Daily Checks
We have a little ritual we perform on every drive day to make sure Molly is in fine form. It involves a walk around the truck checking the following 7 things
- Coolant. Check that level is between the “FULL” and “LOW”.
- Oil. Pull the dipstick and make sure the level is between the low mark and the high mark.
- Diesel. From the instrument panel, make sure the the diesel fuel gauge looks right. The instrument panel fuel gauge is highly biased to the full end of the scale, so don’t trust the instrument panel when it is below 50%.
- DEF. Check the external DEF tank to make sure that the DEF level looks right.
- Engine. Look for leaks on the underside of the engine, or on the ground. It is not realistic on a daily basis to tilt the cab to do a proper inspection of the engine or the v-belt
- Rubber. A quick visually inspect the wheels and tires for proper inflation pressure, the general state of the tire and the loose wheel nut indicators.
- Security. Check all lockers and the door to the house to make sure they are locked.
While walking around Molly, look for anything strange or different. The above ritual is memorized with the mnemonic CODDERS.
Our mnemonic is a modification of one learned during a 4WD course taken for safe driving in the Australian desert. The original version was, POWER, for Petrol, Oil, Water, Engine and Rubber. CODDERS is for Coolant, Oil, Diesel, DEF, Engine, Rubber and Security.
We are certainly are not car mechanics, but our daily routine really works for us. In the past, this little daily routine has picked up little issues before they become big issues.
Monthly Checks
The FUSO operating manual has a much more comprehensive daily inspection requirement, with a total of 15 checks to be performed. They are
- Coolant level
- Engine oil level
- Fuel, oil, coolant and other fluid leaks
- V-belt tension and damage. This requires us to tilt the cab, and not something we do. It is possible to crawl under the truck have a quick look.
- Parking brake lever stroke
- Service brake pedal
- Brake fluid level
- Steering wheel free play
- Lighting system
- Gauge, warning/indicator lamp operation
- Wheels and tires
- Suspension springs
- Battery fluid level
- Steering wheel operation (driving at low speed)
- Brake performance (driving at low speed)
Realistically, very few people are going to the all of the above on a daily basis, and we certainly don’t. The good news, we check the above on a monthly basis. While we travelled around the world in Sterlin, we did a variant of these regular checks. As mentioned above, we found the smaller list of daily inspections were enough and helped discover issues before they became problems.
In addition to what FUSO recommends, we also check on a monthly basis that the roof rack and the rear bumper attachments are secure and inspect the brake hoses.
Regular Service Intervals
And then we take Molly to a Service Center for a proper check as indicated in the service manual.
