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Tips on Maintaining a Diesel Engine Vehicle
I just bought a diesel engine Ford E-350 van. This is the first time I own this type of truck.
From maintenance and repair point of view, can anybody remind me some tips to maintain the engine, injection pump, fuel tank, cooling, transmission, oil and filter or anything you think is pertinent to this vehicle? Thanks.
From maintenance and repair point of view, can anybody remind me some tips to maintain the engine, injection pump, fuel tank, cooling, transmission, oil and filter or anything you think is pertinent to this vehicle? Thanks.
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I think there are three important elements to running a diesel:
clean fuel
clean oil
clean coolant
Diesels engines are very efficient but they undergo lots of stress, too, do to very high compression. Often they work hard, too.
So I am pretty fanatical about filter changes, fuel, air and oil. Also, I use additives for the fuel and for the oil. Keeping the fuel system spotlessly clean is very important, and also boosting the cetane rating of the fuel allows the engine to work easier and with less vibration I think.
I do a coolant flush every two years, since I'm a bit concerned that my diesel get proper cooling. I have a heavy duty cooling system, and sometimes the engine doesn't get up to operating temperature very quickly. So I worry some about clogged water galleys. I feel the coolant flush helps.
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HERE are the two posts from the duplicate discussion on diesels:
1 of 2 tips of maintenance /repair for first time diesel vehicle owner by trocdkman
Jan 09, 2002 (01:32 pm)
I just bough a preowned Ford diesel E-350 van and this is the first time I own a diesel van. Can anybody suggest me tips or pertinent information (from the maintenance/repair point of view) to have an effective and preventive maintenance plan. Please have your opinions from the following aspects and any other points you think it is necessary. I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT DIESEL VEHICLE SO I'M JUST SEEK ADVICE. THANKS.
1)engine itself, oil and filter change (for example, when and under what situation I should change oil, how do I know the engine is burning or leaking)?
2) how to you know the fuel tank is dirty or not and how you clean it?
3) when and how do you you know you should maintain or fix the injection pump and fuel injectors?
4) how do you know the glow plugs (or the wires, I mean the ignition system) are bad?
5) Is the maintenance for a diesel vehicle's transmission and cooling system (radiator, water pump, water hoses) all the same as a gas operated vehicle's transmission,etc.?
Again, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
Regards,
(second post)
#2 of 2 I had a deisel years ago. by mrdetailer Jan 09, 2002 (01:44 pm)
The Thing I remember the most over a gas engine are 3.
1. Drain the water out of the fuel filter regularly.
2. Change the filter yearly.
3. Diesel fuel additive is necessary in colder weather to avoid gelling. Kerosene may also need to be added to the tank if it is well below zero.
4. Block heaters are a godsend for below freezing weather.
OK, so it was 4 things.
(end of transferred posts)
Thank you,
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I have a water trap in my diesel but it doesn't seem to catch much water. I think if you use a trusted fuel station you won't have to worry about water. Still, not a bad idea.
the power in diesel is mainly in the heavy part of the fuel (paraffin, heavy oils, etc.) so if we were trying to tow in the dead of winter, it probably would have been little fun.
one climate zone warmer, down here in the twin cities as opposed to fargo, there is blended winter mix (I believe the trade name is polar diesel) that is supposed to be flowable to -35 F. I would not bet one or two oversized tanks full on that when I could get a quart of diesel conditioner for three to five bucks.
Is this performance poor, fair, good, very good for a diesel van (The van is '90 Ford super cargo, 7.3L diesel)?
Can this performance also tell me something about this van?
Is 133000 miles considered high for a diesel engine? Somebody told me diesel engine last much longer than gas engine (true)?
Again, Thanks.
Do diesel engines last longer than gas engines?
It depends. If it's a Peterbuilt truck where the engine is as big as your car, sure. But in a normal passenger car, I really don't think there is any evidence to support this.
So essentially 133K is about, oh, 65%-70% or so of the engine's probable life. Your results may vary.
Go to the Edmunds.com Home Page and click on True Market Value or on the "used cars" links. It will take you through a custom appraisal for your van!
Does diesel engines (the design issues) also have similar progress? or we can say, fundamentally, they are about the same, the diesel engines before and after thw 1990?
DIESEL SMELL--
I've struggled with this as well, and I improved things a lot by washing down the engine and being extremely careful about filling the tanks (I have a long-range 35 gallon tank in my car for about 800 miles between fill ups).
