will talk about the tools and safety equipment you must use for each task. I hope you can use the information on my site to keep your vehicle well-maintained and running great. Thank you for your visit.
Your truck isn't just a vehicle, it's your livelihood. It's also your largest business investment and the single greatest determiner of your income potential. Treating your truck right means keeping up on maintenance and repairing problems as they come up, but the hard life of a semi means that every engine starts to get tired sooner or later. Giving up and moving onto a new truck is one option, but old truck repair can be a great way to save money and make sure that your bottom line stays in the black. These four signs can help you to decide if the time has finally come to overhaul your truck's engine.
Watch the Mileage
Every engine is different and there's no golden rule for when an overhaul is necessary, but the vast majority of diesel engines in semis should have no trouble making it beyond the 500k mile mark. If your truck is barely clocking over half a million miles, then it isn't time to worry about major repairs just yet. For most trucks, overhauls are in the cards once the odometer starts creeping past the 750k mile mark. By a million miles, you're definitely into overhaul territory. If your truck falls into this range, then it's time to start paying careful attention to performance.
Pay Attention to Obvious Performance Issues
As your engine wears out, it will lose the ability to deliver the same performance and efficiency that it once did. While there are a variety of problems that can cause vague issues like this, an ongoing loss of power or fuel economy points to serious trouble. If you find that your truck is now struggling on steep grades with loads that used to be child's play, then it may be time to have your truck brought to a shop for a serious evaluation.
Check Your Oil
Oil consumption is a strong indication of internal wear on any internal combustion engine. As seals and gaskets within the engine wear, oil is able to enter into the combustion chamber and burn off. If you find that you are constantly adding oil and can't seem to find a leak, then it's likely that your engine is burning some of it. Excessive blow-by can also result in reduced engine compression and loss of oil, usually accompanied by a clear loss of power. As a general rule, never ignore any excessive oil loss, especially if you cannot find a clear leak.
If you begin to notice any of these symptoms, it's time to have your truck checked out by a qualified technician sooner rather than later. Remember that a rebuild will still use many of your engine's internal parts, so protecting your engine prior to an overhaul is incredibly important. Ignoring the signs of a failure can lead to damage that may not be repairable at all.
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