Maintaining a fleet of commercial vehicles can keep you up at night. Not only are you worried about your drivers out on the road day and night, but you also have to worry about the health and system maintenance of your trucks. Thankfully, Jaltest diagnostic scan tools and kits from Triad Diagnostic Solutions help keep you on track with regularly scheduled repairs, including oil changes.
Changing the oil regularly in your diesel engines ensures the entire system stays lubricated properly and the vehicle satisfies your fuel efficiency requirements. However, diesel engines can be extremely sensitive to oil overfills. But what exactly happens to a diesel engine that’s experienced an excess in engine oil? We thought we’d explain it briefly here.
Engine Damage
It’s one of the most obvious symptoms when engine oil is in excess in a diesel engine, but it’s still an important thing to note. When the oil in the engine is overfilled, it can cause the engine to burn both the fuel and the oil at the same time, running the engine even when you’re trying to turn it off. The only way to stop this feedback loop is to plug the air intake valve. If this action doesn’t happen right away, the engine will run until both fluids are depleted and you’re left replacing the entire engine.
Frothy Oil
Another common issue with an overfill in a diesel engine is frothy oil. This happens because the crankshaft is now prone to more pressure, putting it in contact with the reservoir as it fills the pan. The speed of the machine then turns the oil into a froth, making it impossible for the pump to suck up the oil and distribute it correctly.
Bent Rods
If a tech ever overfills the engine oil in a diesel engine and the driver heads off with it, the oil pressure and lubricate changes will cause bent rods or even a valve pipe collapse. Unfortunately, the driver may not realize what is happening while out on the road, and if not addressed quickly, this damage can result in a total engine loss.
Other Symptoms of Excess Oil
Sometimes, the excess of oil in a diesel engine isn’t noticed right away. If you’re lucky enough, the added pressure isn’t enough to destroy the engine, but it is enough to cause some other glaring mechanical problems – All of which can be addressed using your Jaltest diagnostic kit.
Some of these other symptoms of excess oil in a diesel engine include:
- Leakage
- A burning smell or smoke in the engine bay
- Smoke in the exhaust system
- An engine that runs loud
- Check Engine Oil light illuminates on the dash
Many of these issues with your commercial engines can be diagnosed quickly and repaired by in-house technicians before the issue causes any further damage to an engine.
Ways to Remove the Excess Oil
One of the best ways to remove the excess oil from the engine is to drain it completely. This is usually a messy, but a critical procedure. The other option is to use an oil suction pump and pull oil out through the cap access point or the dipstick tube. Once you’ve removed oil and oil levels are at their correct levels for your engine, recalibration diagnostics and procedures may be necessary to restore the engine back to manufacturer specifications. Thankfully, all of this can be done through the Jaltest software in your shop.
Keep Your Diesel Engines Running Efficiently
In order to maintain your commercial fleet and perform engine repairs, your diesel technicians need Jaltest diagnostic kits from Triad Diagnostic Solutions. As a master distributor, we offer the latest hardware and software you need to work on hundreds of makes and models. So, even if you have a mixed fleet, Jaltest has what you need in one convenient tablet. We even offer kits for off-highway vehicles, agriculture equipment, and ADAS systems. So, contact us today or order your kit online.