december2021 - 50

ELECTRONICS
How to combat electrical issues on modern trucks
New technology on trucks is creating new challenges for proper electrical
system maintenance. Here's how to stay ahead of the curve.
By James Alfred
E
lectrical issues have been giving truck technicians
sleepless nights ever since the first
magnetos and primitive wiring harnesses
were run through a chassis to provide power for
lights, instruments, and other vehicle systems.
Today, with trucking in the midst of an accelerating
technological revolution centered on ultrafast,
highly complex electronics, they don't seem
to be getting any easier to troubleshoot and repair.
GETTING PAST THE PAIN POINTS
" Although we've seen a lot of advances in electronics
troubleshooting over the past several years, the reality
is that these systems will always be a time-consuming
problem for most fleets, " said Kristi LaPage, business
manager, commercial vehicle group, Mitchell 1.
As vital as electrical systems are in our society, the
simple fact is they do not do well in the harsh work
conditions commercial vehicles are forced to endure.
Electrical systems, wiring, conductors, and connectors
do not like excessively hot or cold temperatures. They
don't like the elements. And they don't like vibrations.
Their necessarily delicate protective casings often allow
water, dirt, grease, soot, and other contaminants in,
which quickly leads to failure. And despite countless
efforts to design and deploy wiring that can withstand
these harsh operational realities, the fact remains that
electronics are a vital, yet unbelievably delicate and temperamental
operational system on vehicles that work in
some of the toughest, and most unforgiving conditions
on earth.
To make things even more frustrating for technicians,
conditions that can cause electrical system failures
are often highly intermittent in nature, explained Jason
Hedman, product manager for Noregon. For example,
he noted, a wire that is wet may carry a current just
fine when it is dry. Likewise, a failure caused by a wiring
harness vibrating rapidly at highway speeds may be
undetectable when the truck is sitting still in the shop.
Additionally, corrosion has made testing components
difficult for two reasons, explained Cory Adams, vice
president of engineering, Peterson Manufacturing. First,
he explained, separating corroded components can be
difficult and sometimes impossible without breaking
the connectors and components. " And second, " he said,
" trying to find a damaged wire across hundreds of feet of
wire on a trailer is tedious and time-consuming which
causes extended trailer downtime and increased cost to
repair. Checking each and every wire in a system while
trying to track down electrical issues can prove to be
quite laborious. "
Another problem is that new technology often means
relearning maintenance truisms and procedures that have
been in place for decades. A good case in point, the introduction
and fast adoption of new LED lighting systems.
" The issue is that conventional, incandescent light
bulbs draw more power than LED bulbs-which is one
50 Fleet Maintenance | December 2021
Mitigating electrical issues by periodically check all connections
and plugs on a fleet's vehicles and replace them with newer,
more weather- and corrosion-resistant components.
Photo courtesy of Peterson Manufacturing
Photo from 1211849855 | Ivan-balvan | GettyImages
of the key benefits to switching over to LED systems, "
said Kyle O'Dell, director of engineering and new product
development, Optronics International/USA Harness
International. " However, some self-diagnosing vehicle
systems interpret that low power draw as a signal that
a perfectly healthy bulb is out all the time because the
old power draw simply isn't there. And you end up with
technicians chasing ghosts for hours over a fundamental
misunderstanding of the differences between LED and
incandescent lighting systems. "
A BLEND OF OLD- AND NEW-SCHOOL
PROCEDURES
Although lighting and electronics systems will likely
always be a bottleneck in fleet maintenance operations,
maintenance system service providers and OEs alike
are working continuously to make troubleshooting and
repairs faster and easier to complete.
Perhaps the greatest advancement in recent years
has been telematics systems on trucks, which relay vital
information about component failures back to fleets,
service providers, and OEMs in real time. As a result,
Peterson's Adams said, the time to track down electrical
issues on trucks has been reduced. " Additionally, smart
trailer systems will also warn drivers and fleets when
there are problems, and most problems are easier and
less expensive to fix if you find them early, " he added.
" This goes for driver routine maintenance as well as
technician level maintenance, such as the need [to add]
air to a tire before it overheats, lube hubs before they
cause a thermal incident, and other issues. "
New remote diagnostics are now playing a major
role in improving vehicle safety by catching electric or
lighting issues as they happen-or in some cases, before
they even malfunction.
As Hedman explained, because truck lights are now
attached to smart systems, they can send fault codes to
the user, so fleets don't have to wait for the driver

december2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2021

From the Editor – Hitched Up: Maintaining Optimism in 2022
Equipment: Treading Carefully: Overcoming tire supply and maintenance issues
In the Bay: Implementing an efficient oil program in four steps
Shop Operations: Navigating the parts predicament
Technology Trends: Preparing for dual SCR
Drivetrain: E-axles shift miantenance focus
Management: Addressing the 'why' of preventive maintenance
Economic Outlook: Untangling the supply chains
Diagnostics: ADAS calibration: a matter of millimeters
Guide to Diagnostic Process and Tools
Tools & Equipment
Fleet Parts & Components
Classifieds
Guest Editorial: Diagnostic tools are a technician's sidekick
december2021 - 1
december2021 - 2
december2021 - 3
december2021 - 4
december2021 - 5
december2021 - From the Editor – Hitched Up: Maintaining Optimism in 2022
december2021 - 7
december2021 - Equipment: Treading Carefully: Overcoming tire supply and maintenance issues
december2021 - 9
december2021 - 10
december2021 - 11
december2021 - 12
december2021 - 13
december2021 - In the Bay: Implementing an efficient oil program in four steps
december2021 - 15
december2021 - 16
december2021 - 17
december2021 - 18
december2021 - 19
december2021 - Shop Operations: Navigating the parts predicament
december2021 - 21
december2021 - 22
december2021 - 23
december2021 - 24
december2021 - 25
december2021 - 26
december2021 - 27
december2021 - 28
december2021 - 29
december2021 - Technology Trends: Preparing for dual SCR
december2021 - 31
december2021 - Drivetrain: E-axles shift miantenance focus
december2021 - 33
december2021 - 34
december2021 - 35
december2021 - 36
december2021 - Management: Addressing the 'why' of preventive maintenance
december2021 - Economic Outlook: Untangling the supply chains
december2021 - 39
december2021 - Diagnostics: ADAS calibration: a matter of millimeters
december2021 - 41
december2021 - 42
december2021 - Guide to Diagnostic Process and Tools
december2021 - 44
december2021 - 45
december2021 - 46
december2021 - 47
december2021 - 48
december2021 - 49
december2021 - 50
december2021 - 51
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december2021 - 67
december2021 - 68
december2021 - 69
december2021 - 70
december2021 - Tools & Equipment
december2021 - 72
december2021 - 73
december2021 - 74
december2021 - 75
december2021 - 76
december2021 - 77
december2021 - 78
december2021 - 79
december2021 - Fleet Parts & Components
december2021 - Classifieds
december2021 - Guest Editorial: Diagnostic tools are a technician's sidekick
december2021 - 83
december2021 - 84
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