You might be familiar with some of the common signs of diesel engine problems, but you might not know that sometimes these same symptoms mean it’s time to rebuild your engine.
In this post, we’re going through these symptoms and what they mean for your engine. Avoid unplanned downtime and pay attention to what your engine is saying!What Common Symptoms Indicate That It’s Time For a Rebuild?
The following symptoms indicate that you have a problem you should probably check out:
1. Power Loss
Losing power in your engine might mean that you have a problem with your camshaft. It might also indicate larger issues, including fuel problems (especially severe fuel contamination), injector problems, excess buildup, a faulty turbo, or air in the system.2. Poor Fuel Economy
Poor mileage can again point to camshaft issues, specifically lobe wear. It also might come down to how the engine is being worked: loads that are too heavy, or hard acceleration can cause a drop in fuel economy. This symptom can also indicate that it’s time for a rebuild. It’s possible that your fuel is contaminated, there are filter or injector issues, or there might be a leak in the system.3. Excessive Oil Consumption
If your engine is using more oil that it usually does, you might be on your way to a major system failure. If you’re leaking or burning oil, you might have:- Dirty oil
- Oil in the crankcase
- High engine vacuum
- Too little end clearance of piston rings
- Worn or broken piston rings
- Oil pressure too high
- Lugging engine
- Restricted air intake
4. Knocking
Engine knocking should definitely not be ignored. It can indicates some serious problems in your diesel engine, including:- Compression issues
- Faulty injectors
- Timing issues
- Failed bearings
- Failed wrist pin bushing or wrist pin
5. Compression Issues
Poor compression might be one of the biggest signs that your engine might need to be rebuilt. This is often caused by:- Leaking/broken valves
- Leaking/broken piston rings
- Blown head gasket
- Camshaft issues
- Broken timing belt
- Hole in the piston or cylinder
6. Smoking
Excessive smoke from your exhaust, especially if it’s blue or black, can also point to an issue in your engine. Some problems that lead to excessive smoke might be:- Faulty injectors
- Faulty injector pump
- Bad air filter
- Bad EGR
- Bad turbo
- Carbon buildup
- Poor or incomplete combustion
- Worn valve guides or seals
- Wear in power assemblies
Does Your Engine Need a Rebuild?
Diesel Rebuild Kits There are a couple things you can do to help you evaluate whether it’s time to rebuild your diesel engine.Oil Analysis
In an Overdrive article, they recommend some ways to better evaluate whether or not your engine needs a rebuild. One of the first things they talk about is oil analysis. An oil analysis shows if there are high metal concentrations, which might lead to issues for your engine. It can also show if there are other contaminants in the oil. If you catch this early, you might be able to avoid some expensive repairs. Oil analyses can also show unfiltered air in the system, as the article indicates. To help better to catch this, it’s important to do them at regular intervals to establish a baseline.Excessive Blow-by
With excessive blow-by, you’re getting more gases escaping due to piston and piston ring wear. This can lead to higher oil consumption. Some things that lead to excessive blow-by include:- Turbocharger issues
- Worn valve guides
- Cylinder head issues
