5 Common Diesel Truck Problems
What You Can Do To Keep Your Rig on the Road
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A powerful diesel truck can take you across the world and back without any issue. But in order to keep this potential high, it requires regular maintenance. By troubleshooting the most common problems with this type of vehicle, you can ensure it is always road ready.
Diesels have a great reputation for duability, but they still need maintenance
1. Always Have a Part Source
Instead of waiting for a part on your truck to fail, you should already have a specific place ready to source parts, such as aftermarket International truck parts. Having a reliable part place will prevent you from making an emergency call to an unreputable source. The biggest source of truck failures is bad maintenance, followed closely by unreliable parts being slotted in as a temporary fix. When you start gambling with the performance of a diesel truck, it takes no time at all for the part to show you its worth.
2. Fueling Failure
Have you ever let a friend borrow your car and they didn’t fill it up in return? Well, there are worse things, and it happens more than you think. Imagine loaning your friend a diesel truck and then having them return it to you full of regular gas. Putting gas in a diesel truck is so common that gas stations were forced to clearly mark the differences at the pumps. But mistakes happen, and when they do, it takes dropping the fuel tank. Empty it, clean it, flush out the fuel lines, and then learn a valuable lesson before refilling it with diesel.
3. Low Performance
Low performance can mean many things with a vehicle. For a diesel truck, it is usually a fuel related problem. When the correct fuel is in the tank, it becomes time to look at the fuel filters, the throttle linkage and possible fuel injector problems. Even excessive lubrication can lead to bad performance that is hard to figure out, but easy to fix. Performance problems are best handled as soon as possible so that they don’t affect other parts of the truck.
Noise can be part of a diesel, but there is a limit
4. Noise
Trucks are loud, but there is a bit of a limit. Have you ever heard a diesel truck that sounded like it needed cough drops? If the loudest thing on the road is your idling truck at a stop light, then some investigation may be required. This goes back to checking the fuel injectors, but this time around a full engine inspection is not out of the question. Noise issues, including knocking, are a signal that the truck needs a little love and care.
5. Black Exhaust
The black cloud of death with a diesel points to an imbalance in the air and fuel ratio. Take a look at your air filter, injector pump or even the EGR valve. Clogs, bad parts and age can all contribute to this problem. In some places, letting this go on without getting it fixed can lead to a ticket.
Stay On the Road
Whether for work or personal use, maintenance should always be a priority. Take the time to find out the strengths and weakness of any vehicle you buy. It’s your money, so the responsibility of care is in your hands.
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