Help truck stop caused my truck to blow up

[Broompilot]

Here is my EXCUSE, so much for PTI there is on most Volvos a little found stick that comes out of the engine (Yellow) I believe. It even has a marks on the end of that stick where the oil level should be.

This should be checked daily but at least daily for a week or so after an oil change. Also by putting ones hand on the front bumper and bending over one can see amazing things under there.

Coolant or No Coolant no coolant is a good sign, Oil or No Oil puddles none is another good sign, some drips are OK but pudddles are real bad, Transmission Fluid or other Types of Transmission fluids or Grease, same is true at the rear of the Truck.

It is what you posted, the driver Never Realized 8-days there had to be a clue along the way.

Just another example of drivers in ones truck and what the costs of a simple lazy oversight might cost an owner.

Every Repair on my Expedite Truck that I accomplished was due to finding puddles of one type or another. Most were from loose fittings on coolant lines. Had I not of found them the results would have been costly on the side of the ROAD. A MECHANIC I am not, but I do know when trouble is brewing and what needs to be done, FIX IT BEFORE it gets real expensive.

 

[highway star]

Good point on the puddles. A good driver will take a good look at their truck every time they walk up to it. Every time you fuel take a quick walk around. The PTI isn't the only inspection your truck should have in the course of a day.

Here's a little story to illustrate how ignorant some drivers choose to keep themselves. I was talking one day with a guy from Thompson that had a van exactly like mine. Same year and everything. I mentioned that I just had a waterpump replaced. He asked where I was when it went out and did I have a big tow bill. I told him I had it replaced before it completely failed. He wondered how I knew it was going. When I told him I saw a puddle of anti-freeze, he laughed. He said he doesn't look under his van. He just "assumes" everything is O.K. He actually said that!!

I really feel sorry for the fleet owners that get stuck with idiots like that.

 

[x06col]

They be way more idiots like that than i'd ever have imagined, until I got to looking around for help to drive a truck.

And, they did show up from everywhere.

 

[highway star]

They walk among us.

 

[greg334]

I am sorry guys, but I feel that in order for you to even get a CDL, you got to know how your truck works. This also means that you need to be able to check the oil and be able to do other things outside of paying someone to change a light bulb. The test, the program and the entire idea that we need to have people just point to things is rather removed from the reality of things.

Maybe it is hearing all these idiots on the road and the frustration that is cause I am gotten to the point that the CDL must include an oil change test and a filter change test, not to mention how to adjust your brakes test and how to check your air pressure test.

I think it was that guy who could not check the oil that changed my mind about the intelligent level of some. I know many would not be on the road if this would happen. Teams would also be harder to put together if someone would have to actually demonstrate how to change a filter, let alone the oil in the truck but again this is a profession that has requirements beyond holding the wheel and this would weed out many who think it is an RV, not a truck.

As for the truck blowing up, Sorry to hear that it took a dump but there is two really good things built into todays truck, one is a buzzer which if you don't have a 300 watt stereo or a driver who has hearing aids that he/she leaves in the sleeper - you will hear. The other is the low oil pressure shut down programmed into the ECM, which I saw tested once at DD - they dumped 6 gallons of oil in less then a second while the engine was running at 2000 RPMs, complete shutdown in a second.

 

[Crazynuff]

Brake adjustment can only be done by a certified technician . I used to carry a 9/16 wrench all the time . No more . Automatic slack adjusters should not be adjusted . If they are out of adjustment they should be repaired or replaced .
While engines have an automatic shutdown for high temperature or low oil pressure they also have an override for idiots to use if they don't like where and when the shutdown occurs .

 

[Jefferson3000]

9 days and 3,000 miles later,sorry you don't have a case.Accept the fact that you had careless iresponsible drivers. The oil may have been leaking out slightly and they didn't check it nor looked underneath for any leaks.

===================

Wow. Nine days and 3000 miles later. Sounds like someone hasn't been doing their "pre-trip."

 

[iceroadtrucker]

I got to add somthing to this. When one has service performed
weather its at a TA, Petro, SpeedCo or even the Dreaded Piolt or Jay Cares. Each one of these Establishments has a torque Check that must be performed. You also are required to sign it. Stating you observed the Torquing of the Bolts or Nuts Hexs Plugs. Question is Did they ???
Did they Inital the Torques??? Thats the Real Question to be answered.
No chains allowed.

