Mike
Well-Known Member
It started with me frying the alternator on my APU. Step on on virtually any automotive repair, disconnect the negative battery cable(s). yeah, not a great idea to skip that step, especially when you are cleaning battery cables......
So, I run all week without the APU. Got home Friday, attended gymnastics competition with daughter on Saturday. Sunday arrives, to the truck I go with tools and alternator in hand. Out with the old one, on with the new one. Immediately had a problem because I could not adjust it at all. Off with the new, compare to the old, and the cases are made different. Clocking it wasn't an option. So, wait until Monday, call Thermo King, and go pick up a new alternator. Get back home, install alternator, all is well.
Started truck, and I could tell that I was going to have to get batteries very soon, but planned on waiting til next week.
Tuesday morning, negotiate a load going to Lancaster, OH. A load with a broker that is minutes from my house. Load my stuff into truck, truck cranks slowly, but starts. 15 miles down the road, engine fan comes on, check engine light comes on, and temp gauge stops working. Bad words fly. Stop at fuel stop, check coolant, coolant is fine. Call broker with head down in shame, and come off of load. Get the truck back to the house, call @mndriver for a little advise as I am in full panic mode and not thinking clearly. Pretty positive the temp sensor was bad, but wanted to discuss it with someone. Freightliner had different options, so I just pulled the sensor off to take with me. Getting the sensor off was no fun at all. Half inch drive ratchet, could not budge it. Just my luck, not 1 1/16 wrench to be found anywhere. Got one, still couldn't budge it. Back on with the ratchet, wrench as a more leverage, and off comes the sensor, and out comes all the coolant. Call Fitzgerald on the way to Freightliner to get the actual part number, because Freightliner is a bunch of idiots when it comes to looking up parts, local parts stores couldn't match it up.
Install new sensor, fill with coolant. No leaks. Struggled to start though, decided to get batteries on it, needed larger ones anyway. Get the batteries on the way home, back this morning to put them on.
Out with the old batteries this morning, clean cables, clean the cables at the starter, removed the grounds from the engine to clean, and cleaned the cables at the back of the alternator. All metal shining.
Flip the switch on the APU so it would start up and get the batteries to charging up fully.
Flip the switch to turn on the fridge, and the damn thing breaks. Switch just flops back and forth, stuck in the off position, of course.
Pull the panel, pull the switch, and look at the little light switch. Looks the same, only one less prong. That prong looks to just be for the little light that comes on so you know the fridge is on. Unplug the light connector, plug in the fridge connector to that switch, and fridge now works. Call freightliner again, order new switch.
I think I am actually ready to go back to work now.
So, I run all week without the APU. Got home Friday, attended gymnastics competition with daughter on Saturday. Sunday arrives, to the truck I go with tools and alternator in hand. Out with the old one, on with the new one. Immediately had a problem because I could not adjust it at all. Off with the new, compare to the old, and the cases are made different. Clocking it wasn't an option. So, wait until Monday, call Thermo King, and go pick up a new alternator. Get back home, install alternator, all is well.
Started truck, and I could tell that I was going to have to get batteries very soon, but planned on waiting til next week.
Tuesday morning, negotiate a load going to Lancaster, OH. A load with a broker that is minutes from my house. Load my stuff into truck, truck cranks slowly, but starts. 15 miles down the road, engine fan comes on, check engine light comes on, and temp gauge stops working. Bad words fly. Stop at fuel stop, check coolant, coolant is fine. Call broker with head down in shame, and come off of load. Get the truck back to the house, call @mndriver for a little advise as I am in full panic mode and not thinking clearly. Pretty positive the temp sensor was bad, but wanted to discuss it with someone. Freightliner had different options, so I just pulled the sensor off to take with me. Getting the sensor off was no fun at all. Half inch drive ratchet, could not budge it. Just my luck, not 1 1/16 wrench to be found anywhere. Got one, still couldn't budge it. Back on with the ratchet, wrench as a more leverage, and off comes the sensor, and out comes all the coolant. Call Fitzgerald on the way to Freightliner to get the actual part number, because Freightliner is a bunch of idiots when it comes to looking up parts, local parts stores couldn't match it up.
Install new sensor, fill with coolant. No leaks. Struggled to start though, decided to get batteries on it, needed larger ones anyway. Get the batteries on the way home, back this morning to put them on.
Out with the old batteries this morning, clean cables, clean the cables at the starter, removed the grounds from the engine to clean, and cleaned the cables at the back of the alternator. All metal shining.
Flip the switch on the APU so it would start up and get the batteries to charging up fully.
Flip the switch to turn on the fridge, and the damn thing breaks. Switch just flops back and forth, stuck in the off position, of course.
Pull the panel, pull the switch, and look at the little light switch. Looks the same, only one less prong. That prong looks to just be for the little light that comes on so you know the fridge is on. Unplug the light connector, plug in the fridge connector to that switch, and fridge now works. Call freightliner again, order new switch.
I think I am actually ready to go back to work now.