Five Common Diesel Engine Problems

If driving a diesel vehicle is a new experience for you, you might not know what to look for in terms of engine trouble. The check engine light is a big clue, of course, but it isn’t the only one. MDP Diesel & Auto wants you to be able to recognize these signs of trouble.

When your diesel just won’t start or delays in starting, that’s frustrating. You trust that when you go out to fire up your car, SUV, or truck that it’s going to start right up. If you’re seeing hard start issues, there may be a variety of contributing factors that need to be addressed.

Your diesel has a fuel filter that helps to reduce fuel contamination, but there are still ways that the fuel can get contaminants in it. When that happens, you can have all sorts of engine problems, including some serious damage. You’ll probably see a check engine light letting you know that there’s a problem.

A diesel engine is naturally a bit louder than a gas-powered engine is. That’s something you might be used to already, though. When you want to be concerned is when you’re noticing that there is a lot more noise than usual and you’re hearing new sounds as well. Knocks, pings, and other unusual sounds really do need to be checked out.

Diesel engines do let out a bit more exhaust smoke than gas-powered vehicles do. Typically, that’s not a big issue. It does become an issue when you’re seeing big clouds of dark black exhaust. That usually means that there is a problem either with sensors or in the engine itself. Regardless, it needs to be looked at more closely.

Gas-powered engines use spark plugs, but diesel engines use glow plugs. When glow plugs burn out or they become damaged, they’re not able to get your diesel engine started. There are multiple glow plugs in the engine, so if one goes bad you might only experience small symptoms, like tough starts. Ignoring that for too long might mean that you end up facing a bigger problem.

MDP Diesel & Auto in Jackson, MI can help you to sort out any diesel engine problems you’re having. Give us a call and we’ll set up an appointment for you as soon as possible so that we can diagnose what’s happening.

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