9 Worst Things You Can Do to a Diesel Engine

[stucknutz]

Aside from how to operate things, correct break-in and early first oil changes can really help with longevity.

I tend to overkill, bringing new vehicles home on a trailer, then putting them on the lift to check fluid levels (which are rarely correct) and install magnetic level plugs wherever possible.

Next is the diff gear break-in, following gear manufacturers' guidelines. With those first painful 100 miles done, and the brakes properly bedded in, I switch to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended break-in.

Before that's over they get a first oil change at 500 or so miles, and new diff fluid. The latter has saved a couple of diffs from an early demise.

Well, you get the idea, I treat them all as forever-vehicles, which they never end up being. Heck, I've sold several with under 1,000 miles on them.

Let me know when you sell your next vehicle. Your the type of owner i wanna buy from!!

 

[OldPaint]

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....

Yeah, I’m kinda thinking that gravity feed systems where the tank has the fuel line in the lowest possible spot are going to remain fairly sludge free, unless you buy diesel that was nasty to begin with. Ag diesel may be a lot cheaper, but it also has a much lower quality control because it’s rarely inspected. Know and trust your supplier, or get a different supplier.

 

[workinonit]

Why do all of you think there is some magical difference in the dyed vs clear fuel. All of the fuel is EXACTLY the same. The dye is injected when the truck is loaded where I buy from. It's all the same stuff.

Ag diesel may be a lot cheaper, but it also has a much lower quality control because it’s rarely inspected. Know and trust your supplier, or get a different supplier.

 

[dodge man]

Around here the diesel pumps all say something like “may contain bio diesel between 5% and 20%”. No choice, they all say that. I’ve heard it’s usually B5.

 

[NYlumberman]

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....

Maybe I have it wrong, but isn’t the fuel pick up in the tank stationary? Most issues I ever had with crap in a tank were exposed right after filling the tank, when everything was “stirred up”. And it turned out that those issues were purchased at the pump.

 

[sunandsand]

Workinonit said:
Why do all of you think there is some magical difference in the dyed vs clear fuel. All of the fuel is EXACTLY the same. The dye is injected when the truck is loaded where I buy from. It's all the same stuff.

Had a business in Miami (years ago), a customer always smelled like gasoline. Asked him what he did for a living - "I'm a dye mixer".

He sat on a trestle at Port Everglades and looked at the tanker trucks which drove up and parked underneath him. Different brands of gasoline got different colors, Gulf tankers got a cupful of orange dye, somebody else got green dye, someone else got blue, etc.

It all came from the same tank at the port.

In addition to smelling of gasoline, he was always stoned from breathing gas fumes all day. Obviously, this was pre-OSHA, he couldn't even have an electric fan because of the explosion risk of the fumes.

Best Regards,
Mike/Florida

 

[DarkBlack]

These lists are always so pathetic.

How is fuel selection a "worst thing you can do to an engine" Efficiency and emmissions doesn't harm the engine in any way.

Sure, gasoline would be wrong, but that is NOT in consideration with selection. That extreme condition is akin to failing to refill the engine sump with oil after draining.

Like I said, these lists are pathetic!

Lists like that one, look to be written by a computer program

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

This doesn't apply to vehicles that get run often, and thus get brought up to temperature frequently and get the fuel replaced regularly.

But, my understanding is that vehicles that sit for long periods it's best to keep the fuel tank full as possible and use additives, as condensation can cause water to collect - something diesels can't stand.

The same can be true of the engine oil.

My '08 F-450 only has 104K miles on it and I try to keep a close watch on it as it has the 6.4L engine, known for being problematic.

With that kind of mileage it's easy to see it sits a fair bit of the time.

As far as the list goes - to me it reads like most training manuals. Written by technical writers with no knowledge of the subject and adhering in their determination to keep the "technical stuff" written to an 8th grade level.

 

[HFK Farms]

I have always ran a fuel additive in all my diesels. I have 2000 Ford F250 with a 7.3 and a 2017 F250 with a 6.7 deleted. Several Tractors from a Zetor 3321 to a Zetor 10741 Forterra. This low sulfur diesel is hard on diesel fuel systems. I am told Europe still allows high Sulfur diesel to be used. In the winter, my equipment's block heaters are set on timers. I use Archoil in all my equipment. As far as diesel, I use off road diesel for the tractors and road diesel for the trucks. I will never confirm or deny, but on a rare occasion, I have had to use off road diesel to get home.

 

[mjonesnh]

No bio diesel in my area that I have seen. Pumps just have a sticker with "DIESEL" or "#2 DIESEL". Most have a sticker that says Minimum 40 cetane. Never seen a pump with 5 different flavors of diesel like photo above.