Dempsey - Troubleshooting and Repairing Diesel Engines

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Paul Dempsey is a master mechanic and the author of more than 20 technical books including Small Gas Engine Repair (now in its Second Edition), and How to Repair Brigss & Stratton Engines (now in its Fourth Edition), both available from McGraw-Hill. He has also written more than 100 magazine and journal articles on topics ranging from teaching techniques to maintenance management to petroleum-related subjects.

In a world of throwaway consumer products, diesel engines are an exception. Industrial engines, those built by established manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Deutz and Daimler run for decades with only occasional repairs. Several of these have been used in American pickup trucks, although car makers prefer in-house power. The Ford-designed 6.7L Power Stroke follows industrial practice and, as a result, is in process of receiving a B10 rating, which means that 90% of them should run for 500,000 miles without having the cylinder heads or oil pan disturbed. Smaller engines intended for commercial use have something of the same durability.

The subjects covered include:

Diesel operation (what distinguishes diesel engines from spark-ignition engines)

How to install stationary and marine engines

Basic troubleshooting

Cylinder head and engine rebuilding

Mechanical fuel systems

Electricity for those who are new to the subject

Electronic fuel systems

Turbochargers and associated air systems

Starting and generating systems

Air and liquid cooling systems

Emission controls

This book is intended to supplement factory shop manuals, most of which are written cook-book style with little or nothing by way of explanation. Cook books are okay, if the only engine you will ever work on is the one you have a manual for. My aim in writing was to combine how-to instructions with theory. Understanding is the best, most essential tool a mechanic can have.

The more you know the easier the work becomes and the less money you waste on throwing parts at the problem. And should the job appear too demanding, an understanding of whats involved and a familiarity of the vocabulary puts shop mechanics on notice that they are dealing with a knowledgeable customer who will not be taken advantage of.

That said, diesel engines are simple mechanical devices, differing from gasoline engines only in the precision of their parts. Most repairs can be accomplished with no more than a good set of hand tools. Things get complicated when dealing with fuel systems. Special tools are needed together with an appreciation of how these systems work. You must also be aware of the hazards presented by high-pressure fuel and the lethal voltages that are sometimes present. But the rewards of working on these beautiful engines are real. Not only will you save moneyshop labor charges can top $150 an houryou will have the satisfaction that comes with accomplishment.

Paul Dempsey
Houston, TX

Rudolf Diesel was born of German parentage in Paris in 1858. His father was a self-employed leather worker who, by all accounts, managed to provide only a meager income for his wife and three children. Their stay in the City of Light was punctuated by frequent moves from one shabby flat to another. Upon the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the family became political undesirables and was forced to emigrate to England. Work was almost impossible to find, and in desperation, Rudolfs parents sent the boy to Augsburg to live with an uncle. There he was enrolled in school.