Trucking repair facilities see more trucks for repairs due to the challenges of buying new trucks. The number of new vehicles (including trucks) has decreased due to a shortage of chips and other parts. When trucking companies get new trucks for their fleet, they are often priced far out of range. The best a company can do is find a reliable repair shop. It is usually less expensive than hiring a truck technician or taking the truck to the dealership. And Mevert Automotive & Tire Center provides semi-truck repair in Steeleville, IL.

Exhaust System

According to the HDT Fact Book 2022, the most common repair on semi-trucks involves the emissions system. This is understandable because of the complexity of the system.

Parts of the Emission Control System

Engine manufacturers created an emission control system to reduce the carbon footprint of semi-trucks. Depending on the manufacturer, it includes most, if not all, of these parts:

• Variable geometry turbocharger
• Diesel particulate filter (DPF)
• Diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC)
• Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
• Selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
• Engine control module (ECM)
• Several sensors that send and receive information to and from the engine control module (ECM)

These are quite a few parts to break over time. When one of these breaks, you’ll notice reduced fuel economy, fuel mileage, reduced engine performance, excess pollutants, and the system not effectively cleaning the DPF. The system must get hot enough to convert the pollutants into soot before the DPF catches them. If not, it is not operating efficiently and will cost you fuel economy. We recommend doing emissions maintenance on your semi truck for better longevity.

What Happens if Emission Control System Doesn’t Work

If the emissions control system doesn’t work properly, you could notice the following:

• DPF failure
• Turbocharger failure
• Plugged DOC
• EGR failure
• Using excessive coolant or diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)
• Poor fuel economy
• Loss of power
• Manual regens
• The engine light coming on frequently
• The truck going into limp home/crawl mode

Brakes

Semi-truck air brakes can fail just as easily as the hydraulic brakes on your family vehicle. They work much the same, except truck brakes use air while the brakes on your car are hydraulic. Where your car uses a master cylinder filled with brake fluid to engage the calipers, the semi-truck uses an air compressor and compressed air. Air is allowed through the lines when a truck driver presses the brake pedal. A light tap on the brake pedal provides a little air. A firm pressure until the brake pedal stops moving sends a lot of air through the air lines to push a piston, closing the brake shoes. Whatever the case, our team at Mevert Automotive & Tire Center can fix your brakes.

Parts of an Air Brake

Air brakes have several components that might need repair, including:

• Air compressor
• Air reserve tanks
• Air compressor governor
• Drain valves for the air compressor
• Brake chambers
• Brake pedal
• Pushrod
• Brake S-cam
• Slack adjusters
• Return spring
• Brake shoes

Tires

It would be best if you often had one or more semi-truck tires or trailer tires. It never fails for a tire to go flat when you are on the road. Fortunately, Mevert Automotive & Tire Center’s location is close to a road that truckers frequently travel. If you notice your truck’s tires are getting thin on the tread or you have a separated tire, we can replace all, one, or a few of the tires.

Contact Mevert Automotive & Tire Center for Semi-Truck Repair in Steeleville, IL

Regardless of the type of maintenance or repair your semi-truck needs, you can count on Mevert Automotive & Tire Center to help. Call us at (618) 965-9609, fill out our appointment form, or visit us if you are nearby and have semi-truck problems. We are conveniently located at 1014 West Broadway, Steeleville, IL 62288.