catastrophic diesel failures how many do we know of?

**Sam vd Merwe** · 2015/02/26, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Clint_Hemi

You guys are all wrong. Rotary engines are better than both.

And no, I don't classify them along with petrol engines. No pistons.

With a lot of 2so

**Clint_Hemi** · 2015/02/26, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by Sam vd Merwe

With a lot of 2so

Yes! I love the smell of 2SO in the morning. And the concerned look on people's faces when they ask why my car is smoking.

**RogueFrontier** · 2015/02/26, 01:16 PM

If we leave out external failures like fanbelts breaking cambelts and drowned engines, etc, there is very few things that will kill a diesel engine and they are all heat related.

Lack of oil
Lack of coolant
To much diesel - high CHT
Driven wrong - high EGT

**RogueFrontier** · 2015/02/26, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by LeonP

interestingly I've flat footed 1.9 diesels for a lot of the mileage I've done with it and they did not fail. must admit there was also a lot of very sedate highway driving.

in this day and age im surprised there are still some who say one is better than the other (petrol vs diesel). it depends on what you want in a vehicle.

Flat footed for high speed or high load?

BIG difference flat footing at 200kph or flat footing at 50kph with a 4ton boat behind you.

Any any case, modern diesels' electronics is supposed to protect it against high CHT and EGT.

**jelo** · 2015/02/26, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by RogueFrontier

If we leave out external failures like fanbelts breaking cambelts and drowned engines, etc, there is very few things that will kill a diesel engine and they are all heat related.

Lack of oil
Lack of coolant
To much diesel - high CHT
Driven wrong - high EGT

Ditto petrol:

Lack of oil
Lack of coolant
To0 much petrol - sleeve & rings wear (BTDT)
Too little petrol - ultra lean condition burns valves and pistons (BTDT)

**Clint_Hemi** · 2015/02/26, 01:22 PM

In summary:

All engines are crap.

**MariusFourie** · 2015/02/26, 01:32 PM

Get a powerful enough diesel that doesn't allow foot flat driving all the time.

I don't think diesels fail more often than petrols. Diesels just show faults much sooner than petrols.

**WAJ** · 2015/02/26, 01:47 PM

The speed limit on the highway is 120 kph - I can do that with about 3rd of full throttle on my mazda 2.5 tehbo diesel, why would I drive it flat foot? only the stupid does this, then I guess a diesel isnt for you. My Mazda is now on 210k and engine still perfect, no failures. A guy I know did 350k on a ford ranger 2.5, no engine failure at all, except gearbox 5th gear went bang.

I did however ruin my Alfa 33 1.5 boxer engine, as it broke one cam belt and broke 2 valves on the right hand side 2 pistons... petrol !

**4eJunior** · 2015/02/26, 01:53 PM

I don't understand.

You admit that your driving style is to rev the beast to the limit.
You buy a TD.
Your driving style ruins the engine.
You buy another TD.
Again you ruin the engine (genius?).
You spend the rest of your life trashing TDs on forums.

**RogueFrontier** · 2015/02/26, 01:55 PM

Somewhere in SA there is a million km club for isuzu 250s. Not many petrol engines have such a club...

**MariusFourie** · 2015/02/26, 02:20 PM

If petrol was cheaper in the long run, Volvo and the likes would make petrol vehicles for Translux and Greyhound.

It all comes down to care and maintenance.

**BeachCat** · 2015/02/26, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by 4eJunior

I don't understand.

You admit that your driving style is to rev the beast to the limit.
You buy a TD.
Your driving style ruins the engine.
You buy another TD.
Again you ruin the engine (genius?).
You spend the rest of your life trashing TDs on forums.

Yes but when people come on these forums asking if diesels are reliable, nobody says "Yes, but you have to drive them real carefully".

Nobody says "Yes, but parts are criminally expensive so you better keep it serviced regularly at great expense"

If more people bitched and moaned about Diesel Turbos maybe the manufacturers would get around to fitting an EGT linked to a boost controller that reduced boost when EGTs climbed to high.....I just don't get this denial that there is a problem with Diesel turbos when one forum member after another gets fleeced for tens of thousands of Rand believing they are reliable.

**MariusFourie** · 2015/02/26, 02:31 PM

It's about maintenance. I drive the diesel I own and the diesels I maintain very very hard.

My Touareg I redline often - automatic

The ford ranger rarely gets to redline because it doesn't make power there. I rather gear up.

Mechanical sympathy is also key. Your car door is made to open and close but you don't go slamming it and let the wind catch it do you?

