It’s the little things in life

I whole heartedly agree that it truly is the little things in life that make a difference.  Take for example a smile.  If you give one to someone who doesn’t have a smile on their face they usually return it and will pass it along to the next person.  It can be contagious.  Everyone feels a little better and it’s just a little thing that you can do and doesn’t cost you anything other than a few wrinkles.  : - )

There are all sorts of little things that can be done to your truck to help you get better fuel mileage.  Any one thing doesn’t seem to be that big a deal, but when you do several, it can matter.

For instance, an engine overhead.

According to Scott Vanderheiden, a service manager for Peterbilt of Council Bluffs, IA, an overhead should be done every 100,000 to 125,000 miles.  Why?  Having an overhead done will help the engine breathe better through the intake and exhaust valves.  It also helps the injectors deliver a healthier shot of fuel into the cylinders for better fuel mileage.  This will also help with better pulling power on hills and in terms of response time when you need it.  Let’s not forget saving the engine on abnormal wear and tear.

Then there are air filters.

Air filters are like your body’s sinuses.  If your sinuses are clogged up even a little, it makes breathing a little harder on your part.  Same holds true for your truck.  If your air filter is clogged even a little, your truck isn’t getting the full benefit of unrestricted air flow.  Check your filters at every preventive maintenance check and replace when necessary.  Rule of thumb is you should replace air filters AT LEAST every 100,000 miles on a duel air filter setup, or every 60,000 to 70,000 miles on a single air filter setup.

And what about fuel injectors?

The average life of fuel injectors is about 500,000 miles.  Beyond that, the spray tips become worn and can no longer provide a decent spray pattern for proper combustion.  Nothing worse that worn fuel injectors that dribble excess fuel into the cylinders.  This eats into your fuel mileage by wasting fuel.  To help extend the life of the fuel injectors, be sure to replace your fuel filters at every preventive maintenance check.

Did you say radiator, air conditioner condenser coil and the charge air cooler fins?

If any of these are dirty it can cause your engine to run warm.  

As the water temperature gets up around 205 degrees or warmer, the engine fan comes on and uses some serious power to run using more fuel.

By keeping all these things cleaner, it will reduce the amount of time the engine fan runs  and will conserve your fuel.

I know some of you will run your engine fans when your truck idles or all the time for climate control of your cab. Running your engine fan more, greatly increases your fuel consumption.    Something to think about.

All in all, you do what you can to help conserve fuel wherever.

Easy Trucking Software is like that.  We help you track your expenses to help conserve more of your hard earned money and to get every legitimate tax deduction you are entitled to.  Knowing where you are spending money helps you analyze your spending habits.

Don’t miss out of any kind of savings, where it be fuel or software.

 

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.