Engines are some of the most common points of failure on heavy equipment. Proper maintenance will keep your equipment in top shape for longer but it can’t guarantee that your equipment will never break down. The best regular maintenance can do is give you an advance warning of mechanical issues. Wear and tear is a thing after all. Rough conditions and accidents on job sites also mean that something is bound to go wrong eventually.

Some contributors to equipment failure include:

• Overlooking routine maintenance
• Ignoring warning signs
• Ignoring a machine’s ratings by overloading and overworking it
• Rough weather conditions
• Incompetent operators

 
Addressing these concerns early on will help you forestall many problems and give you advance warning for those you cannot entirely prevent. Some common engine issues to look out for:

Starting

Failure to start is an obvious sign of engine problems. These can be caused by:
 

• Faulty or dead battery
• Faulty glow plugs
• Fuel delivery issues
• Low compression
• Unfavorable weather conditions

Blowing Smoke

Normal exhaust smoke is almost colorless. Thin white smoke when starting an engine is fine but the shade should thin out further once the engine is fully warmed up. A thicker shade of white or other colors entirely not only indicates problems but can also put your workers at risk.

Black Smoke

Belching black smoke used to be the norm in old diesel engines but advancements in engine technology have made it rarer.
 
Black smoke indicates incomplete combustion. Fuel is not burned properly because the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber is improper.

This can be caused by:

• Clogged air filters
• Damaged injectors
• Turbocharger lags
• Accumulation of deposits in the engine
• Operating temperatures that are too low

Blue Smoke

Blue smoke from your exhaust means your engine oil is burning. It is more common when starting your engine in cold weather. But you shouldn’t ignore it.
 
Engine oil lubricates the moving parts of your engine, thus protecting them from the worst effects of wear and tear. When your engine oil burns it’s consumed faster and risks leaving your engine’s components unlubricated.
 
This causes wear and tear to accelerate, and slows down the efficiency of operations. In the worst cases, it can damage your engine entirely.
 
Blue smoke is caused by:

• Damaged pistons
• Oil filtration problems
• Worn out power assemblies
• Worn out valve guides and seals

White Smoke

White smoke often indicates faulty fuel injectors. It means diesel goes through the exhaust pipe completely unburned, a rather unfortunate situation and a waste of costly fuel.

Apart from faulty injectors, other causes of white smoke are:

• Condensation in the exhaust pipe
• Clogged filters
• Low compression
• Bad timing (smoke is often white when the engine is started, for example)

Filters

Clogged or dirty filters are a sign of poor maintenance. Such filthy filters lead to more problems down the line if left uncleaned. Some common filter problems:

Fuel Filters

Fuel filters get clogged by deposits and other external impurities. These accumulated impurities often form gelatinous blobs that block the filters and lead to a reduced fuel flow rate, a situation that might lead to total engine shutdowns.

Air Filters

Clogged air filters are often a result of working in dusty environments.
 
A failure to clean them leads to less air flowing into the engine which in turn leads to inefficient fuel burn, colored smoke, and total engine failure in the worst of cases.

Oil Filters

Oil filters require regular maintenance because water leaking into the system and accumulation of soot often leads to clogging.

Inadequate Lubrication

Lubrication is essential for moving parts. By reducing friction between the said moving parts, lubricants prevent excessive heat from being generated by all the rubbing, mashing, and grinding together that happens.
 
Moving parts also get warped out of shape when they get overheated, a situation that compromises their functionality and might damage them entirely
 
This makes checking fluid levels in your engine, gearbox, coolant tank, and other vital parts an important maintenance ritual that ought to be conducted regularly. A lot of problems can be avoided this way. 

​Contact​

When you need your heavy equipment repaired in a pinch, we are your best option. Need emergency repairs? We’ll do it. Need the repairs done on-site? We’ll do it. Need repairs at a reasonable price? We will do it.

Heavy Equipment Repair Services Reno
Phone: (775)-242-7209