Diesel Engines: Pros & Cons

Diesel engines are becoming more popular, and are being used more & more in automobiles as well as heavy haul trucks. As diesel engines are now being used more often, there are more places where you can fill your diesel engine spare parts needs.

Do you know the difference between a Diesel Engine and a Gas Engine?

All diesel mechanics would be able to tell you the difference, but for those who aren’t, I have some information for you.

Both diesel engines & gas engines are considered “Internal combustion engines”, so they are similar in this regard. It’s how the combustion happens that makes them different.

Diesel Engine: (aka – compression-ignition engine)

Uses heat of compression to initiate the ignition & burning of fuel that has been injected into the combustion chamber.

Spark-Ignition Engine:

Can be referred to as either petrol or gasoline engine. Instead of using compression to initiate an ignition, spark plugs are used to ignite an air-fuel mixture.

Even though the use of diesel engines is on the rise, finding reliable diesel engine spare parts can be tricky. Not all parts shops carry diesel engine spare parts, and the ones that do usually carry just the more popular brands or parts found in their local area. The best thing to do is find a parts shop that specializes in diesel parts if possible.

Do you know some of the pros/cons of diesel engines vs gas engines?

PRO: Diesel engines get great mileage and can deliver anywhere from 20%-30% better fuel economy.
This all depends on the setup of the engine and if it’s an automobile or long haul truck.
CON: As the use of diesel engines increases, the price of diesel fuel will continue to increase. Diesel fuel is used not just for engines, but home & industrial generators & heating oil.

PRO: Diesel fuel is one of the most efficient & energy dense fuels available because it contains more usable energy then gasoline.
CON: The extra energy doesn’t result in extra high-speed performance. Diesel engines are more considered work horses, while gasoline engines are considered racehorses. As technology advances, so does the efficiency and output of diesel engine spare parts. Some automobiles with diesel engines can compare to certain high powered gasoline equivalents.

PRO: Diesel shave no spark plugs or distributors, so they do not require ignition tune-ups.
CON: Regular maintenance is still required to keep diesel engines running. There are multiple filters that regularly need to be changed.

Due to how diesel fuel burns, diesel engines provide more torque to the driveshaft than gasoline engines.This allows diesel powered trucks, SUVs and cars to “out tow” gas-powered vehicles while still providing that improved fuel economy.

It’s no wonder that the majority of heavy haul trucks use diesel engines instead of gasoline-powered engines.

The use of diesel engines are not limited to automobiles, trucks or generators. Many of today’s construction machines, buses and farm/agricultural machines utilize diesel engines.

As the use of diesel engines increases and technology improves, the need for diesel engine spare parts will increase and improve with them.