Researching your next vehicle? As you already know, every car no matter the make or model requires routine maintenance. That said, not every driver out there understands that there are quite a few differences when it comes to maintenance based on the vehicle’s fuel type. To help, we’ll briefly go over some key differentiators between gasoline-powered and diesel-powered vehicles in terms of standard upkeep.
Understanding the differences between these two requires a good look under the hood at the engine. While gasoline and diesel engines rely on internal combustion, there are differences in the design and components as well as the fuel needed to make the process work.
Starting with the ignition, gasoline-powered vehicles require spark plugs to ignite a fuel-air mixture during the compression process. Diesel-powered vehicles do not use spark plugs. They rely on a higher degree of compression to combust fuel via the engine piston. The difference in combustion is measured in PSI, or pounds per square inch, with gas engines combusting fuel at 125-175 PSI of compression and diesel at around 275-400 PSI. Another dissimilarity is diesel vehicles are equipped with glow plugs, which are used to heat the cylinder to aid in startup when cold.
Both spark and glow plugs need to be inspected regularly and cleaned as needed to keep the engine and ignition process working optimally. However, there can be a big difference in how often these two plugs should be replaced. Generally, glow plugs last 100,000 miles or about six and a half years for the average driver. The typical lifespan of spark plugs vary greatly depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations, with some requiring a replacement at 18,000 miles and others at 100,000 miles.
Overall, life expectancy isn’t just longer for a diesel’s glow plugs, but for its whole engine as well. Due to their sturdiness, lubrication processes and the fact that they have fewer components than gas engines, diesel engines boast incredible longevity and often require less maintenance than their counterpart. In fact, many diesel vehicles can reach 200,000 miles before they require major repairs. That’s double the mileage that drivers of gas engines may expect to begin paying for costly work. With car repair costs up almost 20% in the past year, this longevity can really help offset the higher upfront price costs for some owners. On the other hand, maintenance costs are generally lower for gas vehicles.
Lastly, another part of the engine that differs is the cooling system. Both types of engines depend on cooling systems to regulate temperatures and prevent overheating. However, due to the differences in design and combustion, the demands on these systems vary. As such, diesel vehicles require specialized coolants with higher boiling points and better thermal conductivity. They also need more frequent flushing to avoid a potentially harmful buildup of scale and deposits. That being said, most diesel trucks hold twice the cooling capacity than gas vehicles to help keep everything cool. Gasoline engines get by on standard coolants and operate reliably with standard cooling system maintenance and flushing.
These are just a few differences in maintenance between gasoline and diesel vehicles. If you would like to learn more, please see the accompanying resource.
Differences In Maintenance: Gasoline Vs. Diesel Vehicles, was provided by Powerhouse Diesel and their collection of non vgt turbos