Top Tips for Construction Heavy Equipment Diesel Engine Maintenance

Every piece of heavy machinery is powered by an engine. Maintaining it in good working order is critical for maintaining optimal performance, minimizing downtime and repair and part replacement costs, and extending the life of your fleet’s machines. As a result, we’d like to share some diesel engine maintenance advice that will assist you in all of these areas.

Tips for Maintaining a Diesel Engine

Follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance routine, which includes daily and weekly engine inspections and part replacement intervals.

Think about what variables would demand more frequent inspections, maintenance, or part replacements. If a machine is running in a dusty environment, for example, keep an eye on the air filter; it may need to be replaced more frequently than the OEM handbook specifies.

When it comes to fuel, oil, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), stick to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Follow standard practices for fluid management in your heavy equipment, particularly the engines.

Check that DEF tanks and fill necks are clean and free of other fluid contamination.

Oil sampling should be done on a regular basis to determine when the engine oil is degrading and needs to be replaced.

When power washing big machinery and engines, use caution. Newer engines, in particular, have a large number of electrical components that are easily damaged by high-velocity water spray.

• To avoid an overheated engine, make sure you’re using the proper coolant and that there’s enough airflow across the radiator or heat exchanger.
• Also, keep them clean.
• Monitor the condition of the diesel particulate filter and execute any necessary regenerations. Don’t merely ignore the warnings for a passive regeneration; this could cause the engine to shut down.
• Run an active regeneration by the end of the day if you can’t do it right away.
• When heavy equipment is subjected to extended periods of idle time or low load situations, run the engine at full load for at least 30 minutes at the end of a shift to ensure the diesel oxidation catalyst reaches the proper burn-out temperatures.
• Pay close attention to any diagnostic issue codes that appear (DTCs). Address them as soon as possible by performing the necessary maintenance, repairs, or part replacement. This is an important aspect of diesel engine maintenance since it helps to avoid more expensive repairs and replacements.