Nothing can be made to last forever. You need to take care of your stuff. No matter how good it's made, if you want to kill it, you will!

**Biggles** · 2015/02/26, 02:31 PM

You get failures that are diesel specific and those that are petrol specific and those that are common to both engines.

Diesel specific catastrophic failures are either high EGT related or turbo (OK petrols have turbo but not as common). The common story "overtalking on a long uphill towing a tonne of boat and suddenly large clouds of black smoke" is avoidable with an EGT guage and most modern diesels will now go into limp mode when high EGTs are detected. I frequently have my EGT beep when lead footing up a long incline. Dread to think how many diesel owners are blissfully unaware they are melting a hole in their piston. EGTs can climb rapidly and drop quicker... My turbo vanes will frequently go from 650C to half that in a few seconds.

Turbo failures are just plain abuse if you ask me. Turbos are very happy with a good clean supply of oil and air.

**Mad Manny** · 2015/02/27, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by 4eJunior

I don't understand.

Originally Posted by MariusFourie

If petrol was cheaper in the long run, Volvo and the likes would make petrol vehicles for Translux and Greyhound.

Originally Posted by Biggles

You get failures that are diesel specific and those that are petrol specific and those that are common to both engines. .

4eJunior, Marius & Biggles; you guys have made the same mistake on this Thread as I did.
This Thread is not about discussing whether 'catastrophic' diesel failures occur & are common.
This Thread is about discussing how all diesels fail catastrophically constantly.

The Thread title should have alerted us to it's intent.

So we're wasting our time here, but I've started a Thread 'Diesel cars windscreens crack catastrophically' where I prove throwing a brick at a diesel vehicles window causes it to break...
See you there...

**MariusFourie** · 2015/02/27, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by mad manny

4ejunior, marius & biggles; you guys have made the same mistake on this thread as i did.
This thread is not about discussing whether 'catastrophic' diesel failures occur & are common.
This thread is about discussing how all diesels fail catastrophically constantly.

The thread title should have alerted us to it's intent.

So we're wasting our time here, but i've started a thread 'diesel cars windscreens crack catastrophically' where i prove throwing a brick at a diesel vehicles window causes it to break...
See you there...

:d :d :d

**BeachCat** · 2015/02/27, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Mad Manny

This Thread is about discussing how all diesels fail catastrophically constantly.

It may seem that way with the large number of forum members who have had catastrophic diesel failures and with 2 members currently trying to sort out catastrophic failures. But I'm sure there must be a few diesels out there that if you drive like an old lady and spend R10K a year on servicing somehow manage to stay in one piece.

Put it this way if diesels weren't reliable they wouldn't use them in aircraft would they...oh wait :P

**Mad Manny** · 2015/02/27, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by BeachCat

It may seem that way with the large number of forum members who have had catastrophic diesel failures and with 2 members currently trying to sort out catastrophic failures. But I'm sure there must be a few diesels out there that if you drive like an old lady and spend R10K a year on servicing somehow manage to stay in one piece.

Put it this way if diesels weren't reliable they wouldn't use them in aircraft would they...oh wait :P

Thanks.
As I said, this is a diesel-bashing Thread & contrary comments (or facts) are not welcomed.
As you say, 2 of the 50 000 members indicates a catastrophe of Biblical proportions.
Especially in light of the fact that no petrol engine has failed ever, even after 15 000 - 16 000km.
Bash away...

**MariusFourie** · 2015/02/27, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by BeachCat

It may seem that way with the large number of forum members who have had catastrophic diesel failures and with 2 members currently trying to sort out catastrophic failures. But I'm sure there must be a few diesels out there that if you drive like an old lady and spend R10K a year on servicing somehow manage to stay in one piece.

Put it this way if diesels weren't reliable they wouldn't use them in aircraft would they...oh wait :P

Petrol engines were too weak and diesels too heavy so they went with jet engines instead.

Old radial aeroplane engines were petrol engines because they were lightweight and could rev. Nothing to do with reliability. There was nothing else to choose from.

**Dustbin** · 2015/02/27, 10:21 AM

So according to this thread, every d4d motor is unreliable, every Cruiser V8 TD is unreliable, every Mazda Bt- 50 TD is useless, every, CAT motor is useless (guaranteed for 1000000 hrs BTW) etc etc.....

I would rather put it this way... Turbo motors.... any Turbo motor need some extra precautions... Start-up, Switch off, constant full throttle loads will kill a petrol turbo quicker than a diesel)...

I think the thread is flawed, and maybe someone hears the bell, but does not know where the clock is...