Tech Updates
Tech Updates
PLUG PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE
Since many states have increased the use of magnesium and calcium chloride as a road de-icer, which are corrosive to brass and
copper, it is important to check contact
pins used in plugs.
(See Figure 1.)
To keep the
products working
properly and to slow
the corrosion process,
Figure1
Phillips recommends
the following maintenance tips.
Apply dielectric
grease to every plug
and socket. Phillips
says this will keep
moisture out and
increase the flow of
Figure 2
energy through the
connection. (See Figures 2, 3 and 4.)
Phillips recommends that you clean
and grease the 7-way
interface plug at every
preventive mainteFigure 3
nance interval. The
company recommends
PM inspections every
three months or more
often if the vehicle is
exposed to magnesium
or calcium chloride.
(See Figure 5.)
Figure 4
Wash electrical
cable, plugs and sockets more frequently in
Figure 5
winter weather. Do not
power wash because
water can be forced
into areas from which
it cannot escape, leading to corrosion.
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T R U C K PA RT S & S E R V I C E | J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2
SAFETY RECALLS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) has issued the following recalls:
There is a problem with certain Meritor
Wabco electronic stability control modules
with part numbers 446 065 020 0, 400 850
179 0, 400 850 195 0, 446 065 027 0 and 400
850 185 0 shipped from August 2005 through
September 2011. Under certain road and
driving conditions, vehicle body roll and road
inclination characteristics may adversely affect
the slip angle calculation of the ESC system.
This may cause the ESC to perceive an oversteering situation and apply the outer wheel
brake on the front axle until the vehicle is
perceived to be stable. If the driver is slow to
react during the ESC intervention, the vehicle
may deviate from the intended line of travel,
increasing the risk of a crash.
The weld that attached a bracket to the housing on certain Meritor 16 mm C89-3121-2-24
and C61-3121-2025 housings assembled into
RD-23-164 drive axles produced from Dec. 1.
2010 through Feb. 14, 2011, may crack as a
result of improper welding procedures. These
axles were installed on certain Mack and
Daimler trucks. If the weld cracks, the bracket
may detach resulting in loss of vehicle control.
There is a problem on certain Transcraft
model year 2010 and 2011 platform trailers
manufactured from Oct. 15, 2010 through
Jan. 31, 2011, and equipped with Gunite
automatic slack adjusters. As a result of incomplete knitting of the iron at the time of
casting, there can be inadequate structural
integrity of the slack adjuster housing. This
can cause the housing to break at the handle
under normal operating loads. If the slack
adjuster housing were to break, the wheel
brake to which the slack adjuster is attached
would no longer function.
The pinion bearing on rack and pinion steering systems on certain Daimler model year