Don't go to JR 's truckstop in cedar city Utah .

My kid and family comes before ANYONE'S truck.......including my own.
With that said, I feel where your coming from having been in that situation before, but when I thought about it I couldnt be mad because like I said MY FAMILY and MY KIDS are PRIORITY #1

 

I take it that you havent rolled up to a TA yet, only to find out there is a 9 hour wait.... What then?? You going to complain that it was a simple fix, and they should have dropped everything to help you there too??

Yeah, it sucks when you need help and its time for the mechanic to go home, I've been there myself... Welcome to trucking!

 

kw9, i really dont mean this in a bad way, nor am i trying to jerk your chain. but the fact is a radiator core doesnt clog up in a days time or a weeks time. when you are an o/o that is one of the things you do on a regular basis when you are home.

going home is maintenance time on the big ride, will pay dividends in the long run.

 

If your starting to have overheating problems it's time for a new radiator...Plus some home time ..Loosen the condenser and slide it to the side..take the air to air off. And do a good debugging..Now get a full inspection of the radiator...Not that big of a deal from this point to pull and replace.. If you have a friend with a engine picker handy tool for big truck radiator replacement.Will help with the job...Buy a full steel 80 bucks more ..no plastic tanks ...Put it back in and spend the few bucks change the top and bottom hose and any other hoses ..get them done now.. replace thermostats at this time...Big truck radiators last around 750,000 - 850,000 depending on the climate how much winter salt ect..Total cost of fix up 975.00 and a of course as you know some more free labor. But we all know that comes with the territory. Good luck ..

 

Happened to me in Terrell. Woke up to find my AC needed recharging. It was 7:30. The shop didn't seem busy so I thought I'd let them do a full evacuation/recharge. The shop guy at the desk told me it would be at least 1pm before they could get me in. I bought the refrigerant from the c-store and did it myself.

 

dont get all huffy those guys are screwing with you because they see the word New.

 

Seriously ..I had done radiators on Kenworth ..Freightliner classics ..FLD ..Macks..and Petes .First sign was they would start running hot like now when we hit the west. Lived in Wisconsin and in all the cases it was around the 800,000 mark they needed attention. That winter road salt and latter years that liquid crap ..Yea that did wonders...We had a very good radiator shop in the area first West Salem Wi exit heading west on I 90 1 block behind the truck stop county hwy B Think its R & B. that you could take your core to ..Brand new radiator all ready to pick up and put in the truck ran around 750.00 .I would order the better steel tight fins cost like 30 bucks more..He would also do a air to air test to for leaks..Hey This is my second post So I guess am new...I thought I was finally done with trucking ..Last year...But guess what ..am back ....Really if you do change yourself use a engine picker...or celling winch...Makes the job fast and much easier..

 

#1 car wash hose will do a much better job then a AIR HOSE. a lot faster too, and a lot more thorough.

#2 when the fan kicks on. it pulls a tremendous amount of air through the radiator. more then you can blow with your air hose.

#3 not all oil is created equal. i have found one brand that if used in my engine. my temp runs at 200 instead of 175. and my pressure drops from 40 to 32. i may consider winter use but defenitely have no plans to use in the summer.

things to consider

i was also told that a malfuntioning turbo can cause overheating also. it's not blowing enough air through the air charger.

and that shop you mention. works bankers hours. i've never seen them open,.