Get to Know Common Diesel Marine Engine Problems

If you own a marine vessel powered by a diesel engine, you should know what bad signs to look out for, especially concerning your engine, to ensure they are repaired or remedied as soon as possible to avoid extensive damage and expensive repair. You should also inspect and maintain your diesel engine regularly to avoid these problems and ensure your engine serves you for as long as possible.

Black Smoke

This is not normal as some of you might think; black smoke indicates there is something wrong in the engine. The culprit is that the ratio of diesel to air in the combustion chamber is not right. The problem comes when too much diesel is introduced into the combustion chamber when there is little air. This results if you have a faulty air filter, injector, injector pump or EGR valve.

Problems Starting Your Diesel Marine Engine

This can be a result of either a faulty fuel delivery system, faulty glow plugs or low compression. This is not something you can inspect and deduce yourself, therefore, you need to get the services of a marine diesel engine engineer. They need to inspect the fuel/diesel transmission or delivery system for faults. The engineer should also check whether your engine glow plugs are functional. Engine glow plugs are the alternative to spark plugs for diesel engines.

Unusual Noises from Your Engine

When you use your marine vessel for the first time, you, of course, get acquainted with the different noises it makes, which also includes diesel engine noises. You can, therefore, tell if the noises change. Don't ignore the noise change, your fuel injectors might be faulty; go for inspection and always inform the marine engineer exactly what you hear and when you hear it. Feel free to compare the sound to something common (for example, a whistle or a knock). This helps the marine engineer understand or get an idea of what the problem could be.

Regular Servicing

Never skip any engine service. Sometimes, diesel can get contaminated and you might not have a way to tell this until it is too late. Contamination of diesel can come from dirt, soot, water, dilution or glycol. Because diesel is highly viscous, the chances of contamination are high.

If you don't have your engine serviced regularly and your fuel becomes contaminated, your engine eventually knocks and you might be forced to buy another engine since repair is almost the same price as buying a new engine.

For more information, contact a diesel marine engine service in your area.


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