I'd suggest you carefully examine your truck for leaks to start with. I am not so familiar with your truck to know what, if any, systems are used to capture fumes (as they are in gasoline powered trucks). So you may need to investigate this.
It takes only a very small amount of "loose" diesel fuel to stink up the vehicle and the garage. You might also check the seal on your fuel tank filler cap, and on the engine's oil filler cap. You may also have to put the truck on a lift and look around.
A little smell is I think inevitable with a diesel, but it should not be so offensive. Something is wrong, then.
On a lighter note, go to www.ford-diesel.com. They have a therapy section that lists several signs that you may need therapy. They say if you can agree with three of them, then you need therapy. I agreed with 11 of them. My favorite is "You honestly think no perfume smells as good as diesel exhaust."
About engine flushes. Diesels are sooting stinky things and can build up alot of nasty stuff in the engine, but unless you are going to pull the pan and make sure the pickup tube doesn't get clogged up with crud, then I'd stay away from the engine flushes. They are problems waiting to happen, unless they are done right.
lonebull,
If your power stroke is a 2000-2002, then yes, they have an odor to them and it is the nature of the beast, it is a cross between a regular diesel smell and a gas engine catalytic converter smell.
As new efficiencies are pushed for the newer diesels, that smell will become more prevelant.
This nasty smell is most noticeable when the engine is idling, off idle, it should have a more diesel-like smell.
Soooooo, if the car is running, okay, I can buy that it might stink. But why would he get the smell in his garage? I mean, the engine is off, and the fuel is sealed in the tank. How could it smell, then?
(I don't expect you to solve this, I'm just one of those very dogged diagnosticians that won't quit).
I park my service truck in a heated shop (it's spoiled) and it has a CAT diesel and don't have any odor problems until she fires up, then it is nasty for about an hour or until the vent fans have taken it out.
But, the newer powerstrokes, for some reason have an acidic smell to them when they idle. I've noticed this on alot of our 2000-2002 Fords.
I assumed that they were using a catalytic type exhaust on them now. Some of the import diesels have gone to the catalytic exhaust and they have a nasty smell to them. The Cummins is almost as bad, but nowhere near the powerstroke.
We haven't gotten any of the new Duramax yet, so I am impatiently waiting to see how they fair.
Great response from all of you --- I sincerely appreciate it. More comments are welcome.
If you shut the engine down continuously right away, the turbo would still be spinning on shut down and with no oil supplied to it, as the hot oil will run out fast, the turbo would eventually fail, possibly seizing.
I have had both Mercedes and VW diesels. The M-B had 2 fuel filters and one darn big oil filter. Keep that air filter changed as well. I am not sure about the fuel filters on the Ford diesel. On the M-B one is more of a standard in-line filter and the other one is basically a canister type oil filter.
I don't know if this works but I routinely put in a jar of STP diesel fuel treatment with my first fill-up each month. This was to keep those injectors nice and clean. Then I would add a quart of the Chevron diesel fuel treatment into the gas tank at each oil change. A high mileage long time diesel owner introduced me to this routine so I adopted it.
Correct oil is important as mentioned above. Do not use an oil that is "SJ" rated or any other level that has an "S" as the first letter. These are for "Spark" engines (spark fired gasoline). You need to use a "CG" oil or one with a "C" as the first letter of the rating. These are for "Compression" engines (compression ignites the diesel fuel). Most synthetics are rated for diesels and many diesel owners also swear by Rotella motor oil (I think it is a Shell product). It comes in gallon containers and you can pick it up at Wal-Mart. It is very inexpensive and is expressly for diesels.
So far, some of my neighbors' diesels have acted up over the years, but never mine. I guess the expense of these additives and filters offsets a lot of the economy of the diesel car, but I still get the benefits of rock-like reliability.
What I really need is an additive for Mercedes power windows. They give me the most trouble with this car!
How about your power antennas as well? As over-engineered as the M-B seem to be, I can't believe all the plastic gears inside the power antenna motor.
Sorry, I digressed...
Delvac 1 is some expensive stuff, gotta find someplace cheaper. VW calls for a 5w30 or 5w40 CF-4 oil. It is also filled with synthetic from the factory.
I know for my car (02 Golf TDI) it requires a oil which meets API CH4 and be either 5w40 (preferred) or 5w30.