10-4 Magazine November 2023

10-4 Magazine / November 2023 55 in a construction zone with his trailer doors still open. Yes, sir, they were “just a swingin” and he was oblivious to the danger he represented to other drivers. Had he had his driver’s side window open it’s possible he could have heard the other drivers honking at him! I have asked a few of these drivers why they don’t open the window a little to listen to their truck, and their answer usually goes like this: “The noise from the wind hurts my ears,” or, “They are supposed to be closed for fuel economy.” Really, do you believe that? If so, I got a bridge in New York I will sell you, too. Drivers, it doesn’t matter if you are driving your own truck or a company ride, spool that window down a little and just listen to the sound your vehicle makes. If you’re anything like me, your curiosity will leave you trying to explain any strange or new sounds. With some practice, anyone can single out the different noises and tell if they are “normal” or not. Just for the record, I don’t have air conditioning in my truck, so most of the time, from spring through early winter, my window is wide open. There are days when I look more like a motorcycle rider with all those bugs splattered on me than a trucker. I really don’t mind, though, as they say, “Bugs taste like chicken!” Not!! There are many good reasons to listen when you’re driving. Not only can you hear what’s going on outside, but you will also be able to monitor smells, too. The burnt smell of oil, or the sweet smell of antifreeze, a tight brake drum on the truck that just passed you, or is that you? Maybe you should stop and check before you catch a brake on fire. I’m just saying, I see it every week – some yahoo passes me with smoke rollin’ out from under his equipment and he just turns up the radio and pretends not to notice. What is it that the Blue Collar Comedy Tour says... “Here’s your sign!” That turbo I spoke of earlier had run its last mile. When they fail, there isn’t much warning, and outside of some oil seepage or weeping, I’m not sure what to tell you to watch for. Mine had been leaking a little oil past the seal on the cold side, or more technically, the compressor side. I have been watching it, but didn’t notice any change until it let go. The signs were there for failure, I just didn’t know when, so I wasn’t all that surprised when it happened. Time is one of the leading causes of failure. As Larry down at Superior Turbo and Injection Service told me, the life span of our turbos is measured in duty cycles. Each time we roll through the rpms and spool it up or build pressure, that counts as a duty cycle. For those of us who run short trips using the two lane roads or drive in city traffic, we will most likely make more gear changes than the drivers who run the interstate system. Many of the miles they cover are at a steady rpm rate, thus holding the boost at a consistent pressure. I would expect the life span of their turbos to far outpace ours when measured by the total number of miles run. The timing of my roadside repair could have been better, not to cause so much trouble, that early in the morning. Thank goodness for faithful friends who will bail you out at a moment’s notice. This time the shout-out goes to Phil Knowlan, from Knowlan Trucking in Tekonsha, Michigan. He picked me up alongside the road and carried me to a place where my wife could catch the transfer and take me home. I made it back to my yard before 7:00 AM and started the search for replacement parts. By the time my ride arrived at the truck I had already removed the failed parts and had it ready to accept the new turbo. Yes, many of these repairs can be done using nothing but hand tools. You may notice a common theme in many of my monthly articles. Do your homework and research the problem. If you don’t know how your turbo works or how to remove it, should you ever need