While diesel engines come with their own benefits, such as lower maintenance, better torque, and increased fuel economy, they do still have unique problems of their own. These common maintenance issues with diesel engines need to be addressed once they are spotted, as failing to fix them can result in a destroyed engine and a useless vehicle. Be aware of the problems and their individual causes to make sure your engine doesn’t fail when you need it.

Oxidized Oil

Resulting from too much air getting into the oil, oil oxidizing can happen when an engine is left too long without being run. The air that gets into the oil creates bubbles that ruin the lubrication and can end up damaging the engine to the point of not being able to be used.

How To Solve the Problem?

If you know you have left your diesel-powered vehicle idle too long, then you need to change the oil in it immediately before you start using it.

Contaminated Fuel

Diesel fuel is far more viscous than regular gasoline, which makes it highly susceptible to contamination. Some of those contaminants include:

• Dilution
• Soot
• Water
• Glycol

Know how to spot the signs of contaminated fuel, because failing to purge it from the system will mean extensive and costly damage to your engine and disruptions while driving.

Black Exhaust

This can be a problem with the most obvious sign, but something you, as the driver, are likely not to notice. Black smoke spewing from your exhaust is caused by an imbalance in the air to fuel ratio in your engine—likely a result of too much fuel and not enough air. This type of exhaust pollutes the air, disturbs drivers behind you, and can lead to heft fines depending on the local laws and regulations.

Root Causes

A few faulty components that can cause black exhaust include:

• Injector pump
• Air filter
• EGR valve
• Turbocharge

Don’t Wait

The longer you wait to address maintenance issues with your diesel engine, the worse it is going to become. Eventually, it may even total the engine and turn your car into a multi-ton paperweight.