Longer life, maintenance-free, no surprises or road emergencies—those would be the goals from your truck’s belts, hoses and coolant. But achieving such worry-free operation requires some planning and forethought on your part. Certainly, start by buying the products from a reputable manufacturer, dealer or distributor.
Follow up by regularly checking your belts and hoses for wear—at scheduled preventive maintenance checks, and replacing them routinely to avoid over-the-road failures.
Improper coolant flow is the reason for nearly half of all early engine failures. It follows that reliable coolant products are necessary for preventing dirt, rust, scale and other contaminants from creating “hot spots” and thus damaging your engine.
Filtered coolant in your cooling system is key to continued engine protection, whether you use standard ethylene glycol coolant or pre-charged coolant. The filters remove contaminants and maintain cooling system balance—helping to keep today’s hot-running engines cool and reduce downtime.
A number of belts-hoses suppliers offer advanced product technology for servicing the vehicle, including:
• Gates Corp. offers a variety of Green Stripe branded belts to suit practically every fleet’s application need. The company says its engine belt, the FleetRunner, is made with proprietary rubber compounds designed to prolong service life while resisting failures due to the effects of engine heat. The rubber compound, Gates adds, allows the FleetRunner to retain its flexibility on drives subjected to extended high operating temperatures without hardening, cracking and ultimately failing. Fibers built into the belt improve stability and reduce belt turnover, while also lessening premature failures due to drive misalignment. The rubber compound also resists deterioration from ozone and water-based coolants
• The company also offers Green Stripe hoses for conveying coolant, made of a special rubber compound that provides the “long life of a silicone hose without the premium price.” A company spokesman said the rubber compound offers low water permeation and requires less maintenance. By providing a better bond to stems and connectors, the company explains, the Green Stripe hose greatly reduces cold coolant leaks and EPA concerns for coolant seepage at maintenance facilities and parking areas. It maintains a 50/50 coolant concentration for a longer time because of its resistance to water permeation through the hose wall. The hose also is fully compatible with environmentally safe/long-life coolant products with a temperature range from -40°F to 275°F.
• Flexfab’s Bill Morrissey says, “Many of our fleet customers prefer the four-ply DuraGuard coolant hoses to accommodate heavy duty pressure connections in hostile engine environments.” He notes that they have proven to resist cracking and are ideal for extreme temperature and various pressure ranges where high performance levels are required.
Flexfab also supplies truck operators with silicone-formed coolant hoses (elbows, double bends, multiple bends) to address custom designs for radiator applications.
Cooling systems have become increasingly more complex over the last decade—the emergence of extended life coolants, SCR and EGR systems, as well as stricter emissions standards, has put new stresses on the cooling system. Fleets simply must have a solid cooling system maintenance program.
Coolant filter manufacturers have updated their offerings:
• Luber-finer has expanded its line of extended-life filters. Luber-finer offers a complete line of Controlled Release Technology (CRT) coolant filters for all makes of heavy-duty diesel engines. They are designed to be in service for 4,000 hrs. or 150,000 miles with conventional coolant.
• The Need-Release extended-life coolant filter from Penray is designed to last for 150,000 miles and to take the place of 10 to 12 ordinary filters. This reduces coolant system maintenance time and cuts filter waste, the company reports.
• Donaldson offers the Endurance Plus coolant filter to replenish the coolant for longer life and extended service intervals. This filter, according to the company, allows fleets to extend maintenance intervals up to once a year or 150,000 miles.
Fleet preferences
So what does fleet management do with their purchasing and specification of such vital items as belts, hoses, coolants and filters? We asked five fleets for their comments—and most offered tips and pointers that you can use today.
A regional motor carrier like Bozzuto’s in Cheshire, Conn., purchases its Goodyear belts from Alliance and Donaldson hoses and filters from its OE dealer, while the PowerCool by Penray coolant comes from its engine distributor.
Coolant misconceptions |
Penray has put together a primer for fleets that answers frequently asked questions about coolants:
Q. Does extended life coolant require maintenance? Q. Does conventional coolant require a new coolant filter or a bottle of liquid SCA at every service? Q Is coolant filtration necessary? Q. Is more antifreeze better, especially during the winter months? Q. Does automotive antifreeze work well in diesel engines? Q. When changing coolant, can I simply drain and refill? |
“Our operation is regional in nature and our vehicles are home every night, which permits us to replace these only when needed, versus a national fleet that would have to take a different approach,” said the company’s Bob Hamilton. He suggested an inspection of all these during 10,000-mile service intervals, and said to be sure to test SCA of coolant for pre-charged filters.
