Diesel fuel is a petroleum product, just as is gasoline. Diesel fuel is separated off from the petroleum before gasoline does, making it a thicker and more viscous fuel than gasoline. One of the problems with diesel happens because of that. In cold weather, the viscosity of the diesel tends to increase, so it may need to be warmed up just so that it will star. Another issue with diesel is that it doesn't start in the same way that a gas fueled engine would.
Gasoline Engine Ignition
The way that a gasoline engine starts is that the gas is aerosolized and then sprayed into the cylinders in the engine. There are spark plugs in the engine, and each spark plug creates a tiny spark that triggers a tiny explosion that pushes the cylinder back down, providing energy to the engine. Then, as the cylinder starts to go up, the fuel is sprayed back into the cylinder, and the entire process starts all over again,
Diesel Engine Ignition
Because of the fact that diesel is a heavier fuel than gasoline, it doesn't start the same way. Diesel doesn't have the same explosive capabilities that gasoline does which means that a spark isn't going to cause it to provide that mini-explosion to push the cylinder down. You could drop a lit match into a puddle of diesel and all that would happen is that the match would be extinguished, whereas with gasoline, you would be looking at the start of a fire. That isn't to say that diesel won't explode, you just have to deal with it in a different way. If you put it under a lot of pressure, it will explode. Thus, when it's time to start your car, the diesel is put under a lot of pressure and is heated up so that it will create that mini-explosion and shove the cylinder back down and give the car the energy it needs to get moving. Your diesel engine will also tend to use more air to burn the fuel than a gasoline engine would, because that helps to keep the fuel burning the way that it should.
A lot of vehicles run on diesel fuel. Diesel generally comes from petroleum, but it can also be bio-diesel that has been created from things like used cooking oil. Diesel fuel behaves differently when it comes to running an internal combustion engine. Contact a shop, like South Houston Engine, for more assistance.
Share7 November 2018
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