When you have a medium-duty truck in need of repairs, you should consider having other repairs made at the same time. This is especially true of cab-over trucks, where it is really difficult to get to the engine. Here are paired repairs you should try to do together when you have a cab-over medium-duty truck.
Truck Transmission Repair and Shift Linkage for a Tilt Cab
Because of the fact that the engine is underneath the cab, many cab-over trucks have a feature that allows mechanics to tilt the cab all the way forward to work on the engine. The component that does this is called a "shift linkage," but it is also known as a gearshift linkage. It is connected to the truck's transmission and gear shift systems. Ergo, if your cab-over truck needs transmission repair, make sure the mechanics check and repair the shift linkage too.
The Alternator, Ignition, Battery, and Starter
Any time any of the above components need to be repaired or replaced, you should have your mechanic also check the alternator, ignition, battery, and starter. All of them rely on the battery to get the truck going, and all of them share the burden of keeping the car going. Alternators and starters almost always fail together, or fail within a few weeks of each other, so it is important to have them both checked when one of them needs repairs. If the battery goes, the other three components will all be affected in some means or other, and the ignition will have problems turning and igniting in the truck when the electrical signals are not coming and going from the other parts.
Truck Air Conditioning Repair and the Radiator
Big trucks like your cab-over have monster-sized radiators. They also have air conditioning systems to keep the cab really cool and comfortable because the cab is perched on top of a hot-running engine. If either of these two systems fail, you will know it! It will be unbearably hot inside the cab, and the engine will overheat very quickly. You can feel it through the floor of the cab as well; almost as if the engine and the cab are on fire.
If your cab-over is in the shop for truck air conditioning repair, have the mechanic check the radiator and engine cooling systems, too. Nothing should have a leak or a crack in it. Otherwise, you will be back in the shop very shortly to have those things repaired too.
For more information on when to have your truck parts looked at or repaired, talk with a professional truck repair service, like Color Country Diesel Inc.