Diesel engines are a bigger initial investment than a petrol engine and parts are more expensive to replace, but they are much more resistant to wear and tear and if well maintained can last for a very long time.
By ensuring your diesel engine is well maintained you can minimize maintenance costs and make sure your diesel engine keeps going for many thousands of miles. Below are some useful tips on how to maintain a diesel engine, spending some time and patience, rather than copious amounts of money. If you want to know how to extend the life of a diesel engine, keep reading this OneHowTo article.
First, remember to always follow the maintenance plan specified by the manufacturer in the maintenance manual. You should always book your vehicle in for a service at the appropriate time, or even before if you notice any strange noises or characteristics.
You should also ensure that you are using the correct oil type and keeping engine oil well topped-up. You should also be taking into account the different grades of fuel quality and ensuring you use only the highest grade diesel in your engine.
You should never stop the engine suddenly just after driving on a motorway or mountain pass. You need to wait at least a minute, because the hot oil in the turbine can carbonize and may break the turbo.
Avoid using up the whole tank of fuel when possible. Fill the tank when the fuel indicator is a quarter full as impurities could otherwise accumulate at the bottom and could be pulled into the fuel supply system, which could result in severe damage over time.
When a tanker truck is reloading its oil tank, never refuel at the same time, as dirt and moisture can get trapped. You should always wait at least an hour after doing so.
Oil levels must be checked periodically. A very low level could cause serious engine damage, while too high a level could damage the pipe or sleeve. To check the oil, you need to switch the engine off and wait for it to cool.
Before you start driving, you should wait about 10 seconds for the engine to warm up. This will ensure that the oil pump has enough time to lubricate the engine.
Bleeding the diesel filter periodically is also very important, to prevent moisture from affecting the fuel injection system. When you service your car, specifically ask them to bleed the diesel filter. It might cost a little bit of extra cash but its definitely a worthy investment.
Change the oil filter approximately every 60,000 km. This will prevent impurities from entering the injection system and damaging it.
Controlling the revs is important as driving the vehicle below 2000 rpm and accelerating without moving down a gear can cause several short-term problems. Above all, this will create more carbon, shortening the life of the EGR catalyst valve, causing the engine to suffer more, and more wear and vibrations.
Finally, avoid the use of bio-diesel because it contains more moisture than diesel, a fact that is likely to cause damage to the injection system.
If you are considering buying a diesel but have not yet done so then read this article to help you decide.
If you want to read similar articles to How To Make Your Diesel Engine Last Longer, we recommend you visit our Car Maintenance and Repair category.