Signs That Your Tractor Trailer Engine Is Failing

About Me
Understanding Auto Service Tasks

Hello, my name is Davey Jerome. Welcome to my site about auto service. When I was a young boy, the first task I learned to perform on my dad’s truck was an oil change. I delighted in letting the old oil flow out into the drain pan and removing the old filter. Adding the new filter and oil seemed to rejuvenate that old truck and ready it for another day of work on the farm. I will use this site to explore the process of performing automotive services on your own. I hope you can use the information on my site to learn about this important task.

Signs That Your Tractor Trailer Engine Is Failing

14 February 2019
 Categories: , Blog

While the engine in a tractor-trailer or semi will last for many more miles than your daily driven car or truck, some things wear down over time, and it is essential to know the signs that the truck gives you. Ignoring them will not make them go away and could leave you stranded on the road wonder what happened to your engine.

Loss of Power

If the engine in your truck seems to be losing power, you may have a problem with the piston rings or the cylinder sleeve. The compression in the engine could be escaping around the worn rings or sleave, taking some power with it. 

Lower Fuel Economy

Are you noticing a drop in fuel economy in your truck? If the power and the fuel economy is dropping, the engine is working harder and trying to compensate for the worn part inside the engine. As a result, the fuel economy is lower and may continue to get worse over time.

Using Oil

The engine in your truck should not be using oil between oil changes. It might burn a little oil, but if you are adding oil all the time, you might have a problem in the engine itself. Excessive oil usage is tied to cylinder problems in the truck. A bad cylinder head or cylinder liner will allow some fuel to escape around them, but the truck will need to have a good mechanic to check it out. 

Engine Brake Performance

The engine brake on most trucks is an essential part of slowing the truck down. If the engine brake is not working like it used to, the cylinder it is tied to may be down on compression. Because the engine brake uses compression or back pressure to slow the truck down., if the engine in the truck has less compression than it used to, the performance of the engine brake will suffer.

Engine Knock

This is the worst situation you can imagine. If the engine in your truck starts knocking, get the truck off the road and shut it down. The knocking could be a spun bearing or piston slap inside the motor. In either case, this is a worse scenario than all others combined. 

A knocking motor that is ignored can quickly turn into an engine that is no longer running. The cost of replacing a motor is much higher than having one rebuilt or buying one used. Pamper your truck, and it will take care of you for years to come.

For more information and help, work with a local truck repair company like C L Enterprises.