Maintenance Tips for Flatbed and Low Flat Trailers

Turbocharger Connections

The connection between the supercharger and the intake and exhaust pipes must be tight with no air leakage. If there is leakage between the exhaust pipe and the exhaust-gas turbine, supercharger efficiency drops sharply and diesel exhaust temperature rises steeply, damaging the valves and the supercharger itself.

Oil Before First Start

Before starting a new engine, the supercharger and its oil filter must be filled with clean oil, so the supercharger bearings are lubricated from the moment the diesel engine starts. After the vehicle has travelled 8,000 to 10,000km, the supercharger oil filter element must be replaced.

Shutdown Procedure

Before shutting down the diesel engine, run at idle for three to five minutes to reduce supercharger speed and temperature, and listen to the running sound. If anything sounds abnormal, shut down and inspect. If the supercharger rotor turns unevenly with sticking or wear noises, it must be sent to a qualified maintenance station for repair.

Periodic Supercharger Service

After every 500 hours of work, or every 30,000km, check the clearance on the supercharger rotor shaft and remove dust and carbon deposits from the compressor turbine housing and rotor blades. The turbocharger has to be removed from the engine for this and the metal gasket between the supercharger and exhaust pipe should be replaced. Do not use mechanical methods to remove deposits: use gasoline or another cleaning fluid intended for aluminium parts.

What Not to Disturb

The locking nut of the supercharger compressor must not be disassembled, or the dynamic balance of the rotor is destroyed and the supercharger is damaged. Removed rotating parts of the turbocharger must not be damaged or deformed by force, since that affects turbine balance, and rubber seals must not be damaged.

Fluid Quality

Excavator flat-bed trucks must be filled with diesel and urea solution from regular manufacturers. Excessive impurities and other component problems in poor-quality fluids cause damage that is expensive to put right and entirely avoidable.