Diesel Engines - Cause of Early Failure How to Entend Its Life
Primary causes of diesel engine failures:
Too much
unburned diesel fuel in engine. Diesels run cold when not under load and at low
idle. This means they "wet stack"; not all the fuel burns. Some fuel ends up on
top of the pistons. This unburned fuel sticks to the carbon on top of the piston. It turns
effectively into coal. Some of it also runs down the cylinder walls which destroys the
lubricating film of oil, greatly increasing cylinder and ring wear, and further can
contaminate the oil which can distroy the main bearings as well as other moving parts in
the engine.
Racing an
engine immediately after start is VERY bad. However, after 15 to 30 seconds there is no
harm in setting a fast idle for warm-up. The key before increasing the RPMs is to make
sure oil is under pressure in all places in the engine, which usually happens in the first
15 to 30 seconds.
Diesel engines
overheat due to poor maintenance or running too hard for too long.
Poor
maintenance of oil and cooling systems.
Methods to prolong the life of a diesel engine:
Avoid
prolonged idling at no load. When you must idle, keep the RPMs at approximately
1,000 after the engine has been running for a minute or so. (Don't forget to drop it back
before engaging the transmission!)
Avoid
pushing your diesel too hard. While it is good to run your diesel under load, it is not
good to run for extended periods under a full load.. Throttle back a bit and
increase the life of your diesel.
Perform
recommended maintenance on schedule. This includes changing oil and filters,
cleaning heat exchangers, replacing impellers, and maintaining proper coolant balance in
the freshwater side. It also means changing zincs and maintaining proper
backpressure in the seawater side so the exchangers remain full of water (and not air) to
maintain an appropriate flow rate (too fast is as bad as too slow!).
Lay up
and commission you diesel properly. Leaving a diesel sit for a month at a time is
not good as it can cause corrosion and condensation damage. Fog your engine
according to the manufacturers directions and plug the exhaust port with an oil-soaked
cloth.
When you
start your diesel, get it up to normal operating temperature. If you're going to
start the engine, run it long and hard enough to get to full operating temp for a
while (an hour or so.)
Install
block heaters unless you live in South Florida or similar locales. These will keep
condensation out of your oil and that makes a huge difference as well.
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visits since January 1, 1999
