5 Semi Truck Spring Cleaning & Maintenance Tips for Owner-Operators

The spring season is one of the best times to check on the functionality of your semi truck, especially after brutally cold winter weather.

Here are five money-saving tips for maintaining and cleaning your semi truck in the springtime. 

#1. Replace the Windshield Wipers

It’ll soon be the rainy season.

Now is the best time to swap out worn wipers. Ice and snow tear down the rubber edges of the wiper blades. Replacing these is an easy first step towards spring cleaning your semi.

While you’re swapping out windshield wiper blades, check on the roof-mounted cab lights and marker lights for any potential moisture intrusion, and inspect the rubber weather seals around the windows for any cracks that might have appeared during winter. 

#2. Deep Clean Your Truck to Remove Chemical Additives

Deep cleaning your big rig involves a lot more than just power-washing off corrosive street salt and grime. This includes any accumulated road salt and grime to your undercarriage and frame rail.

Harmful chemicals that carry contaminants like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, and heavy metals like cadmium, do splash on you truck and travel into it.

These harmful, corrosive road chems don’t just stay on the paint. They move deep into the truck’s electrical system, sometimes appearing all the way into the front dash of the driver’s cab.  

If left unchecked, major problems can arise from seemingly unrelated areas. This is because the chemicals are damaging your truck’s electrical wiring. When this gets damaged, the issues start popping up at “random” places in the truck.

The Solution: Disconnect everything and degrease it. Then, put it all back together. Time consuming? Yes. But it’s worth preserving the value of your rig.

Final Tip: This might be the best time to check your battery terminals and braided ground straps for any ghost issues in the electrical system.

#3. Full 5^th Wheel Cleaning and Inspection

It’s a dirty, greasy, and time-consuming job. When winter ends and spring begins, it’s the best time to start.

To properly inspect the tilt, alignment, and overall adjustment of your semi-truck fifth wheel, you need to remove the grease. Strip it clean. You can clean with degreaser, steam, or a power washer. 

That old packed-on residual grease isn't helping the fifth wheel do its job. Every so often, springtime or not, you need to remove it and add a fresh new layer of grease to it.

Spring is also the best time to replace the top plate with Minimizer’s no-lube fifth wheel plate and never deal with grease again – if you prefer.  

#4. Maintain the PH Levels on Your Antifreeze Coolant

Spring weather is the best time to start checking your fluid levels – especially your coolant!

It’s prime time for checking your fuel separator, cabin air filter, and anti-freeze.

Testing and maintaining the pH levels of your antifreeze coolant is vital for your heavy-duty diesel engine health. It’s a silent killer that you don’t recognize until it’s too late.

Improper pH levels and depleted inhibitors corrode and cavitate cylinder liners, causing the coolant to leak out into the combustion chamber, leading to engine failure.

This happened to a driver we knew. He got hydro locked on the side of the road for 3 days. The entire motor had to be replaced for at least $25,000. That’s weeks of downtime and not getting paid.

Yeah…

You can avoid this nightmare scenario with good preventative maintenance habits.

While a pack of pH dip test trips might cost you $50-60, it’s well worth having on hand.

#5. Brake & Air System Check

Inspect and replace the air dryer cartridge. If you haven’t replaced the air dryer cartridge recently, now is the best time. As usual, check your tire pressure, wheel seals, and any loose nut covers on the wheels.

Review your brake linings and brake drums. Look for cracks or “heat checking” in the brake linings that might have occurred during winter. Make sure the S-cams and slack adjusters are properly lubricated and move freely.

The Importance of Preventative Maintenance All Year Round

When it comes to trucking, the little things add up. Don’t sweat the “small” preventative maintenance expenses. Spending some dough on little things will often end up saving you enormous amounts of time, headache, and money.

Whether it’s changing your engine oil, brake fluid, testing wire connections, or getting the right psi tire pressure, good preventative maintenance protects you from encountering massive amounts of downtime and hefty repair costs.

Shop for Spring Cleaning Accessories & Gear at 4 State Trucks

Find high-quality aftermarket accessories, replacement parts, and cleaning kits to get your big rig ready for action. Shop at 4 State Trucks.