Mechanic Checks For Winter Operation

A Mechanic has to maintain vehicles accordingly depending on the conditions and adapt throughout the seasons which includes hot and cold weather. Since Winter is now upon us it's time to cover some preventive maintenance tips that experienced Mechanics are familiar with, but I want to share the basics with everybody.
Coolant Testing the coolant is of course very important and changing the coolant and thermostats should also be considered. Cummins promotes DCA (dry chemical additive) checks, to make sure the system is not overcharged or undercharged. DCA prevents liner pitting by reducing air bubbles forming in the cooling jackets. Changing the coolant (non lifetime brands) with the thermostats every 2-3 years isn't a bad idea since coolant eventually breaks down and the acidic build up that forms starts to eat up gaskets and castings.
Belts and Hoses who doesn't know the importance of these bad boys. They get the most abuse from constant tension, heat produced from driving the belts and hot/cold temperatures on the hoses. I always say "when in doubt change it out". Pulley bearings and belt tensioners need to be checked out and the cooling system should be pressure tested. School buses have 1 inch cooling lines throughout the bus interior and need to be observed for leaks and loose clamps.
Batteries batteries can either be load tested once a year preferably in the fall or changed when needed. Sometimes the latter happens at the most inconvenient time when it's cold, wind blowing ....a spare bus (in my case) needs to be fired up from a cold condition. So we generally do the yearly load test and go from there deciding what step to take next.
Block Heaters Most buses in our fleet have the conventional block heater system. Our plug-ins are timed in cycles to come on during certain ambient temperatures. We test them at every service to stay on top of  'no start' conditions in the cold. A couple dozen of our newer buses have diesel heaters that have timers so they come on a couple of hours before the run.
Tune Ups Mechanics know the advantage of keeping an engine tuned up. Easier starts less fuel burned is the main objective. Valve sets, fuel filters and air filters are all you can really do to a diesel engine especially with newer models. Checking for engine codes doesn't hurt, some codes do not light up on the dash and become inactive. Common sense helps in this area of maintenance and needs to be applied looking at everything that makes a highway vehicle function. The regular Mechanic or the 'Mechanic in you' can figure this stuff out.

School Bus Heaters Article

I recently wrote an article for School Transportation News Magazine on Bus Heaters. The nice thing about researching for this subject is I learned a lot of new Mechanic information on the subject. Since our fleet has over 2 dozen bus heaters it was a topic of interest. Here is the link that will take you to the online digital version.
The pre-heating capabilities from these little heaters are phenomenal. There was a lot of positive feedback from fleet operators who saved fuel reduced engine wear and harmful emissions from cold diesel engine start ups. They don't cost a lot to run and can be adapted to bio-fuel and gasoline. The heat ratings go as high as 45,000 BTUs. One thing to point out especially with school buses is the safety and comfort of the kids these heaters provide. Imagine a bus breaking down on the highway during frigid temperatures. These heaters would be a huge asset to have around for that purpose along with defrosting the windows much quicker solving another common safety issue.


Here's a great video on an Espar coolant heater installed on a boat. The install here is the same for any kind of application.