 

[greg334]

Brake adjustment can only be done by a certified technician.

Dude, tell that to the Delaware DOT, I got the lecture about every driver has the responsibility to make sure that their brakes are properly adjust and if they don't know how, to learn. They don't care who does the work as long as the brakes are adjusted properly.

I never found anywhere that says that, it really is easy to do for any type of brakes on a truck.

I used to carry a 9/16 wrench all the time . No more . Automatic slack adjusters should not be adjusted .

No they should not be, but I had one lock up on me at a truck stop and had to crawl under and back it off manually. They also need regular maintainance (cleaning and checks), lube and every so often that need to be replaced but more importantly they do need to be used (meaning that the brakes need to be adjusted through them properly) and I bet you a lot of driver have absolutely no clue about how they are to do this - hint it ain't with a wrench.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Could have swore ???Socket with Ratchet. Get yourself a folding mechanics crawler. Get your self a pair of Corveralls and save your self some now U can also get the Certificate to Qualify in Break Adjustment. One last thing who ever it was that said Automatic Slack Adjusters never need Adjusting hmm if you got grimlines on the truck your best bet is to check em. Nothing last forever. Especialy anything automatic or Self Adjusting. Safety is Paramont dont you agree.

 

[Jack_Berry]

t-hawk

don't trust a good job at petro.

i had an oil change and coolant topped off. i fired up the truck and did a run. while parked the next day i opened the hood and the coolant tank site tube was clear. i went to the local fl dealer and bought coolant and started filled the tank and watched the fluid pour out the back all over the firewall and electrical connections. the overflow was rotted at the point the top and bottom meet. fl replaced it at owners cost. petro never said a word that it was bad. my wife just reminded me that i still need to let that petro know of the problem.

i guess this means bad service can happen anywhere.

kudos to fl of joplin for the same day work on a friday nite.

 

[greg334]

I never could understand why the thing rots at the seams like it does.

Cheap material?

Well it really is an easy fix, 20 minutes and you're on your way

 

[ejtrucker]

When I had all my problems with my truck, a lot of them were HP oil fittings blowing and losing all my oil. YUK, what a mess.
My truck always stopped. Alarms, lights, and then it stopped, no matter where I was.

Also, most of your oil / pm stations will give you a summary of torque items, Speedco (it think it’s the name) has you stand there while the technician does the final torque calling lb numbers out.
I know this does not help you now, and it sucks to learn a lesson at such a cost. I am a recent study in this subject.

I am still going down the legal gamut to see where I can, if I can, re-coop the monies I lost.

 

[raycal]

hi ive been a mech for 35 years on a hi mile engine they can go quick and as a truck driver to i all ways check the plug and filter too but that the mech in me. i dont care for a lot of the mech out there but you got to use them. you should have some exp on engines and trans keep you fron getting it.thanks

 

[DreamTeam44]

Same happened to us from July 4th 2006 weekend oil change/ service done at the T/A just east of Kansas City, 1500 miles later heading into Birmingham, AL our truck siezed up, lost power and we immediately pulled over on the shoulder just in time to see the last few quarts of oil glopping out, we lucked out by stopping in time, called a service truck, re-oiled and we have just gone over 600,000 on that same CAT C-15 motor....I swore we would never use TA Truck Service again, AND I always double check to make sure they TORQUE everything to specs regardless of what it is on my truck! Bummer about your deal, I would talk to a lawyer, document everything and take 'em to court....all you will lose is court costs and maybe they will settle???? GOOD LUCK!

 

[nightcreacher]

in 1998 my drivers had an oil change done at the petro truck stop north of richmond va.the went 60 miles and the motor shut down with no oil,as the oil plug fell out.they called the manager,he came out,took full responsibilty,towed the truck back to there shop,put new oil in it,new plugs,but the engine already had the damage,and was taken to cat for repair.the petro has insurance for that kind of problem,but they were slow to pay as they tried to say the shut down didnt work,cat said it worked fine,its not suppose to shut right down,as you have to be able to get off the road.anyway to make a long story short,where ever you had the oil change done,has insurance for that kind of mistake