Truck owners should pay attention to these points in winter

In the cold winter, it is very difficult to start a diesel engine that has been parked outdoors overnight. Generally, it takes two or three attempts to start the engine, which is harmful to the starter and battery. So what can we do to improve the starting efficiency of diesel engines in winter? How to better maintain and use diesel vehicles in winter?

Most mainstream diesel engines now have air intake preheating devices. Before starting the engine, turn on the ignition switch and a spiral red indicator light will flash on the dashboard (some models are manual). This is the preheating device working. When the light stops flashing, the preheating is complete.

At this time, starting the engine can basically succeed in one go. Some models also have a parking heating system, which can heat the antifreeze in the cooling system without starting the engine. While providing warm air to the vehicle, it also preheats the engine, which can also increase the success rate of diesel engine starting.

If we press the fuel pump while the engine is preheating, directly increase the pressure of the fuel system and expel the air in the system until we hear the sound of oil return, the air in the fuel system is completely expelled. This will increase the success rate of starting.

Next, let's talk about the precautions for driving a diesel truck in winter. Diesel trucks are more fragile in winter and need more care.

Diesel is divided into winter diesel and summer diesel according to its freezing point. We should choose diesel reasonably according to the local minimum temperature.

If we use diesel with a too high freezing point, it will precipitate crystal wax in cold weather and block the oil line. This is a very troublesome thing, not only will the engine be unable to start, but it will also damage the high-pressure oil pump and injector.

To avoid freezing, the diesel oil circuit should be cleaned and drained before winter. It is best to thoroughly clean the diesel tank and replace the oil-water separator and diesel filter.

When a diesel engine is started from a cold engine in winter, the oil viscosity is high and cannot reach the lubrication surface quickly. There will be instant dry friction on some friction surfaces, which will cause great wear on the engine. Therefore, when starting a cold engine in winter, it is necessary to run it at idle speed for a while, and then lightly press the accelerator after the oil pressure rises to the normal value, so that the engine can keep running at a medium speed to achieve the purpose of quick warm-up.

In addition, modern diesel engines have cooling intensity adjustment devices, generally fan clutch and thermostat. In order to avoid high engine temperatures in summer, some drivers lock the fan clutch and use a low-temperature opening thermostat.

If this is done in winter, the diesel engine operating temperature will be too low, so in winter, the fan clutch must be ensured to work normally and a high-temperature opening thermostat must be used.

Diesel vehicles generally use pneumatic brake systems, which use compressed air as the working medium of the brake system.

Since the compressed air pumped out from the air pump contains a certain amount of water, it will condense in the air reservoir and enter the brake air circuit. In the cold season, it will freeze into ice in the air circuit, thereby blocking the air circuit and making the brake system ineffective. Therefore, before entering winter, the air dryer in the air circuit must be replaced and the air reservoir must be drained. During winter operation, the water must be drained every day.

In winter, the battery should be kept fully charged. Check whether the electrolyte is sufficient and the density is normal. If necessary, the electrolyte density can be appropriately increased to prevent accidents caused by electrolyte freezing due to low electrolyte density.

The density of the electrolyte of a normally charged battery is 1.27-1.28 g/cm³. If the battery is depleted, the density of the electrolyte will decrease, and in severe cases, the battery shell may even freeze and crack. Therefore, the battery should be charged frequently in winter and appropriate warming measures should be taken.