How Do I Know If My Engine Is Worn or Hard To Start

Diesel, petrol and gas engines can blow blue smoke, black smoke and white smoke you can go back to one of my earlier blogs ( what causes my engine to blow smoke) and this will explain what causes these different colour smoking engines.

Diesel engines require a high combustion pressure to cause a high temperature explosion to occur in the cylinder (rubbing of molecules under pressure causes friction generating heat, causing the explosion). . Were a Petrol engine uses a spark plug to ignite the fuel. Gas engine also require a spark plug to ignite the gas.

If you find your diesel engine, petrol engine or gas engine lacks power or is hard to start. One of the thing`s you may want to perform is a compression test. This requires you to remove the injector if diesel or spark plug if petrol or gas. A diesel compression tester will need to be screwed in or held in with clamp/plates as the compression is normally 400 PSI upwards. You will have to refer to the manual for the working compressions. Petrol is easier as there compression is 150PSi upwards and the compression tester can normally be held in by hand. Except with the later engines of 200 psi upwards, Racing and Hi Performance engines once again totally different.

If your compressions are low you can perform a wet test. Basically this is done by squirting oil into the cylinder or cylinders.

• If the compression increases by 10psi upwards it’s a simple indication of worn rings or cylinder bore.
• If the compression stays the same it’s an indication of the cylinder valves not sealing.

If your compressions are OK. Then you will need to be checking all your fuel injection pressures, glow plugs is still hard to start.

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