Things You Need to Know About Diesel Truck Maintenance

Diesel trucks are well known for their reliability and longevity. However, they are still prone to certain complications and faults. A common question often asked by truck operators is, “how can I make my diesel truck last forever?”; we’ve got you covered. The life and functioning of a diesel truck are heavily reliant on proper care and maintenance. 

Ensuring you maintain your diesel truck regularly comes with many benefits, such as helping limit the risk of breakdowns, increasing the safety and security of your vehicle when in operation, and, of course, helping extend its lifetime. 

Regular maintenance for your diesel truck:

For guaranteed effective performance, your diesel truck will require regular maintenance. Here are some ways to uphold and maintain your truck:

• Regularly change fuel filters

The fuel filters are the most significant fuel components, helping keep out dirt from the engine. Checking or switching the fuel filters out approximately every 20,000km is highly recommended to ensure fuel efficiency and long-lasting performance. Neglecting to change your fuel filters can result in clogging and build-up of dirt and debris in your filters, affecting their performance.

• Monitor the coolant

The cooling system in your truck is in control of ensuring your truck is cool when under pressure. After some time, the truck’s coolant can become acidic, and if not tended to, it can leak and cause significant damage to other areas of the cooling system. The leakage of coolant into other areas, especially the radiator, can be very harmful to your diesel truck, increasing its risk of overheating and needing to replace various components. 

Monitoring coolant acidity levels and flushing out the cooling system is an essential and effective way to care your diesel truck maintenance. 

• Change oil

Changing your truck’s oil is necessary for its diesel engine, ensuring its health and performance are maintained and long-lasting. It is recommended that a truck’s oil be changed approximately every 5,000 to 8,000km—depending on the type of work done by your truck or how old it is, it may require more frequent changes if performing more complex work as the oil could break down more quickly.

Common faults in diesel engines:

Diesel engines can experience common problems if not properly maintained. Some common faults include: 

• Overheating engine – this is one of the most common and significant problems experienced by diesel engines. Various factors can cause an overheating engine, including phishing the engine too hard, coolant leaks (mostly engine overheating), clogged diesel injectors, faulty cooling systems and fans and damaged thermostats.
• Reactions to humidity – if entered into any part of the engine, especially the combustion system, water can be harmful and result in serious problems. When in contact with lubricants, water can be one of the most harmful elements as it increases oil oxidisation, leading to problems with lubrication while also creating rust between moving parts of the engine.
• Black exhaust – this can indicate problems happening internally in your truck. An excessive amount of black exhaust could mean an issue with your engine as a result of either an imbalance in air and fuel mixture, a faulty injector pump, the injector or the air filter.
• Contaminated fuel – diesel engines can easily be contaminated with elements such as water, soot, dilution and glycol, which if entered into the fuel pump or injector, can be very harmful and cause significant disturbances to the engine.
• Unusual sounds – hearing unusual noises such as a type of knocking can be an indication of an issue with compression balance or a sign of a defective fuel injector. This issue would require immediate attention and possible repair as dismissing it can alter the performance of your truck’s engine.

Absence of power – diesel engines are known to be very powerful so when the engine is not producing as much energy as it usually should when accelerating or starting the engine, it’s essential to get it checked. This absence of power can occur because of dirty oil filters, clogged filters, faulty fuel injection systems or either lower or excessive lubrication.

Preventative maintenance not only ensures the longevity of your diesel engine but will also assist in pointing out any faults or inconsistencies in the performance of your truck. Regular checkups from experts are also a form of maintenance. 

At Electroworx, our team is skilled and specialised in what they do. We are experts in fault finding and repairing your diesel truck. Our truck services include breakdown repairs, battery replacement, auto air conditioning repair, fault finding and more. 

Whatever you need, our team is ready to help you.

Contact us today on 1300 824 692.