Maintaining your equipment’s fuel system is a great way to ensure a longer life for your engine. When contaminants get into the engine through the fuel, they have the potential to increase wear on everything they touch. The good news is, there are two simple things you can do to avoid them.
1. Buy your fuel from a reliable supplier with a good reputation.
Since environmental regulations require machines to operate using fuel with low levels of sulfur, diesel is put through a process known as hydro-treatment so it burns cleaner and emits less sulfur. While lower sulfur levels do not have a negative affect on the fuel, the process also removes many of the compounds that give diesel its lubricity.
Quality fuel suppliers have the knowledge and ability to increase diesel’s lubricity through the use of additives. This increase reduces the amount of friction in your engine, extending its life as it burns the more eco-friendly fuel.
2. Check your filters often and replace them regularly.
The fuel filters used in your machine’s engine are your last line of defense against contaminants. Buying high quality filters is an essential preventative measure that will help get the maximum life out of your engine. If foreign particles begin to build up in your fuel injectors, the engine’s cylinders will not get the amount of fuel needed to perform at maximum efficiency. Remember that using dirty fuel can lead to costs that are substantially higher than the cost of replacing a filter.
When we asked Jerry Duxbury, ACTP’s rebuild manager and a 30 year veteran of the heavy equipment industry, his opinion on the topic, this is what he offered, “Regularly replacing your filters is the easiest thing you can do to extend the life of your engine. A lot of people overlook it or put it off because they don’t want to spend the cash. But if you get your filters from a reliable aftermarket parts supplier like us it can actually be the least expensive way to extend your engine’s life too.”