Perform Basic Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting of the Articulated Vehicle
What this domain tests
Basic preventive maintenance and first-line troubleshooting on the articulated vehicle: fluid levels, tyres, belts, battery, brakes, filters, warning lamps, and knowing when to fix, report or stop.
Core rules
- Follow the manufacturer's service intervals and the company PM schedule; record every check with date, odometer and findings.
- Check fluids cold and on level ground: engine oil, coolant, brake fluid where applicable, power steering, washer, differential and transmission oil. Use the specified grade; overfilling oil is a defect, not a bonus.
- Tyres: cold pressure against the placard, tread depth, uneven wear, cuts, embedded objects. Brakes: slack adjuster travel within limit, no audible leak, drums not glazed or cracked.
- Warning lamps are information: stop for red (oil pressure, coolant temperature, brake), investigate amber (ABS, engine, air dryer).
- Tag out and report defects you cannot fix; never 'adjust' a brake or emission system without the proper gauge and procedure.
Worked example
The engine loses power and blows black smoke under load. Reasoning: black smoke means unburned fuel, commonly from restricted intake air, a boost leak, or over-fueling. Check the cheapest and most common first: air filter restriction indicator, then intake hoses and clamps for cracks, then the charge-air cooler. If the filter is clean and hoses are sound, report for a fuel-system diagnosis rather than changing parts at the roadside.
Traps
- Opening the radiator cap while the engine is hot.
- Filling oil to the top of the filler neck instead of the dipstick mark.
- Mixing coolant types or repeatedly topping up with plain water.
- Backing off a slack adjuster in the wrong direction.
- Ignoring a small coolant or oil leak until it becomes a breakdown.