This technical information is posted here as a courtesy by Norcal Diesel Performance
Diesel trucks love the longevity they get from their engines, with some keeping the same truck for hundreds of thousands of miles. People who have never driven a diesel truck might not understand why you’d keep the same truck running for years upon years. But once they get behind the seat of a diesel powerhouse, they’ll quickly understand. Diesel engines also reward your time and effort, and every diesel owner knows it’s worth a little maintenance to keep them around.
How do we do that, exactly? Whether you’re brand new to the world of owning a diesel truck or if they’re the only vehicles you put your trust in, you probably want to do whatever you can to increase that truck’s longevity. To keep your truck running as good as it did on the day you drove it off the lot, we’ve compiled some tips concerning everything to know about extending your diesel truck’s life. It doesn’t take much effort at all, but the returns you get in performance and increased lifespan more than make up for any elbow grease you need to put into your truck.
But where do you begin with maintenance? Maybe you’re a first-time diesel truck owner …
Use Trustworthy Parts for Upgrades
Many diesel truck owners enjoy modifying and upgrading their vehicles to achieve the best possible performance. We highly recommend doing this, as your diesel truck won’t reach its full potential if you try to rely only on the parts it was originally built with. However, one important thing to remember is that there are plenty of sources that will claim their parts are great without having any evidence to back it up. Using parts that don’t come from a reputable dealer could put your entire truck at risk, so make sure you know who you’re getting your parts from and how they should help improve your truck’s performance.
Treat Your Truck With Fuel Additives
Using dirty fuel is one of the fastest ways to damage your diesel truck’s engine. It will also force you into more frequent maintenance intervals. Find a place close to you where you can get reliable fuel. This should help you locally, but if you’re frequently traveling long distances, you’re at the mercy of whatever fuel station you find along the way.
Fortunately, you can use fuel additives. Fuel additives can block fuel impurities from damaging your engine. If you’re planning on traveling a lot, pick yourself up some fuel treatment. It will give you some peace of mind if you fill up in an unknown place and are worried about subpar fuel ruining your truck.
Replace Gaskets All at Once
Extreme environmental conditions, such as wildly fluctuating temperatures, are bad news for gaskets. These conditions cause gaskets to break or leak, and you’ll notice a drop in engine performance. A leaky gasket could lead to your engine overheating, too; you don’t want to mess around when these parts break.
Generally, if one of your gaskets suddenly breaks or springs a leak, you’ll want to replace all of your gaskets at the same time. If one gasket fails, it’s possible the rest will follow suit. Replacing every gasket at once is a preventative measure that will protect you from other short-term gasket problems.
Wash Regularly To Prevent Premature Aging
Maintenance care extends to all parts of your truck! If you really want to extend your diesel truck’s life for as long as possible, you need to take care of the interior, too. A busted-up interior may not impact your truck’s actual ability to drive, but it does make your truck less attractive and less fun to drive. The interior of the truck is where you spend most of your time with it, after all.
If your truck is heavily used in difficult environmental conditions (work sites, deep snow, salted roads), you down want the environment to stick around your interior. They’ll corrode your truck’s finish over time.
You can fix both interior and exterior issues with regular washes. Exterior… interior…
Wash your truck more often if it frequently endures harsh conditions. This keeps your truck looking its best, its whole life.
Never Skip Filter Replacements
You’ll need to replace components like your air filter and fuel filter at regular mile intervals. For example, fuel filter maintenance is usually done somewhere between every 10,000 and 15,000 miles. How often these components need to be replaced depends on your truck’s make and model. Consult your owner’s manual or the manufacturer’s website for accurate maintenance instructions. Newer models of trucks may have multiple filters; make sure you’re checking all of them.
Air intakes and fuel pick up outside contaminants, which are then caught by filters. Over time, the contaminants caught by the filter build up, clogging it. Clogged filters back up your truck’s sensitive systems, reducing their effectiveness. For example, a clogged air intake results in sluggish engine performance. A dirty filter is also less effective at keeping harmful particles out of your delicate systems. The more smoothly your engine runs, the longer it will last.
Flush Coolant System To Stop Corrosion
Coolant systems don’t need as frequent maintenance as your filters, but it’s crucial to flush your coolant system every 50,000 miles or so. Over time, your coolant can become dirty and even turn acidic. This acidic coolant can sit in your engine, slowly corroding away at its parts until you have a serious problem on your hands. A full coolant flush is the only solution to make sure that none of that acidic coolant remains or mixes in with new, fresher coolant.
Coolant systems don’t need maintenance check-ups as frequently as your filters, but you should still flush them every 50,000 miles or so. Over time, coolant gets dirty and can even become acidic. As acidic coolant sits in your engine, it slowly corrodes away at it until you have a serious problem.
Avoid Idling Whenever Possible
Idling is not good for any vehicle as a baseline, but you definitely want to avoid idling your diesel truck whenever possible. Idling allows soot to build up inside of your engine, and it takes a shorter amount of time than you would probably expect for this to occur. This soot can stick to the engine and cause ugly exhaust issues when you try to run it again. You won’t always be able to avoid idling your truck, but if you have the option, turn it all the way off so you don’t have it running for no reason and accumulating unnecessary wear and tear.
Keeping your diesel truck going for a long time and giving it the extra boost that it needs to run at peak efficiency is all about getting the right parts for it. For example, a Dodge Ram cold air intake system can take your performance to the next level with one simple installation project. When you buy from Norcal Diesel Performance, you can feel comfortable knowing that you’re doing the best thing possible to keep your truck performing its best for years to come.