Busbee's Biggest Tip to Save Your Commercial Truck This Summer

Checking the coolant in your radiator is the single most important thing you can do to help your medium or heavy duty box truck to not overheat in the hot temperatures this summer.

When checking your coolant, it's so important that you physically check the radiator level when the engine has been cool for at least 2-3 hours.

Belive it or not, you can't just look at the radiator reservoir jug and assume it's telling you the truth. Just because the reservoir jug may be full, does NOT mean you have coolant in the radiator.

This vacuum reservoir type system counts on a vacuum to draw water out, and if you get a hole in the cooling system somewhere, the vacuum system will not work and you may never know just by looking at the reservoir jug. With a hole in the hose or somewhere, it can't draw water out and your truck will run hot despite the full jug.

Related: Signs and Symptoms That Your Isuzu NPR, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino or UD Truck is Overheating

This will ruin a very expensive motor and causes thousands of dollars in damage within just a few minutes.

The best way to avoid this problem, is to lift the cab before you crank in the morning when the engine has been cool for at least 2-3 hours and physically check the radiator level.

DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR UNTIL THE ENGINE HAS AT LEAST SEVERAL HOURS COOLING TIME.  Open the radiator, on a cold engine, very slowly.  If you open the radiator on a warm or hot engine, you will risk getting seriously burned.

This is especially serious on your Mitsubishi Fuso, UD, Hino & Isuzu box trucks because they are much more expensive than cars.

If you or a co-worker is in an accident or your truck overheats and you need replacement parts for your medium or heavy duty commercial truck, call us at (803) 564-3228 or (877) 564-6307. If you have any difficulties getting through our phone system, please use our Contact Form or Parts Request Form, or email sales@busbeetruckparts.com.

We have hundreds of Salvaged Medium Duty Trucks and Commercial Box Trucks for Parts including: Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso, UD, and GMC. With thousands of parts, including our most popular Isuzu NPR Truck Parts, we should have any part that you need in stock. Our sales professionals will be glad to assist you.  We are located at 4107 Festival Trail Rd, Wagener, SC 29164.


Be sure to Subscribe to the Busbee Blog for more helpful tips and tricks for safe and easy driving. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for our Free Monthly Newsletters.

How the Summer Heat Can Affect Your Mid-Range Import Truck

Getting your Mitsubishi Fuso, Isuzu, or Hino medium-duty box truck ready for each of the different seasons is as important as getting ourselves ready because it increases the vehicles resilience, it makes it more comfortable to drive in, and keeps you safe. You wouldn't go out in this heat in a big Carhartt jacket & longjohns, so now that the dog days of summer are here you should take a minute to acquaint yourself with the issues that your truck faces in the summer heat and then summer proof it.

With that in mind, you should definitely top off the coolant and fluids, change the oil, and properly inflate your tires.  Here are a couple more tips and some insights about the summer heats affects on your truck, in no particular order:

• Gasoline - Many people think that water is the only thing that can be evaporated, but gas is a fluid, and, when it gets hot, it can evaporate - even in your closed tank. While this not a safety concern, it is definitely a financial one to keep in mind. With gas prices being what they are you certainly don’t want to lose any of it to the atmosphere. So try to park in the shade—your budget and your passengers will thank you for it.

• The battery - According to the Car Care Council, heat is one of the main causes for shortened battery life. If your battery is more than two years old, you should have it tested. If it’s older than four, it probably needs to be replaced, or at least you shouldn't go on an extended road trip without a set of jumper cables. Here are some warning signs that your truck battery may be dying.

Related blog: Medium Duty Truck Battery FAQs

• Windshield wipers - Your windshield wipers endure the sun all year, and, if they’re not used regularly, the heat can take its toll on them. Make sure you use your windshield wipers; otherwise your wipers may actually melt to the glass surface. Pulling them loose after they’ve stuck on will likely make them skitter and scrub across your windshield, smearing rather than cleaning.

• Tires - Improperly inflated tires carry a higher risk of catastrophic failure when the temperatures soar. Getting a flat tire is one thing, but a catastrophic failure or blowout while the vehicle is at a high speed can cause a serious accident. So, make it a habit to check your tire pressure once a month, year round, especially in the summer.

• Transmission - When you're carrying a heavy load, make sure your transmission can handle the strain. If you try to move or pull too much during the summer months, the transmission can heat up from the overload.  It’s one thing in the cooler months, but in the summer heat the fluid that’s pushed through the system heats up dramatically, and could do enough damage to ruin a transmission.

If you or a co-worker needs replacement parts this summer for your medium or heavy duty import truck, call us at (803) 564-3228 or (877) 564-6307. If you have any difficulties getting through our phone system, please use our Contact Form or Parts Request Form, or email sales@busbeetruckparts.com.

We have hundreds of Salvaged Medium Duty Trucks and Commercial Box Trucks for Parts including: Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso, UD, and GMC. With thousands of parts, including our most popular Isuzu NPR Truck Parts, we should have any part that you need in stock. Our sales professionals will be glad to assist you.  We are located at 4107 Festival Trail Rd, Wagener, SC 29164.


Be sure to Subscribe to the Busbee Blog for more helpful tips and tricks for safe and easy driving. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for our Free Monthly Newsletters.