Dos and don'ts to diesel engine.

**Transporter** · 08-03-2010, 08:37 PM

The recent rain and look at the flooded roads reminded me some things we shouldn't do to the diesel engine.

Don’t drive over flooded roads, if there is a chance that water can get in the engine intake system. The hydro lock is lethal for the engine.

Don’t use starting fluid to start the engine that refuses to start. Starting fluid contain Ether that has low flash point and when present in the intake, can blow up the air filter housing and even the rocker cover.

Don’t push/pull/roll start your diesel; you may jump your belt timing (if engine has one).

Change the engine oil on time
Four Lethal Diesel Engine Oil Contaminants

Use only clean diesel fuel that is recomemended by the car manufacturer. Repairs to diesel pumps, injectors and the DPF could exceed $10,000
Always take a receipt (and keep it) when buying fuel. No car manufacturer cover the warranty repairs if you used contaminated/wrong fuel.

**250 downunder** · 08-03-2010, 09:15 PM

I hardly think that use of a starting fluid could blow the rocker cover. There would have to be an explosion in the crankcase to cause that to happen. [unless you are spraying in the oil filler?].
Hard to see how push or tow starting could cause a timing belt to slip. The only load on the timing belt is that caused by the camshaft, and that load will not change however the engine is turned.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

**Buller_Scott** · 09-03-2010, 03:15 AM

hey tranny, thanks for posting this... as a young/dumb/ oiler enthusiast, this kinda stuff helps me learn.

**gldgti** · 09-03-2010, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by 250 downunder

Hard to see how push or tow starting could cause a timing belt to slip. The only load on the timing belt is that caused by the camshaft, and that load will not change however the engine is turned.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

if the cam timing is off the valves will hit the pistons.

it is however likely that if your ttrying to tow start a car that you've had the engine apart and you know this, so you're likely to have checked by turning over the engine by hand and thus are confident that roll starting will be OK

**250 downunder** · 09-03-2010, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by gldgti

if the cam timing is off the valves will hit the pistons.

it is however likely that if your ttrying to tow start a car that you've had the engine apart and you know this, so you're likely to have checked by turning over the engine by hand and thus are confident that roll starting will be OK

So what came first , the chicken, the egg, or the wet weather!

**jctee** · 28-05-2011, 05:37 PM

This thread topic grabbed my attention ! A pity that it stopped over a year ago.

I'm the owner of a 103 DSG for a couple of weeks now.

Is there a difference between starting a diesel Tig and a petrol Tig ?
The old diesels I recall had glow plug lights which had to be OFF before hitting the starter.

**Transporter** · 28-05-2011, 07:49 PM

... and new diesels have glow plugs too. I almost always wait a few seconds before I start up the Tig but my wife just hops in and off she goes. In my T5 I hear glow plug relay to click when I open the door, so it's quite possible that Tig has the same set up and unless you go in snow, bellow 0 deg. C temperatures you don't need to start it differently than the TSI engine. You may notice that it will crank a bit longer in really cold weather, that's all.

**ozgti** · 28-05-2011, 09:50 PM

Yeah, don't fill it with petrol! Roll starting a diesel won't have any affect. 4wds do it all the time.

**kaanage** · 28-05-2011, 09:58 PM

Roll starting may be hard on the transmission due to the high compression ratio since the passenger car diesels often use the same drive train as their petrol brethren.