How Spring Weather and Debris Can Strain Your Semi’s Radiator

Spring brings longer days and warmer weather – but it also comes with rapid temperature swings, humid weather and increased debris on the road, all of which can quickly clog your semi truck’s heat exchanger and reduce its cooling efficiency.

In this blog, we’re going to break down how exactly spring weather and debris like dust, grit and pollen affects your haul truck’s or diesel engine’s heat exchanger. And, what spring fleet maintenance you can do to prevent negative impacts from it.

This Post Covers:

How Does Spring Weather Affect My Transport Truck Cooling Systems?
How Does Spring Debris Affect My Semi Truck’s Heat Exchanger?
Can Hitting a Pothole Damage My Semi Truck Radiator?
What Are The Signs That Spring Is Damaging Your Heat Exchanger Damage?
How To Prevent Spring Weather From Straining Your Freight Truck Rad
What To Do If Spring Weather Damages My Highway Truck Radiator?
Heavy-duty Cooling System Maintenance for Semi Trucks

How Does Spring Weather Affect My Transport Truck Cooling Systems?

There are a few ways spring weather can negatively affect your semi or haul truck’s heat exchanger:

1. Temperature swings

Because the weather in spring can range from -10°C to +15°C in Canada (sometimes in the same day!), your heavy-duty heat exchanger is constantly expanding and contracting.

Unfortunately, this back and forth is likely to cause your semi’s radiator to crack and leak.

2. Rising temperatures

The further into spring we get, the more the temperatures rise. As a result, your freight truck’s radiator has to work harder to dissipate heat.

3. Increased humidity and rain

Spring showers are great, but it’s possible that during a heavy rain – moisture can slip into your heat exchanger and potentially cause your rad to rust.

On the other hand, humidity can decrease your rad’s cooling efficiency, as it has to work harder in order to keep your transport truck’s diesel engine cool.

How Does Spring Debris Affect My Semi Truck’s Heat Exchanger?

A semi-truck driving on a spring road in Canada

There are a couple of different types of debris that become common in the spring and may negatively affect your haul truck’s rad:

1. Dust

Melting snow can release dust and grit onto our streets. This dust and grit can quickly build up in your heavy-duty truck’s rad and begin to clog it.

2. Pollen

Just like pollen can cause your nose to plug up, it can also clog the fins of your industrial radiator.

Can Hitting a Pothole Damage My Semi Truck Radiator?

Yes – if you hit a pothole bad enough, you can definitely damage your haul truck’s rad.

How?

Although hitting potholes often causes more issues with your truck’s suspension or tires, a bad pothole hit can cause your radiator to crack and possibly leak.

This is especially the case if your heat exchanger has plastic end tanks. As plastic tanks are incredibly susceptible to cracking and breaking.

What Are The Signs That Spring Is Damaging Your Heat Exchanger Damage?

Before and after of a damaged semi-truck heat exchanger

There are a few signs that the spring season may be straining or damaging your diesel engine heat exchanger.

Here’s what to look out for:

Visible damage

Corroded/plugged fins and visible cracks in your semi-truck’s radiator is a telltale sign that the spring weather and debris are damaging your heat exchanger.

Leaks and coolant issues

In addition to visible damage, coolant leaks and coolant discolouration may indicate that spring temperature swings have caused a crack in your truck heat exchanger that needs to get patched up.

Reduced heat exchanger performance

Restricted airflow and clogged fins from dust, grit, dirt and pollen can worsen your cooling system, causing your truck to overheat.

At any of our three locations in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Estevan, we can repair your damaged radiator. At our Winnipeg shop, we have a “remove and replace” service, where we can remove your industrial heat exchanger ourselves, service it and then replace/reinstall it again.

Additionally, there are a few things you can do for spring fleet maintenance to ensure your trucks are ready for the roads.

How To Prevent Spring Weather From Straining Your Freight Truck Rad

Spring conditions can be tough on your cooling system, but a few proactive steps can help keep your heat exchanger running efficiently:

1. Clean away seasonal debris

Regularly wash your truck and rinse the radiator and surrounding components to prevent airflow restrictions and overheating.

2. Use rust-proofing sprays

Apply a yearly rust-proof spray on the exterior of your vehicle. Because this will help protect your heavy-duty heat exchanger from spring weather that causes rust.

3. Install mud flaps

Just like rust-proof sprays, mud flaps act as a barrier between debris like mud and rocks and your semi-truck.

4. Regularly inspect your heat exchanger for leaks

Catch cracks and leaks early to save thousands in potential diesel engine services.

When caught early, we can patch cracks in your heat exchanger for just a couple hundred dollars. This is a fraction of the cost of recoring or replacing your heavy-duty truck’s rad, which can cost thousands of dollars depending on the size of the rad.

What To Do If Spring Weather Damages My Highway Truck Radiator?

A shop technician at West End Rad’s Winnipeg location working on a half-day turnaround service for a semi-truck

If you suspect that the spring season has damaged your haul truck’s heat exchanger (or if you’ve accidentally hit a nasty pothole), it’s best to bring it to one of our three locations in Winnipeg, Saskatoon or Estevan for inspection or diesel engine service.

Our Winnipeg location offers a complete remove and replace service. Our mechanics will first remove the industrial heat exchanger from your freight truck ourselves, service it and then replace/reinstall it again.

Additionally, you can also ship your heat exchangers to our locations from anywhere across Canada.

However, just because your radiator has damage, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get it replaced.

Often, we can repair or rebuild your damaged radiator. This can save you money, while ensuring your heavy-duty heat exchanger is able to reach its maximum performance.