Diesel Engines 101 - Where to start?
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Diesel Engines 101 - Where to start?
I purchased my first Diesel about 8 months ago for hauling a trailer a few times a month. It is a 1991 250 4x4 with low mileage. I figured that once I started driving it I would figure things out and be away. This hasn't been the case.
This site seems to be a wealth of knowledge but my problem is that I am not on the same level as everyone else here, so alot of the terminology is even a bit foreign.
Do you folks have recommendations to get a beginner started on the learning curve?
Specific questions to start with...
What does intercooled mean? How does it work? How do I know if mine is working?
How does the "turbo" work? How do I check it / service it?
I did check the stickies and ran some searches but things just weren’t getting down to my level.
Maybe someone could start a sticky titled “diesels for dummies”.
This site seems to be a wealth of knowledge but my problem is that I am not on the same level as everyone else here, so alot of the terminology is even a bit foreign.
Do you folks have recommendations to get a beginner started on the learning curve?
Specific questions to start with...
What does intercooled mean? How does it work? How do I know if mine is working?
How does the "turbo" work? How do I check it / service it?
I did check the stickies and ran some searches but things just weren’t getting down to my level.
Maybe someone could start a sticky titled “diesels for dummies”.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,899
Likes: 3
From: Yuba city Kalifornia
intercooled is cooling the air before it gos in the engine it is a big radiator that air gos out the turbo in to it, then out to the engine. the turbo runs off exhaust gas, waested energy, not much to service. you could remove intake pipe at the turbo and see if the impeller moves alot or hits the side of housing or if oil is leaking in to the intake if not ...leave it alone dont turn the engine off after a hard pull bad for turbo seal let it idle a few min. to cool
welcome to DTR
welcome to DTR
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,767
Likes: 5
From: port crane, NY
Howdy and welcome to DTR
I purchased my first Diesel about 8 months ago for hauling a trailer a few times a month. It is a 1991 250 4x4 with low mileage. I figured that once I started driving it I would figure things out and be away. This hasn't been the case.
This site seems to be a wealth of knowledge but my problem is that I am not on the same level as everyone else here, so alot of the terminology is even a bit foreign.
Do you folks have recommendations to get a beginner started on the learning curve?
Specific questions to start with...
What does intercooled mean? How does it work? How do I know if mine is working?
intercooled is kind of a misnomer, but is a generally accepted replacement term in the industry. Technically, aftercooled is the word, but that's just semantics. An intercooler is a radiator for the boosted air that comes out of the turbo. If your truck has one, the air will leave the turbo and head toward the radiator area. If not, there will be a crossover pipe going over the top of the valve covers. Being a 91, your truck could be either--it was a split year, non-intercooled='91, intercooled='91.5. The intercooler works in a similar manner to the radiator---the charge air is sent to the intercooler. Air passing over the intercooer takes heat out of the charge air, again, similar to a radiator. The result is cooler air entering the engine. If you have one, it's working
Places to check would be the rubber boots that connect the metal pipes throughout the intercooler plumbing. Over they years, they can crack and begin to leak.
How does the "turbo" work? How do I check it / service it?
A turbo takes advantage of rapidly expanding exhaust gasses leaving the engine to spin a turbine wheel that then compresses fresh air into the combustion chamber, therefore packing more air into each cylinder than would otherwise not be available under naturally aspirated conditions. More air=more power potential
If you remove the intake tubing from the front of the turbo, check to see if the pinwheel has physically contacted the housing. With low miles, it's not likely you'll have any troubles. Mine is original with 500,000 miles.
I did check the stickies and ran some searches but things just weren’t getting down to my level.
Maybe someone could start a sticky titled “diesels for dummies”.
This site seems to be a wealth of knowledge but my problem is that I am not on the same level as everyone else here, so alot of the terminology is even a bit foreign.
Do you folks have recommendations to get a beginner started on the learning curve?
Specific questions to start with...
What does intercooled mean? How does it work? How do I know if mine is working?
intercooled is kind of a misnomer, but is a generally accepted replacement term in the industry. Technically, aftercooled is the word, but that's just semantics. An intercooler is a radiator for the boosted air that comes out of the turbo. If your truck has one, the air will leave the turbo and head toward the radiator area. If not, there will be a crossover pipe going over the top of the valve covers. Being a 91, your truck could be either--it was a split year, non-intercooled='91, intercooled='91.5. The intercooler works in a similar manner to the radiator---the charge air is sent to the intercooler. Air passing over the intercooer takes heat out of the charge air, again, similar to a radiator. The result is cooler air entering the engine. If you have one, it's working
Places to check would be the rubber boots that connect the metal pipes throughout the intercooler plumbing. Over they years, they can crack and begin to leak.How does the "turbo" work? How do I check it / service it?
A turbo takes advantage of rapidly expanding exhaust gasses leaving the engine to spin a turbine wheel that then compresses fresh air into the combustion chamber, therefore packing more air into each cylinder than would otherwise not be available under naturally aspirated conditions. More air=more power potential
If you remove the intake tubing from the front of the turbo, check to see if the pinwheel has physically contacted the housing. With low miles, it's not likely you'll have any troubles. Mine is original with 500,000 miles.
I did check the stickies and ran some searches but things just weren’t getting down to my level.
Maybe someone could start a sticky titled “diesels for dummies”.
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