This section is designed to honour our audiences by sharing our expertise and experience in the field with the intent to bring clarity and better understanding of different challenges that could represent someone’s current situation or something that could happen in the future.
Besides better understanding for solving problems with very efficient methods, by going through this page we promise that our audiences will gain critical knowledge on how to run and maintain their diesel engines as whole in a very cost effective manner for the longest time possible without encountering lot of troubles in their journey.
In this page we also tried to hot-spot, resume and highlight core reasons of the failures of your diesel injectors, pumps and turbochargers
Below could be of the core reason(s) why your turbochargers fails and/or doesn’t last longer :
1. Lack of maintenance in a consistent service interval
Basic regular service which consist of replacement of new fuel filter, air filter, engine oil and oil filter can play a significant role in the life time of diesel engines and it critical components such as turbochargers, fuel injectors and diesel pump
While on one side new air filter will stimulates smooth and clean air volume intake towards the turbocharger and on the hand a correct engine oil grade and/or coolant will promote proper lubrication. These two aspects are critical in the functionality of the turbo therefore skipping service or not servicing at all your diesel engine will negatively impact the turbocharger by compromising it life time
2. Oil starvation
Turbo compressor wheel assembly spins at thousands of RPMs therefore it require proper and smooth lubrication without any sort of restriction inside engine oil circulation channels.
The following should be the aspects to consider if you suspect dealing with oil starvation issue :
3. Engine oil contamination
Two possible scenario are luckily to occur if the diesel injectors are incorrectly installed : Engine oil mixing with diesel fuel and/or Engine oil mixing with exhaust gazes that’s why cautions should be taken when dealing with diesel engines that has fuel injectors located underneath the tappet cover.
1ST SCENARIO
Exhaust gases escape through fuel injector(s) and get trapped under the tappet cover. It will finds engine oil and begin to mix up together and as result engine oil will change the texture by becoming as sludge as well loosing the lubrication ability.
A sticky and carbon smelling engine oil or an engine oil that changes it color and become black immediately after the service, these could be indication(s) of such a case
Here are some elements to consider if you suspect dealing with case of engine oil mixing with exhaust gases :
2ND SCENARIO
This one is considered as the worse and very dangerous case scenario where you don’t want to finds yourself into because this situation will automatically lead to the destruction of the entire engine.
Engine oil mixing up with diesel fuel underneath the tappet cover will make the oil to become lighter and loose it viscosity therefore leading to inevitable total destruction of the whole engine. Depending upon the cases but such destruction will require replacement of the complete engine.
Main indication for such a scenario will be the unusual increase of engine oil level from the dipstick or if it’s get worse oil will begin to leak uncontrollably from everywhere. If you’ve noticed such a strange oil increase or oil leaks immediately stop the engine before it’s too late.
Here are some hot-spots to look at once you see oil increase on the dipstick :
4. Poor coolant circulation
A proper water circulation within the cooling system is so important in some diesel engine applications
If you suspect dealing with restriction within the water circulation channels please check to the following :
5. Incorrect installation
Is important to have the turbo installed by professional people who understand the system as well all implications involved when using excessive silicon during the installation process. A professional will do overall assessment of the entire system and identify potential threats that could harm your turbo in a short or long run. A Pro-technician will make sure the entire air intake mechanism is completely tight and sealed against any foreign object that could possibly by-pass air filter housing.
Bear in mind if a solid object manage to get inside your turbo while been fully operational that will be it dead-end. Also note that as soon as sand can manage to find a way towards your turbo it will behave as grinding paste within the compressor wheel and the turbo housing which will slowly start the wheel.
6. Carbons deposit builds-up
Modern diesel engines has one or couple of turbocharger(s) working with other components like Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) valve. EGR system is an emission control mechanism designed to recirculate exhaust gases back into the engine for the primary benefits of the environment protection.
But one of the inconveniences of the EGR system is carbons deposits builds-up inside the diesel engine air induction components starting from the turbo itself. Carbons builds-up will clog-up the Variable Nozzle Turbine (VNT) or Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) mechanism and compromised the performance of the entire turbo
Below could be of the core reason(s) why your diesel injectors fails and/or doesn’t last longer :
1. Lack of service on consistent interval
New fuel filter will prevent Fuel contamination because it protects the engine’s fuel system components by removing impurities and water from the fuel. So to prolong the life time of your diesel engine and it critical components such as injectors, pump and turbo, we suggest that you always service it on a regular basis following intervals recommended from the manufacturer
2. Fuel contamination
The following are considered as fuel contamination :
Is important to emphasized to our audiences that every diesel contains a certain amount of water (around 200mg/L max). Our concerns here isn’t the water quantity in a normal diesel fuel but our worries comes when diesel fuel sits for long enough and water begins to sink at the bottom and settle down. Trying to use diesel fuel in that current state will be a suicide mission that will paralyzed the complete fuel system’s components with corrosion.
Water can also get into the fuel system through tank damage (faulty lids, poorly fitted vents pipes or general damage to the tank fittings)
Buying cheap and poor quality diesel fuel to use into today’s modern diesel engine will surely harm your pockets and disrupt your budget in such a way you’ll agree and come to conclusion that “Cheaper is Expensive”
We would like to use this opportunity to alert and warn our audiences of the new practice from some none reputable fuel suppliers that are now mixing diesel and paraffin and sell it the public just to maximize their gains. Buying such stuff is consider as shooting yourself on the foot.
3. Bad diesel fuel pump
A worn out of the diesel pump’s internal components will generates metal particles and pushes it out during operation straight into the fuel rail and the injectors. These metal debris will clop up the pressure regulator and damage the injectors.
If you’ve once or twice replaced or serviced injectors within a short period of time please consider getting the diesel pump checked
4. Bad rail pressure regulator
Note that the rail pressure regulator is responsible for keeping fuel pressure available on the rail constant regardless of the engine load and engine RPMs. Keep in mind also that diesel injectors are designed to comfortably operates under a maximum limit amount of pressure or psi.
Now if the rail pressure regulator get stuck closed fuel injectors will begin to operates under a certain psi which will be way above acceptable maximum limit and as results you’ll keep buying and replacing injectors claiming that all the previous ones were poor quality that’s why your engine is heavily smoking black nonstop and injectors doesn’t last
5. Incorrect installation
Bear in mind diesel fuel injectors aren’t designed to handle heat produced by exhaust gases that’s why is important to cut the injector seats and always replace copper seals during installation in order to avoid compression leaking throughout the fuel injector instead of going out via exhaust channels.
Wrongly installed fuel injector(s) will leads to oil contamination and strongly affect the life time of the component(s)
