One of the greatest parts about being a pickup truck owner is that you get a crash course on all things related to the diesel engine. You learn how the parts work together, how manufacturers arrange them, and what happens when the vehicle malfunctions. The latter subject is perhaps the most important, as you must learn how to know if your diesel engine needs repairs as a truck driver. After all, that’s the only way you can bring the vehicle to a mechanic on time.
Poor Fuel Economy
If you experience issues with your engine’s camshaft, such as lobe wear, it may manifest as poor mileage. Poor fuel economy, though, can also just be a sign of bad driving habits. If you carry loads that your truck cannot handle, your fuel economy will suffer.
But it might also mean your engine needs repairs. You may have contaminated fuel, or you might have a leak or injector problem. You always want to improve your truck’s fuel economy, so watch for signs of a difficult engine.
Excessive Oil Consumption
If you can tell your engine uses more oil than average, you should investigate the problem before it grows. If you have burning or leaking oil, a crankcase with too much oil, a high vacuum, worn piston rings, a restricted air intake, or a lugging engine, you have indicators that tell you how to know if your diesel engine needs repairs.
Combustion gasses can’t hold when the rings become compressed due to a malfunctioning EGR system. If you ignore the problem, expensive damages will follow.
Smoking
An excessive amount of smoke escaping from your exhaust is a sign of a larger engine issue. This is especially true if the smoke is black or blue. When you see that, you may be facing a real problem. It could mean you have a faulty injector pump, bad EGR, bad air filter, faulty injectors, bad turbo, poor combustion, or wear in the power assemblies. Obviously, none of this is good news, and you need to address it immediately.
Compression Issues
One of the most common indicators of an engine issue is a lack of compression. Compression issues reveal leaking valves, broken head gaskets, broken piston rings, camshaft problems, or holes in the cylinder.
If you ever experience these problems, or any other issues affecting your engine, you should be careful how you spend your money. You want to save money on repairs in any way you can. Speak to several mechanics until you find one you can trust completely.
