Never spray starting fluid or ether into a diesel engine. You can cause very serious damage to the engine. Never put gasoline in a diesel engine.
As little as 1% gasoline contamination will lower the diesel flash point by 18 degrees C. This means the diesel fuel will prematurely ignite in the diesel engine, which can lead to engine damage. Gasoline contamination can also damage the fuel pump and mess up diesel injectors.
Cons of diesel cars
Diesel fuel usually costs more. Servicing can be more expensive, although you don't need to do it as often. Diesel cars produce a lot more NO2. Diesel engines can be slightly noisier.
But an amazing fact is that diesel engines can run for 1,000,000-1,500,000 miles before needing any major diesel repairs. If kept well-maintained, a diesel engine can be driven for about 30 years or more.
Putting even a small amount of petrol in diesel engines can lead to damages to the entire fuel system.
Water causes damage to both fuel tanks and engine parts. Rust and corrosion in the tank create hard particulate that is passed along in the fuel, causing engine wear.
Engine Failures an Overhaul Can Fix
There are several instances where parts come loose within the internal engine which require an engine overhaul, but the diesel engine can be repaired: Spun Bearing: A spun bearing usually seizes itself around the crankshaft, causing damage to the rod journal and the connecting rod.
Fuel Filter Changes
Diesel fuel filters play an essential part in keeping the fuel clean and the engine running at optimum performance. Fuel filters should be replaced routinely at approximately every 15K miles, however, the older your vehicle, the more frequently you should be looking at replacing the fuel filters.
Unnecessary idling wastes fuel, causes air pollution and increases engine wear. An idling diesel engine produces much higher emissions than it would while using the same amount of fuel under load. Extended idling causes a build-up of soot inside the engine and results in a puff of black smoke when the engine revs.
Diesel engines are designed for the long haul. They take a long time to warm up so short trips are hard on diesel engines. They should be avoided as much as possible.
Whether you're preparing for the wrath of winter or already in the thick of it, the one thing you should never do is turn to a diesel additive that contains alcohol.
Diesel fuel injectors generally have a shorter lifespan than their predecessors, meaning they need to be replaced more frequently for optimal performance. The life expectancy of a good quality diesel fuel injector is around 150,000 kilometres. They should be checked out by a professional at around this time.
The average lifespan of a diesel fuel injector is around 100,000 miles. A typical fuel injector has two basic parts: the nozzle and the injector body. If either of these components gets clogged or damaged, it will compromise the entire performance of the vehicle.
One of the fastest was to kill a diesel engine is to run it on gasoline. Depending on the fuel dilution rate (amount of gasoline added) and load factor, we'd see melted glow plugs to burnt pistons. How did we know gasoline was present? Drain the fuel out filters, pump and injectors.
Allow Time to Warm Up the Engine
In order to start a diesel engine and keep it running in cold weather, you must make sure you allow plenty of time for your engine to warm up. If you do not let your engine warm up before driving, you will make it work harder than necessary, which will lead to problems later on.
"You can get up to maybe 250,000 km or 300,000 km before a gas engine starts to make noise, or burn oil because it's wearing out, but a diesel can quite easily do 500,000 km and still be in excellent shape," says one certified mechanic I spoke with.
Putting petrol in a diesel car can result in severe engine damage and should be rectified by a professional service as soon as possible. Adding petrol to diesel fuel creates a solvent that reduces lubrication and can cause critical damage to the fuel pump and associated fuel system.
This premature ignition of the diesel fuel in the diesel engine, which can lead to engine damage. Petrol contamination in a diesel vehicle can also damage the fuel pump and mess up diesel injectors. This happens because of a drop in lubrication. To put it simply, petrol is a solvent while diesel is an oil.