Four Reasons Your Diesel Is Overheating

You count on your diesel to be a workhorse every single day, whether it’s a sedan or a truck. So, if it’s overheating, that means you’ve got a pretty big problem on your hands. Here’s what Reiff Diesel Services wants you to know about overheating problems with your diesel.

Too Much Weight

Using your diesel truck to tow or just carting around a lot more stuff than you think you are in your diesel car? Believe it or not you might be overloading the engine, which makes it and the transmission work too hard. That might be fine for a little while, but as that goes on, the problem gets worse and the engine can only work so hard. Eventually, it starts to overheat.

Too Little Coolant

If your diesel is low on coolant, also known as antifreeze, then the cooling system isn’t going to be able to keep up. When the cooling system doesn’t have what it needs, that’s going to cause some big problems and sooner rather than later. The coolant level is really easy to check, just by looking at the level through the side of the reservoir. If the level is below the line marked, it’s time to add more.

Problems in the Cooling System

There can be other problems in the cooling system, though, beyond just too little coolant. If there’s a leak in one of the hoses or if the radiator, water pump, or other components fail, that causes a big problem. You may even have an issue with an older thermostat not functioning properly, and therefore keeping the coolant from flowing.

Failed Head Gasket

Another issue can be the head gasket failing. When this happens, the gasket that keeps fluids out of the engine block now lets those fluids in. The engine is likely to immediately overheat when this happens, and driving again afterward is not advised. Other issues with overheating are more likely to be gradual issues, so if the engine suddenly seems to go from fine to boiling, this might be the cause of your trouble.

Don’t worry about troubleshooting overheating problems yourself. Give us a call at Reiff Diesel Services in Newburg, PA. We’ll be happy to test everything for you and see what exactly is going on. From there, we’ll be able to recommend the right course of action for your diesel and get you back on the road safely.