Portland Diesel Trucks: 6 Tips for Preparing Your Truck for the Winter

If your diesel truck has endured a couple winters or so, you probably know that the cold weather presents some unique challenges to your vehicle of choice. To reduce vehicle downtime and  ensure your truck makes it through the season’s lowest temperatures without a hitch, you need to take certain precautions with your truck. Your Portland dealer of diesel trucks has prepared for you a checklist of the preventive measures you can use to help your truck make it to spring without enduring too much wear.

Test Your Batteries

How old is your battery? Typically, a battery on a diesel truck will last three to five years. Winter has a way of depleting weak batteries, so to avoid being stranded, test the health of your batteries or have your trusted mechanic perform it.

Check Your Coolant

If the coolant fluid freezes, serious damage can occur in your engine, so it’s important to ensure this doesn’t happen. Diesel engines need a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze to protect against freezing. If you’re not sure about the mixture, drain the fluid and replace it with the correct mix. Better yet, have your mechanic do it for you.

Use a Winter Additive

Diesel fuel contains paraffins, which can cause your fuel to harden into a gel-like state during freezing temperatures. Gelling can clog the fuel system and cause the engine to shut down. Additionally, water and moisture can accumulate inside diesel systems during winter, which can freeze and clog the lines. You can take care of both by treating your fuel tanks with additives that prevent both paraffin and water related issues.

Inspect Your Tires

Truck owners tend to overlook their tires during routine winter vehicle maintenance checks. Don’t make the same mistake. Inspect the treads AND the sidewalls for any signs of damage. Sidewall damage cannot be repaired, so if you see serious cuts, bubbles or gashes, replace the tire immediately. As for addressing the weather, your truck will benefit from snow tires, but the type you need to buy should follow the conditions you expect to endure.

Replace Your Fuel Filter

The fuel filter is where freezing commonly occurs in a diesel engine. That’s because of the minimal amount of diesel that the fuel filter holds when the truck sits overnight. Although replacing your fuel filter for winter doesn’t guarantee that you won’t have gelling problems, it does reduce the chances, considering that you could be replacing a cartridge that’s old and partially clogged beforehand.

Go over Your Windshield

The windshields on diesel trucks are built to withstand nature’s harshest elements, but even the tiniest damage can easily worsen during extremely low temperatures. You probably already know that windshield cracks occur more often during the winter. Minor windshield damage can actually be repaired, so be sure to go over yours thoroughly.

You can have all these checks done for you by a reliable service center for diesel trucks in Portland, such as McLoughlin Chevy. Bring your truck in today and have the peace of mind knowing that your truck can handle the cold temperatures that lie ahead.

Source:

8 Ways to Make Sure Your Diesel Fuel and More are Ready for Winter, truckinginfo.com