Diesel Engine Maintenance
While you may know a considerable amount about the engine of a car, boat engines are a completely different animal. Diesel engines, in particular, can be quite tough to understand, as far as maintenance is concerned. A boat is expensive enough on its own, so you, as a boater, might try and do as much maintenance as possible on your watercraft, to cut costs wherever you can.
While there are some things you can do with your diesel engine, there are some things that simply require the intervention of a professional. Let’s look at a few things you can definitely do by yourself to your diesel engine and a few things you’ll want help with.
What You Can Do
Oil/Oil Filter
Known as the lubrication system, keeping up with your boat’s oil system on a diesel engine is quite easy. It’s also quite important, so be sure that you know what you’re doing when you do it.
Electrical Maintenance
If your boat’s battery isn’t taking a charge or something else is off with your electrical system, you don’t have to take it to a professional. Instead, check to see that your boat’s alternator is bolted securely in and check to see if any of the connections to your boat’s battery are loose or dirty.
What You Should Leave to Professionals
Valve Adjustments
Although valve adjustments are an important part of periodic engine maintenance, it’s important to have a professional handle it. Not only is it a complex job, but doing anything slightly wrong could spell disaster for your engine.
Cylinder Head Re-torquing
After a period of time, the cylinder heads of your engine need to be re-torqued, a task that takes time and must be done in a very specific manner. Not doing so could hurt your engine.
There you have it! Maintaining your diesel engine can be easy, but it’s best to leave certain things to your mechanic, in order to avoid damage.