5 signs your diesel truck needs to be repaired

Diesel trucks are known for being incredibly reliable and durable, however, they do have their issues. Common problems that diesel trucks experience include:

• Engine overheating

• As diesel trucks are known for their power, many operators often mistakenly push it past its limit, causing the engine to overheat.

• Engine oil oxidation

• This issue can develop when air gets into the oil and creates bubbles that interfere with its lubrication ability.

• Contaminated fuel 

• Diesel is much thicker than other forms of liquid gas, making it more susceptible to contaminants such as water, soot and glycol, which can cause a host of other problems, including engine disruption.

Your diesel truck can experience many more problems, however, these are some of the most common ones we see at Electroworx.

1 Oil sludge

While this is not a sign of one of the most serious problems that your diesel truck can experience, it can still be problematic. Oil sludge indicates wasted oil and grime are mixing with your engine’s oil and impacting its viscosity (making it much thicker). This usually indicates that there are parts of your engine that may require lubrication.

2 High exhaust smoke level

If you realise that your diesel truck is releasing a lot of exhaust smoke in comparison to other vehicles in your fleet, then you should bring it to Electroworx to determine why. Increased exhaust smoke may indicate several different problems according to the colour of the exhaust smoke. Here is what different colours may mean:

• Blue – your engine is burning oil (not fuel)
• White – your engine is burning coolant and fuel

3 Increased oil consumption

This sign is true for almost any vehicle. A high oil consumption usually indicates that your piston rings are worn out. Worn out piston rings can allow oil to leak into the engine’s crankcase. This can then cause significant damage to the engine because it will ultimately not have enough lubricant.

There may be other causes for increased oil consumption by your truck. If you suspect that your piston rings have deteriorated or you notice the increase in oil consumption, take it to an automotive repair shop immediately.

4 Compression loss

If you notice that your truck is not performing as strongly or as well as it usually does, it may be because of the following:

• Compression loss
• Leaking cylinders

Both can have a major impact on your engine as well as the power that it produces. You should tend to it as soon as you can because engines are extremely expensive to repair and even more costly to replace. Leaving issues like this for too long can lead to permanent damage.

5 Sounds from the engine

Hearing suspicious noises coming from your engine is never a good sign. For a diesel truck, it may be because of compression issues, faulty fuel injectors, or failure of the wrist pin. Like many issues on this list, if you don’t investigate these sounds, the issue can worsen.

Who should be aware of these signs?

We can’t stress enough how important it is that anyone who operates your diesel truck is aware of these signs. Both vehicle operators, as well as vehicle owners, should be able to identify these signs.

In a company, vehicle operators are usually employees and not owners. They will operate the diesel trucks the majority of the time and most likely, be witnesses to these signals rather than the vehicle owners. Operators need to know what these signs are and be able to identify them so that they can relay the proper information to either the vehicle owner so that the diesel truck can be repaired.

Without prompt action on your diesel truck, you risk the following:

• Permanent damage to your diesel truck
• Increased repair or replacement costs
• Reduced productivity at your company due to the loss of a vehicle
• Danger to you or your employees

We hope these signs help you to identify when your diesel truck is in need of repair. If you’re in search of any electrical issues with your diesel truck, contact the experts at Electroworx.