Diesel Engine Repair Tips

1. Engine heater plugged in while engine is running

The heating element should not be energized while starting the engine. The vibrations in conjunction with the added engine heat will cause the element to burn out or rupture. It is also advisable to wait a minimum of 1 minute after unplugging heater before starting engine. Additionally, if the heater is being used on a generator or other stand-by equipment an oil pressure switch for automatic cut-off may be required.

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Engine bearings depend on a film of oil to keep shaft and bearing surfaces separated (figure A). Bearings fail when the oil film breaks down or when the bearing is overloaded. The oil film is generated by shaft rotation (figure B). At rest, the shaft and bearing are in contact. On start up the shaft rubs the bearing briefly. Running, the shaft pulls oil from the clearance space into the wedge shape area between the shaft and bearing.

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Confusion exists between previous “Liter” designated 300 series John Deere® engines and newer “Powertech” engines. This is from engine model numbers, which indicate displacement, being the same as before. However, the engines are totally different with very little parts interchangeability.

For someone not totally familiar with the engines, the best way to quickly identify Powertech versus Liter designated engines follows:

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I must tell someone the importance of their cylinder liner protrusion at least once a week. As crucial of a specification to pay attention to, it is quite often the most forgotten. It is quite possibly one of the easiest to measure using a bridge micrometer or a dial indicator.

So what exactly is the purpose of liner protrusion?

Liner protrusion is the distance the cylinder liner sticks above the deck surface of the block. The main purpose of cylinder liner or sleeve protrusion is to give you the proper amount of “crush” on your cylinder head gasket. This ensures that once torqued, your cylinder head crushes the gasket evenly and to the correct specification.

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Our engine underhaul kits contains all the parts necessary to perform an engine bearing roll-in. Typically these kits include rod bearings, main bearings, rod bolts and an oil pan gasket. Preforming an engine bearing roll-in between engine overhauls greatly extends the life of your inframe or overhaul. We currently carry a number of underhaul kits for John Deere®, International Navistar® and Cummins® engines.

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The importance of cleanliness

During a complete overhaul, parts such as the engine block and crankshaft may have needed machining. Most machine shops will clean those parts if requested. However, if you did not request it to be done, that responsibility falls on you.

Once you get your components back and are ready to assemble, it is crucial that you make sure all oil holes and passages are spotless.

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There have been several updates to the components in the ISX15 / QSX15 engines since they were original introduced. Making sure you use compatible designed components in your build is critical to the service life of this engine.

All pistons within the engine must be of the exact same design style. You cannot mix open skirt, closed skirt and 2 piece articulated pistons in the same engine. Also, all pistons must be installed facing the correct direction.

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A broken crankshaft is not a common occurrence. Cranks can break due to a casting or forging flaw but this is very rare. Today’s quality control systems for forging and machining crankshafts are state of the art. Very seldom do you hear of a new crankshaft breaking “out of the box.” Usually a crank will break because of another failure. In a diesel engine the amount of torque created during a failure such as a spun bearing can cause a crank to snap.

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