Piston Rings – Think You’ve Seen Them All? Most technicians are very familiar with compression and oil control piston rings, which are fitted into grooves on the outside diameter of a piston. In many diesel engines, however, piston rings aren’t just found on the piston. There is a type of piston ring that actually fits […]
Fracture-split Connecting Rods – No, That’s Not a Broken Part Actually, a fracture split connecting rod is a technology used in some of the very latest engine designs on the market. Usually, connecting rods and their adjoining end caps are separately forged and machined. Rods may also be forged as a single piece, with a […]
3 Steps to Set Headers & Footers in TruckLabor Would you like to change your shop name or address on your quotes in TruckLabor? How about adding a friendly thank-you note to your customer on the quote? Below are the three quick and easy steps to change the settings in TruckLabor that allow you to customize the headers […]
4 Steps to Set Print Options in TruckLabor Do you need to print a disclosure statement on your TruckLabor quotes for legal purposes? Or do you need a place for customers to sign off on the estimate? Those are just a few of the print settings you can adjust in the TruckLabor software. Below are four easy steps […]
How to Add a Note to a TruckLabor Quote At times you may need to add a custom note to a specific customer’s quote in TruckLabor. It’s quick and easy to do this — just follow the four steps below (click the thumbnails to enlarge the images). 1. Create or open an estimate and select the “View Quote” […]
Prepping for an ASE Truck Test? Do you have a truck ASE test coming up soon? If so, are you looking for current truck repair information? Mitchell 1’s Tractor-Trailer/Medium-Truck.net is a great place to find current information as you prep for any truck-related ASE test in your future. It’s not structured test preparation, but will help you get familiar with the […]
Too Hot to Handle: High Exhaust System Temperature Lamp When a Diesel Particulate Filter regeneration process begins, the High Exhaust System Temperature HEST lamp illuminates and exhaust gas temperature may reach 1500 degrees F. That’s hot enough to ignite and/or melt materials — and burn people. The main function of the HEST lamp is to alert the […]
Getting Ready for SuperTech 2014! 10th Anniversary of the ATA’s National Technician Skills Competition As we get closer to the fall, Mitchell 1 and heavy-duty truck technicians look forward to the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council’s National Technician Skills Competition. That’s a long way of saying the SuperTech competition, this year being […]
Hino High Voltage! Need to service a Hino hybrid? Some special care is needed. The battery used in the Hino 195h COE consists of 40 modules connected in series. Each module has six cells, each producing 1.2 volts for a total of 7.2 volts per module. Total battery voltage for the 195h is 288 volts. A service plug […]
Cabin Air Filters Help You Breathe Easy Work trucks are often exposed to extremely dusty operating conditions. However, owners of newer trucks may have noticed that the air conditioning system seems to do a great job at keeping the dust out of the cab. There’s a good reason for the cleaner air in the cab, […]