Mitchell 1 Tech Tips Archives - Fleet Equipment Magazine
Truck service to smooth out a harsh truck ride

Those yellow rubber bumps on the curbside of a grocery store can be annoying, but they’re there to let the visually impaired know where the sidewalk ends and the roadway begins. These bumps can also serve as shoe scrapers, decorative talking points, or shopping cart speed bumps for shoppers in a rush. The bumps can

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Maintaining variable geometry turbochargers

The use of variable geometry turbochargers (VGT) is now standard on heavy- and medium-duty truck engines. Older wastegate actuator turbochargers were generally controlled by pressure or vacuum and operated basically as an on/off device. Today’s heavy- and medium-duty engines incorporate electronically controlled VGT. These new advanced turbochargers provide improved response across wider operating ranges (engine

Integrated solutions to maximize axle, suspension optimization

Axle and suspension components for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles need to meet multiple purposes and requirements for varied fleet activity. Flexibility is needed to accommodate this, and the result is that a vast number of possible configurations have evolved to suit specific needs. Flexibility is a good thing, but one downside is that individual systems

How simple truck maintenance can improve fuel economy

Fuel economy is always a top consideration to improve a trucking operation’s bottom line. Proper maintenance and new aerodynamic vehicles are among the ways that the trucking industry is transforming its fuel economy standards. A new era of highly advanced heavy-duty vehicles that get unprecedented fuel savings is ahead. Simple maintenance can have a big

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How to prevent transmission overheating

Medium- and heavy-duty truck transmissions undergo a lot of stress and abuse throughout their lifetimes. With the elevated loads that the transmissions undergo, an abundant amount of heat is generated due to higher internal friction. If heat generation is left unchecked, it can lead to complete failure of the transmission. With this in mind, Mitchell

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Maintenance tips to improve fuel efficiency

Truck fuel efficiency is no simple matter with many factors to consider. Some of them are out of fleet managers’ control such as weather, traffic or required routes, but many factors can be controlled, like powertrain specifications, vehicle aerodynamics and driver training. Proper maintenance can also positively impact fuel economy. Industry research shows that proper

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The advancements of diesel technology

While significant technology advances were made to the diesel engine over the past century, the most significant advances have been made in the past 20 years. Here’s a look at some of them.

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Diagnosing parasitic loads

With increasing electronic controls in modern trucks, parasitic loads are becoming a larger concern for today’s fleets, especially in fleets where vehicles may be parked for long periods of time. With so many electrical circuits in these vehicles, any one of them may be a culprit, making diagnosing a bit like looking for a needle

Alternative fuels: Tank considerations

Compressed natural gas (CNG) holds a much higher pressure than conventional fuel tanks and liquid natural gas (LNG) tanks. In addition, CNG fuel tanks have different connections for filling (see above picture), and CNG vehicles can be configured to be filled via fast-fill or time-fill. Fast-fill takes much less time, but creates more heat in

How to increase turbocharger efficiency through proper maintenance

Turbochargers are an important component on today’s commercial vehicle diesel engines and are engineered to provide optimal performance throughout the engine operating range. Keeping the turbocharger and associated systems well maintained can have a big impact on overall vehicle efficiency. Turbochargers use exhaust energy to drive a turbine wheel, which in turn drives a compressor

Achieving optimum powertrain performance with proper service procedures

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established standards to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the heavy duty trucking industry. These new standards have resulted in manufacturers developing every aspect of a truck’s powertrain to achieve optimum fuel efficiency. Part of this development includes calibrating engines to transmissions to maintain optimum powertrain

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Tightening the focus on torque specs

Today’s complex medium-duty, vocational engines require the same attention to detail when completing a repair.

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