Tag: starting

Diagnose the Ignition System

How To Diagnose the Ignition System of a Truck Easily

Do you want to learn how to diagnose the ignition system of a truck? The ignition system is the part of your truck that you should inspect whenever you perform general truck maintenance. Checking it does not consume much time and saves you from frequent breakdowns. 

How To Diagnose the Ignition System of a Truck

This guide will detail how to diagnose the ignition system of a truck, which is otherwise similar in many other vehicles.

The ignition has low-tension connections. Consider checking if they are tight and are not corroded. You should also check if all the low-tension wires are well insulated and if no cracks have formed on them.

Check The Leads

Check if the leads are clean, dry, and crack-free. If your truck has special guide clips, check if the leads are running inside them. The clips play the role of protecting the leads.

If the leads are dirty, use a soft cloth to clean them. If they are not in good working condition, consider replacing them. It would help if you replaced the high-tension leads every three years. Doing this will help in maintaining the peak performance of your truck.

Check if the spark plugs are well fixed on the leads and if the leads are well connected to the distributor. When doing this, have sticky tape to make tagging, so you do not mix up the connections.

The threaded collars are used in screwing the leads vertically into the distributor and are held by crimped terminals or tiny screws.

Check if there are cracks on the distributor and the plug caps. You will have to pull off the plug caps one after another to do this. Pulling one after another will protect the lead from damage. Wipe the tops of the porcelain plugs.

Remove The Distributor Cap

It may have spring clips or two small screws. When removing the distributor cap, do not drop the spring clips or the screws. Inspect if there is any crack inside the cap. Check if the sprung carbon brush at the top can slide freely up and down. There is a spring contact on top of the rotor arm. Check if this spring is free from damage or wear. You might find the roto-arm tip dirty. All you need to do is to lift off the arm and clean it by scraping. Scrapping will also remove corrosion around the rotor-arm tip.

Narrow pipes run from the distributor to the inlet manifold. If you have an older truck, these pipes will be metallic. Most of these pipes are plastic which is a push-on fit. Inspect and check the physical conditions of these pipes.

Check the Coil

The standard type has a thick HT lead flanked by two smaller LT leads. Check if the lead is correctly fixed to the coil and distributor, and ensure that the rubber seals are well fixed. Ensure that the coil is fixed adequately on its mountings.

You will see two leads from the switch to the coil, one going through the resistor while the other bypasses the resistor and provides an additional ignition strength. 

Conclusion

The ignition system has various parts. To diagnose the ignition system, it requires one to have prior mechanical mastry. If you haven’t done it before, consider the services of your mechanic. 

How To Jump Start A Diesel Truck

How To Jump Start A Diesel Truck

Do you know how to jump start a diesel truck? Most diesel trucks have either dual batteries or one oversize battery. It is possible to jump-start a diesel engine from the battery of any conventional fuel-powered vehicle. If your diesel-powered truck cannot start because the battery is dead, consider doing the following to jump-start it. This guide will show you how to jump start a diesel truck the easy way.

Trucks with two batteries have a similar layout. If you can charge one, the other one will be able to work. To jump-start a truck, you have to have a pair of jumper cables.  

Steps On How To Jump Start A Diesel Truck

  • Ensure that both vehicles are in parking or neutral and that the hand brake is enabled. 
  • Turn on the heater on the diesel start you are jump-starting. Doing this will prevent the electrical system from surging due to voltage variation.
  • Turn off or disable all other electrical accessories like lights and wipers of the truck you are jump-starting. 
  • Suppose your truck has two batteries with a thicker cable on any of the batteries. Consider attaching the jumper cable on the battery with thick wires, as it is the one you will use for jump-starting. Consider properly hooking the jumper cable if your truck has a single battery.
  • Connect the clamp to one f the jumper cables on the battery’s positive terminal you have disabled. Most positive terminals have (+) signs or red covers.
  • Connect the other end of the jumper cable to the positive terminal of the vehicle, which will provide power.
  • Connect the other end of the jumper cable to the vehicle’s negative terminal (-) that provides power. 
  • Doing this is a bit tricky but worth it. Take the other end of the jumper cable and connect it to the metallic part of your truck. The bracket that keeps your hood up is the most recommended part of doing this. When attaching the other part of the jumper cable on it, ensure it is not close to the battery, belts, or any moving part of your truck. 
  • At this point, all is set, and you can start the engine of the source vehicle. 
  • After turning on the engine of the source vehicle, move to your truck and turn on its engine. Let both engines run for 2 minutes or more, depending on how long your truck’s battery has been dead. 
  • Put off the source vehicle’s engine as your truck’s engine is running. 
  • Remove the jumper cable from the unpainted part of your truck.
  • Remove the jumper cable from the positive terminal of your truck.
  • Remove the jumper cable from the terminals of both vehicles.
  • At this point, your truck is now good to go. Make sure you drive it for around 15 minutes to ensure your battery is fully charged.

Conclusion

Several instances can make the battery of your truck die. Shared above are steps on how to jump start a diesel truck the easy way. It would help if you had some basics of jump-starting your truck at your fingertips. If your truck’s battery keeps on failing, consider checking its condition. Regular jump-starting is an indication that your battery is dying and should be replaced as part of your truck maintenance. 

How To Hotwire A Truck in An Emergency

How To Hotwire A Truck in An Emergency

Owning a truck will expose you to things you had never thought of doing. For example, at some point, you will not be able to start your truck because you may have forgotten the keys or misplaced them. Hot wiring is a unique undertaking that might not be common, but you have performed it at some point. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how to hotwire a truck in an emergency situation.

What is Hot-Wiring?

At some point, you have started your truck without using the keys. It would sound weird, but it is a standard procedure in car theft. Under the steering, wires usually get twisted to start up your truck. Is this possible? 

How To Hotwire A Truck

Initially, trucks had computers and electronic locking systems, which made the process of hotwiring so easy. But modern trucks have a central computerized system that controls the locking mechanism, making it a little bit complex to hotwire. This guide gives some tips on how to hotwire a truck.

Step 1

The first thing to do is locate your ignition with your screwdriver. Turn the screwdriver to see if your engine will start. You all need to do this in some trucks, and the engine will start. But for other trucks, you will need to move to the next step. 

Step 2

If step one fails, consider moving to step two. In this step, you will remove the steering column using the screwdriver. Locate the screws that hold the steering column. After removing the nuts, you will be able to locate the panels. Pull the boards out to remove them. You will be able to see the wires of the ignition column.

Step 3

The ignition column has various wires. Some are for the lighting system, wipers, and others are for the battery and the ignition.

These wires connect to the battery, starter motor, and ignition system. Identify the cables connecting to the ignition system and the battery. Battery wires are usually red, or some have universal colors. If the system of your truck has universal colors, consider going through your manual, which will let you know each cable and its role. Doing this will enable you to identify the ignition cables.

Step 4

Cut the insulation of the wires using a wire stripper. Take the naked ends and twist them using your hands. If this is done successfully, the electrical parts of your truck will turn on.

Step 5

Locate the wire that connects to the starter motor and remove a piece of insulation at its end. Touch the end of this to the end of the other two wires. When doing this, practice caution and do not touch these wires because they are live wires. After doing this, your engine should be able to start.

Step 6

Seal the ends of the wires to which you removed their insulation using masking tape. Doing this is necessary t reduce cases of short circuits.

Conclusion

It is simple to hotwire your truck. All you need to do is to identify the ignition cables on your steering column. When done hotwiring, consider revving your engine for some time, so it does not go off.