Like your phone, clothes, or home, regular maintenance is essential if you want to ensure your diesel vehicle’s longevity or long-term health. Not only could a random police check land you with a hefty fine if you get pulled over, but emergency car rescue in the event of a breakdown could be equally expensive. Thankfully, basic diesel engine maintenance is a piece of cake if you know what you’re doing.
Take a look at your coolant
Did you know that over 40% of diesel engine maintenance problems are due to engine coolant negligence? Your engine’s cooling system uses coolant, a mixture of both coolant additive and water. Unfortunately, this mixture can become quite acidic after a while and lead to some big problems.
So, make sure you change your engine’s coolant regularly. We recommend replacing your coolant filter and topping off your coolant system at each oil change, as well as testing the coolant twice a year. You should also replace the coolant every two years and ensure your coolant additive meets your manufacturer’s specifications.
Here at Beachwheels, we specialize in diesel engine maintenance. Contact us for all your diesel mechanic needs today!
Keep on top of oil changes
Diesel engines are high heat running motors. This means oil changes are critical diesel engine maintenance. When you change the oil often, your engine will work smoothly and efficiently. But if you don’t the oil will block the heat transfer.
Under standard usage, oil changes are recommended every 10,000 km or six months. That being said, if you use your vehicle for towing or hard-driving, you should get your oil changed more frequently.
Get your vehicle serviced regularly
Like most car owners, you probably carry out essential maintenance on your vehicle often enough. You check the wiper fluid, keep an eye on the battery health, check the tire pressure, and, as we’ve mentioned here, change the oil. If there are any strange noises or the drive feels unusual, you see what you can find.
But even the most prudent diesel head doesn’t have the equipment for full vehicle service.
Your owner’s guide should inform you of your diesel vehicle’s scheduled servicing. But ideally, you should have your diesel vehicle professionally serviced every six months or 10,000 km, whichever happens first. However, older diesel vehicles should get serviced more often – every 5,000 km or three months.
Here at Beachwheels, we offer servicing and engine maintenance for all diesel vehicles. This includes pink slips, blue slips, green slips, heavy vehicle repairs, and all commercial and residential vehicles.
Check your filter regularly
Another crucial item for the overall health of your diesel vehicle is the fuel filter. You can typically find your diesel fuel filter in the engine bay. The make-up of modern diesel fuels means that it’s imperative to change your fuel filters at regular intervals. It’s a good idea to change your oil filter every time you change your oil.
Your air filter is one of the parts that accumulate the most dirt. This is due to the engine. If you don’t keep on top of changing your air filter, you’ll increase your fuel usage, as well as get poor performance.
Just like changing your oil, you generally need to change your air filter every 10,000 to 15,000 km, or each 12 to 18 months, depending on your usage conditions.
Drain your water separators
Diesel fuel gets contaminated more quickly than gasoline, especially if your vehicle cruises around on the beach or other. This is one of the reasons why it’s essential to drain water and dirt from your engine. Contaminated diesel can lead to corrosion in your fuel delivery system. Many diesel cars have a water separator installed to avoid this happening. Your water separator helps to filter away the contamination before it can reach the more sensitive parts of your diesel engine, but it can fill up quickly. So, drain your water separator regularly for optimum performance.
Let your turbocharger warm-up
Have you ever seen those drivers who sit scrolling in the parking lot? Why don’t they just start driving? Sure, they may have an urgent text or two to send. But if they drive a diesel vehicle, it’s more likely that their idling is actually an act of essential diesel engine maintenance. You see, another unique thing about the diesel engine is the need to let it warm up. As you let your car idle for a few minutes before setting off, the oil flows from the oil pump to the turbocharger. This is crucial for a diesel engine’s general health. The worst thing you could do to a cold diesel engine is accelerate immediately. So, always let your diesel vehicle warm up before you take off.