AC, Battery and More

Run your AC in winter

To keep your truck’s air-conditioning system (if you have one) fit for the next warm season, run it a few times throughout the winter (even if you aren’t operating the truck). This will prevent moving parts in the compressor from seizing. Also, circulating the refrigerant will help keep the seals soft and pliant.

Maintain your truck’s battery

Maybe the manufacturer says your battery is maintenance free, but don’t you believe it! Check your battery regularly to extend its life and avoid the hassle of being stranded with a dead battery.

• Begin with the simple: keeping your battery clean. A dirty case can actually cause current to drain. Wipe with a damp rag. Use a mild detergent if necessary.
• Next, clean the battery posts or terminals. Loosen and remove the negative cable (black or minus sign) first, then the red positive cable. Use a brass wire battery brush dipped in a paste made from a few tablespoons of baking soda and a little water.
• Inspect the battery case for damage, such as cracks or bulges — signs that a battery needs to be replaced.
• Reinstall the cables, positive first, and coat the terminals and clamps with a thin coating of grease to prevent new corrosion.

Some batteries need water

If your battery has vent caps, remove them to check the level of the electrolyte. It should rise 1/2 inch above the battery’s top plates. If it doesn’t, use distilled water to raise the level to 1/4 or 3/8 inch below the bottom of the vent cap. Don’t use tap water, as it may contain minerals that can damage your battery. Mechanics should check your battery as a part of your regularly scheduled maintenance, but they often skip the procedure. Be sure to ask to have it done.

Be kind to your battery

If you inadvertently leave your lights on and drain your battery, take the following precautions to prevent damage to the battery and the starter when jump-starting your food truck:

• Don’t risk causing the battery to explode. With both vehicles off, connect a positive cable end to the positive battery terminal of the dead battery.
• Connect the other positive cable end to the positive terminal of the source battery.
• Connect a negative cable end to the negative terminal of the source battery.
• Attach the remaining negative cable to unpainted metal on the vehicle engine.
• Wait a few minutes and try to start your disabled truck. If it doesn’t start, start the source vehicle and then try starting your truck again.
• When your mobile kitchen starts, be careful to disconnect the cables in the reverse order.
• If the truck still doesn’t start, don’t keep trying to charge it or you are liable to damage the starter. Bring the battery to an automotive shop to see if it can be recharged.
• Even if you’re successful, ensure a full recharge by hooking up the battery to a charger overnight or by driving the car for 5 or 10 miles.

Seal a leaky radiator

Save the high expense of a new radiator by trying to seal a leak with a radiator sealer. Available in powder or liquid form, the product circulates in the radiator until it gets to the hole, where it sets up and fills the hole upon contact with the air.

Dilute your coolant

Your cooling system needs both coolant-antifreeze and water, so don’t pour undiluted coolant into your cooling system. Dilute it with water to the commonly recommended 50-50 ratio. Similarly, don’t use straight water in your system either. The coolant protects against corrosion and freezing. The water ensures good heat transfer from the coolant to the radiator.

Keep your cool

Check the coolant-antifreeze level weekly that shows on the translucent coolant-antifreeze overflow tank. If low, fill to the maximum fill mark on the tank with a 50-50 solution of coolant-antifreeze and water. Some coolant manufacturers now sell premixed coolant and water for the motorist who wants a quick and easy way to top off.

Don’t forget to flush

Coolant-antifreeze eventually degrades and becomes contaminated. Flush it from your cooling system as recommended in your manual (typically every two years; every five years for newer coolants). Failing to do so can damage your radiator, clog your heater core, and cause the thermostat and water pump to fail.

Check power-steering fluid

Check the power-steering fluid once a month with the truck warmed up. If the level is low, have the hoses and pump inspected for leaks. In addition to making your truck difficult to steer, low power-steering fluid will damage the power-steering pump. Be sure to use the power steering fluid recommended for you truck.

RELATED: 25 Food Truck Repairs You Can Do Yourself

The Bottom Line

The term ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ still applies to many industries. But due to increasing costs of food truck downtime, we you to understand the benefits of preventive maintenance. By performing a regular food truck preventive maintenance, you are assured your truck and kitchen equipment operates under safe conditions, both for the equipment and your staff.

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