Diesel engines are known for their efficiency and power, but they’re also susceptible to maintenance issues just like any other version. Whether you depend on yours for personal, recreational or commercial use, it’s important you take care of your diesel engine if you want the best possible performance out of it. One area you need to be especially vigilant with is the cooling system.
While diesel engines are superior to gasoline engines in just about every way, one weakness is how hot the engines can get due to their higher compression rates. In fact, cooling-related problems may affect diesel engines as much as 50% more often than those running on gasoline. When winter comes to Calgary and your engine is working extremely hard, it’s important to keep an eye on the cooling system and get it into a professional if you notice it’s being overworked.
Unlike with a gas engine, if your diesel overheats, you can’t simply turn it off, let it cool down on your own, and try again. While this often works for gasoline engines, your diesel may very well be damaged beyond repair.
If you experience regular cooling issues, take your vehicle into a professional and ask about a cooling system that utilizes a coolant filter. These specialty filters actually regulate the pH value of your coolant. As a result, you have less corrosive particles building up inside your cylinder block and causing problems.
Adding in coolant filer to your diesel engine will make for a better performance in another important way too. It will also coat the surface of your engine’s metals with a protecting lining and reduce the amount of coolant bubbles that are created thanks to its anti-foaming chemicals. Depending on your engine and level of use, you’ll need to add in more of this chemical regularly to keep your engine protected.
One of the easiest ways to ensure your engine is staying nice and cool is simply by checking the notifications that should be going off in your dashboard if anything goes wrong. Test these regularly, though (the user’s manual for your truck should show you how), so you’re not operating under a false sense of security. Catching these early warning signs will mean less expensive and frustrating issues in the future.
Driving a diesel engine should come with a certain amount of confidence, given what a superior piece of machinery it is. However, keep the above in mind so its Achilles’ heal doesn’t end up crippling yours. Should the worst happen, bring it to a Calgary mechanic as soon as possible.