How can I tell if my truck may have been hit by lightning

[BobWolf]

We finaly got some good rain here in western NY Good thing I finnished my roof project Saturday. We had some good lightning too. Had a nearby strike most likely in my yard or the neighbors yard. I dont think it took the whole strike as there dosent apear to be any visual dammage no dents or burns. The truck was a chore to start this morning. So far, I had a rough idle and the air vents dont want to work right. I realy dont want to get raped at the dealership as the parts installers are preaty much useless, Look and guess at $130.00 + an hour I can do that for free. Dose anyone have any ideas where to start looking? So far other than a hard start and a rough idle it runs.

Bob Wolf

 

[zorry]

jjoerger took a strke some time back.
As sensitive as the computers are in these trucks I don't think you have serious damage.
My guess is if you got hit something obvious would be fried.

 

[Ragman]

My guess is if you got hit something obvious would be fried.

 

[jjoerger]

We were driving when we got hit. There was no visible damage but our Eaton shift controler was fried.
You might want to have a dealer run an electrical diagnostic on it.

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[Slo-Ride]

We finaly got some good rain here in western NY Good thing I finnished my roof project Saturday. We had some good lightning too. Had a nearby strike most likely in my yard or the neighbors yard. I dont think it took the whole strike as there dosent apear to be any visual dammage no dents or burns. The truck was a chore to start this morning. So far, I had a rough idle and the air vents dont want to work right. I realy dont want to get raped at the dealership as the parts installers are preaty much useless, Look and guess at $130.00 + an hour I can do that for free. Dose anyone have any ideas where to start looking? So far other than a hard start and a rough idle it runs.

Bob Wolf

No clue what damage stray voltage could do to your vehicle if any?? How long was it sitting?
On my M2 freightliner my vents and temp control stopped working after sitting at the house for a week.
If you have a freightliner make sure the trap doors that change the air flow and temp settings are working. (should be located near the fan motor) All I had to do was disconnect wires from both servos,,plug em back in and lightly tap on the servo until they started to move back and forth..Been working for over a year now with no trouble yet.
Did the rough Idle clear up after running for a bit? If not, it maybe worth taking that problem in if you know for sure the truck has been well maintained,,good fuel, good filters.No mice got up there and did damage to wiring??? Any chance it just lost the fuel prime after sitting for a a few days??

 

[purgoose10]

I'm not an expert but a friend had lightning hit his truck and he took it in to the KW dealer. The mechanic told him the truck should not be effective because the tires ground it. But he also said the computers are the problem because the cabs are not grounded as well as the engine etc. That's when I started grounding the cab to frame and also the computer box's to the frame. I have never had it happen to me but the friends truck had a burn streak down the back of the sleeper and had to have it repainted. A couple of years later that spot that was hit turned to rust. I guess it changed the metal. Computer boxs are delicate and cannot take much punishment and static electricity is a really bad thing.

 

[tknight]

Last I heard rubber is not a ground source / path and I doubt the rain running off of them is enough to draw a lighting bolt but strange things happen in storms!

 

[tenntrucker]

This might be a hint if your truck looks like this.

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[BobWolf]

Naw, I dont have the ultimate, epic, mancave BBQ grill. Idle tapers out and it runs normaly after idling about ten mins smelled rich when idling rough Im sure that will drive my tree hugger friend nuts. Did some old school mechanic detection and found one of the servos that controll the vents was cracked it only slips on the door connector. Im sure that failure is probly just timing as it looks old. I will have it pluged in just to make sure Im not in for a melt down.
Bob Wolf.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

Last I heard rubber is not a ground source / path and I doubt the rain running off of them is enough to draw a lighting bolt but strange things happen in storms!

Worn tires with steel belts plus the water? I know it doesn't take much juice to fry a circuit board.

 

[BobWolf]

Electricity travels outside the rubber to the ground the vehical is insulated.

 

[mjmsprt40]

It's fascinating to think the tires do much protecting. The lightning just came through a few thousand feet of air and you think the few inches of rubber makes a difference.

I've had occasion to park my car (it was many years back), a '68 Chevy Impala, under some high-tension lines. I can tell you that when you walked up to the car and touched it, you got a jolt. Lightning would do something very similar.

Actually the protection you get while in the vehicle happens because you're sitting in a Faraday Cage, for all practical purposes. The lightning strikes the vehicle and all that wild energy is carried by the vehicle's metal components, through the tires to ground.

 

[BobWolf]

It's fascinating to think the tires do much protecting. The lightning just came through a few thousand feet of air and you think the few inches of rubber makes a difference.

I've had occasion to park my car (it was many years back), a '68 Chevy Impala, under some high-tension lines. I can tell you that when you walked up to the car and touched it, you got a jolt. Lightning would do something very similar.

Actually the protection you get while in the vehicle happens because you're sitting in a Faraday Cage, for all practical purposes. The lightning strikes the vehicle and all that wild energy is carried by the vehicle's metal components, through the tires to ground.

I was trying to say that but just couldnt quite put the technical together. I kinda figured that lightning would win out no mater how much rubber is on the ground. I learned this from an old timer lineman for Niagera Mohawk You experianced Electo Magnetic Field from the lines that used your car as a cunductor then you when you touched it. High tension lines carry about 150,000 to 250,000 volts each line and will arc 20 to 50 ft. A lightning bolt is several miliion volts and can arc up to twenty plus miles. Anyway at least it didn't melt down.

Bob Wolf