9 Worst Things You Can Do to a Diesel Engine

[DarkBlack]

There are no farms where it is an honest, -70F...

SR

Probably seemed like…-70

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

I've been educated. Maybe Biodiesel has two major issues and I saw neither mentioned. 1. Even B10 begins to gel at around 30 degrees Fahrenheit and the higher the blend the worse it gets. 2. It cuts the power. Fact! B30 can cost you as much as 50%. I learned this in John Deere engine school. We used their power units. It was a (don't tell anyone because everyone wants to use bio diesel) secret you weren't supposed to tell.
Whomever said you can't overspeed an engine with a governor electronic or otherwise. Want to bet on that? You absolutely can. Hydrostatic machines with improper valving can do it. Trucks with manual transmissions and idiots behind the wheel can also do it. Did you know that they won't warranty an engine that's been over sped in a vehicle that way. The ECM logs every instance right up to the one that grenaded it. Who knew?

I've been around a lot of engines from little pony starting engines to 11,000 cubic engines with glowing exhaust manifolds. I treat turbo engines the same. They only need a minute or so to "relax" from a hard pull. The exhaust cools fast and the coolant temp drops quickly when the load is removed. Of course some don't get shut off at all but others do and when every looks satisfactory I shut them down.

If it's monitored for condition and coolant additive or spin on filters are used coolant will last forever. The PH balance is the critical element in keeping coolant where it needs to be. We literally had a couple thousand pieces of machinery and it was far cheaper to maintain the coolant than to replace it every couple years. We had spin on filters and PM mechanics that checked the coolant as part of the inspection. As someone mentioned. Heavy duty coolant is an important factor. Coolant isn't all the same and if you go buy cheap automotive coolant and mix it in the long term results will not be great.

Some things on the list I don't agree with.

Individuals aren't as likely to do it but businesses have a baseline oil sample taken and then monitor engine oil for abnormalities as the hours build up. It can give a heads up to bearing wear or coolant starting to get into the oil. Certain metals can only come from specific components on some engines so they can give early warning to an impending issue.

 

[Texasmark]

That list is pretty obvious, but here’s 2 others not on the list:

Lugging: lugging a diesel engine can be harmful as it may lead to increased wear and potential damage to engine components. It's generally better to operate at higher RPMs to ensure the engine runs efficiently and avoids stress.

I see this frequently. I see a lot of operators run at a lower RPM than they should.


Here’s another big one not mentioned:

Shutting off a hot turbocharged diesel: Shutting down a diesel engine with a turbocharger over 1200 degrees instantly stops the oil flowing through the turbo bearings. The oil can actually start “coking” in the bearings.

If you were to rev up your engine and then shut it off, it will cause damage and wear to the turbocharger as the oil pressure drops with it is still spinning at very high RPMs. Modern turbochargers can have turbine speeds above 100,000 rpm! Even the older models will have RPMs ranging from 40,000 to 60,000.

At these speeds, lubrication of the turbocharger bearings is super important for your turbo to last. The turbo must be allowed to spin down before the oil vacates. If not, you will be putting another turbo on before long.

Rod bearings around the crankshaft and main bearings, especially on older engines. that skimped on the number for a given length of engine. With the higher compression of diesel engines they get stressed more than equivalent hp gassers and used to be gassers would need upper overhauls where diesels would need lower overhauls.

 

[joea99]

I couldn't care less how long the fuel has been sitting.

Most of mine is about three years old by now, and one tank closer to 10. Treated and stored correctly it doesn't seem to matter one bit how old the fuel is.

You do you. How many low volume fuel places can you believe have correctly "treated and stored" fuel? Free of water/algae, etc?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

You do you. How many low volume fuel places can you believe have correctly "treated and stored" fuel? Free of water/algae, etc?

I don't worry about that. I can treat it myself for the conditions.

Any water is taken care of by filters and additives, but if somehow there would be algae in the fuel it'd be a new one for me.

Although, I have had quite a battle with bacteria in a fuel tank of a vehicle I bought.

Algae needs light to grow so it's not an issue in fuel tanks, and there are additives available deal with bacteria in fuel. Which needs water in the fuel to start growing, so not hard to avoid.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I run my truck to the fuel light every tank for the most part. I figure if you always suck all the fuel out then there won't be time for lots of sediment to build up.

I will also say that when I ran a big excavator too low I was changing muddy fuel filters at a very inopportune time....

Tractors have a device to deal with dirt in the fuel. It's called a sediment bowl. The reason you don't let a diesel run low on fuel is that priming the injector pump is a PITA.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

"In diesel engines, where internal pressures and operating temperatures are often higher than in gas engines.."

That statement is wrong. Diesel burns much colder than gas and is less violent than gas, that's why diesel engines last much longer as diesel does much less wear and tear on the engine parts compared to gas

Yes, it's the compression ignition that is hard on the engine. Diesel hits hard. As you say, it runs cooler, but is similar to a compression knock in a gasser.