“Maintenance is a defensive play. It is much cheaper to change at our shop vs. on the road,” said Jim Burg, president of Burg Trucking Co., Warren, Mich. “Hose clamp failure is the largest cause of hose failure, and be sure to use coated clamps. Replace coolant additives as recommended. They are much cheaper than cylinder liners, etc. Install coolant filters if they are not equipped by the OEM.”
Burg Trucking inspects belts and hoses at 25,000-mile PM intervals and changes them as needed, or when changing something else related to the belt/hoses—AC, radiator, water pump, etc. As for preferred brands, Burg buys Gates belts, and each truck carries a spare because it has proven difficult to find a replacement on the road due to poor cross-reference info in a supplier’s system. The hoses come from the company’s OE dealer—upper and lower radiator. Straight lines for heater are (by the roll) from Flexfab for “best price and wide availability.” Coolants are supplied by Chevron.
Joe Egan, director of maintenance, Abilene Motor Express, Richmond, Va., keeps belts and hoses on his operation’s 30,000-mile preventive maintenance schedule. “We change them only when needed, but we conduct a coolant analysis every PM and use only silicone hoses,” offered Egan, noting that “you get what you pay for—you’ll get burned if you purchase the cheap route.” He suggests coolant be replaced every half-million miles, and he reports that the Penray coolant filter “really does a good job for us.”
“We had issues with belts a few years ago, but we’ve now reduced our failures by ramping up our inspections during our PM inspection,” said Pete Nativo, Transport Service Co., Oak Brook, Ill. “We determined that a belt is not a belt—you need a good brand name and don’t just buy for price. Most importantly, a good inspection at every PM is a must.”
Transport Service purchases most of its replacement belts from its area Volvo dealer, and otherwise turns to TruckPro on its national aftermarket account.
“On radiator hoses, we tried aftermarket suppliers but they’re just not the same. They just don’t line up or fit the way the OEM parts do and you find premature failures when they rub on brackets or other items in the engine compartment,” said Nativo.
“We use Baldwin filters, purchased through TruckPro. We have a trade cycle on our tractors of seven years or 700,000 miles and we rarely have major engine issues related to oil viscosity. We perform oil analysis on every tractor after it reaches 400,000 miles. This way we can monitor the unit before the 500,000 mile major component warranty expires.”
Since the liquid bulk carrier uses engine coolant to heat trailer heat panels, it cannot use the fill-for-life coolant. The carrier conducts additive testing at every PM and treat the systems as needed.
“I’ve discovered there is a difference in truck antifreeze and auto antifreeze. You need to make sure if you’re maintaining a truck to use an antifreeze designed for trucks; and again, don’t just by for price,” added Nativo.
Cooling system maintenance facts and tips
Luber-finer, Champion Laboratories suggests the following maintenance tips:
• Perform visual inspection of coolant and system: Perform a visual examination of the coolant to ensure that it is the proper color and is free from debris, rust and lubricating oil. Drain, flush and refill if visual inspection indicates any contamination. In addition, check to make sure the radiator air intake is free of debris and obstructed air flow. Examine hoses for pliability and ensure that they are a safe distance from hot engine components. Check hose clamps for coolant leakage and proper tension. Also inspect for indications of a faulty radiator cap, which can lead to coolant breakdown and boil-over.
• Perform testing of coolant: When maintaining systems filled with conventional coolant, it is vital to check for proper SCA level, pH and freeze point protection. This can be accomplished by using all-in-one coolant test strips. Be sure to test engine coolant at each scheduled service interval (20,000 miles) to maintain proper cooling system protection.
• Treat coolant with proper SCA products: Once coolant has been visually inspected and tested with test strips, proper treatment is required. SCA contains inhibitors designed to prevent generalized corrosion, intrite for protection against cavitation erosion, scale inhibitors that keep hard water scale from depositing on engine surfaces, and buffering agents to reduce the acidity of the coolant.
• Develop and maintain a cooling system maintenance program: The development of a viable scheduled maintenance program and the use of quality coolant products are vital to protecting your vehicle investment.