A harsh Canadian winter can quickly test your diesel truck’s strength. However, truck performance heavily depends on how well you prep your truck for the winter season. Preparing your vehicle for winter can not only mean a safer winter season for you and your truck but also save you lots of money. So what does it mean to ensure your diesel truck for winter? Some people throw on their winter tires, and that’s it. However, checking and changing fluids and gearing up with the right equipment can help you be prepared for unexpected winter incidents.
Better to prepare for the worst—and do it now before the cold weather hits. Here’s how you and your truck can be proactive this winter:
Test Glow Plugs
Glow plugs are essential for diesel engines as they’re responsible for heating the cylinders for fuel ignition. Defective glow plugs can keep your truck from starting in cold weather or can lead to poor engine power. While modern diesel trucks will trigger the ‘check engine light if there’s a problem with the glow plugs, older vehicles may not. Test the glow plugs before the cold front hits to avoid unexpected breakdowns. To check them yourself, you can use a multimeter to test their resistance levels or bring them to a heavy duty truck repair shop.
Buy Special Windshield Washer Fluid
If you are using regular windshield washer fluid, it will freeze when the Canadian winter hits. Before the temperature drops, drain the old fluid and replace it with winter windshield washer fluid. Remember, don’t just top the summer fluid with winter fluid. The system pumps the fluid from the bottom of the tank. If it freezes there, the winter windshield washer fluid on top won’t help.
Change Your Fuel Filter
Diesel fuel suffers significantly in cold weather because the paraffin found in fuel freezes quickly. It can create viscosity that blocks the system and compromises your filters. Additionally, snow leads to excessive moisture; when this finds its way into the engine, it can also cause the filters to freeze. Isopropyl can be the best solution for avoiding a frozen filter. It can absorb excess water and reduce the fuel’s freezing point. It’s also formulated to dissolve in diesel fuel, so there’s no contamination. Treating your fuel with proven additives recommended by diesel truck professionals can protect your fuel systems against freezing.
Test the Block Heater
Most probably, diesel truck owners overlook the block heater. They are unaware that the block heater keeps the system warm, including the coolant and oil. If your truck is equipped with a block heater, then test it before winter. You can use a multimeter to test the resistance. Take a multimeter set to ohms. The block heater is in good condition if it shows a reading between 9 and 25 ohms. If it shows lower than nine means, there is a problem. Then you need to contact the diesel truck repair shop.
Repair Windshield Damage
Even the most minor windshield crack can become a disaster as the temperatures drop. Clean and inspect the windshield for damage and repair it if necessary. You can visit a trusted and reliable truck repair shop Edmonton to get your broken or cracked windshield fixed.
Test Your Batteries
In colder temperatures, winter can easily damage your battery, following a summer where corrosion and fluid evaporation often occur. The transition from hot to cold temperatures has the knack of killing weak batteries. To avoid failure, contact SRB Equipment and let them test your batteries.
Tires
You can Install winter tires for better stopping in snow. These tires are designed for use on snow and ice. Winter tires have a tread design with more significant gaps than those conventional tires, increasing traction on snow and ice. The rubber compound in the tires allows them to stay soft in cold temperatures. Winter tires can help your truck stop up to 15 meters sooner than in all seasons. Moreover, make sure your air pressure is correct. Warm to cold can lessen the pressure and make tire stopping less effective.
Emergency Supplies
Pack an emergency kit. Your kit should contain emergency supplies for your vehicle, including booster cables, extra oil and windshield washer fluid, lock de-icer, a flashlight, flares or safety triangles, an ice scraper, a shovel, and possibly even some chains for your tires.
Seek Professional Assistance
Winter demands a lot from your truck engine. Therefore, you must equip your truck with the care it needs to perform year-round. You can ensure your diesel truck is prepared for winter by visiting SRB Equipment, a truck and trailer repair shop in Edmonton. We regularly optimize trucks of all kinds for a variety of businesses. From semi-trucks to heavy-duty truck engine repair, we handle all types of heavy-duty vehicles. If you need to winterize your diesel truck or for more information about making sure your diesel truck is ready for winter, don’t hesitate to contact us.