How Diesel

EnginesWork
and Wear

EngineSystems
. Cooling
. Lubrication
. Fuel
r Air lntake& Exhaust
. Electrical

plus the commonwarnlng

This bulletingivos an ovorviowof diesolengines,how they work and typicallywear,
signsot engi;" problems. Tho objectiveis to give you a thoroughunderstanding of €nginesand h6lp you
efiectivelymarxetCat€rpillaroproductsand your dealership'sEngine BepairOptions'
 Abnormalwear is any wear oth6r than that from
normalengineoperation, Generally,abnormalwear
resultsfrom lncorrectmaintenanceor operating
technique. Usingthe wrong oil, oxtondingoil changes
intervals,nol maintainingthe coolantconditioner
concentration,and inadequatemachinewarm-up are
typicalpraciicesthat cause abnormalwear and
prematureenginefailure,
t is importantto understandlhat there are only live
major wear tems in a di€se engine, and they re worth

. cylinderliners . vaves, guides,and seats

. prstonings . main and rod bearings
a turbochargerbearingsand seals

P l s l o n w l t h n o r m a l w o a r o ^ r l q h l , a b n o r m a lw e a r o n l e l t ,

EngineWear
Hand in hand with the d scussionof how engineswork
is how they wear. For our purpose,we will classify
enginewear inlo two categories;normaland abnorma
enginewear.
Normalv{earoccurs in al englnes, As pa(s push,
slideand work againsteach other, wear occurs.
Nornal wear is that wl_ichwe e'pecl ou.ing eng;ne
operation, The normalwear ltems in a dieselengine
includethe p ston rings, cylinderliners,valvesand
valve guides, main and rod bearingsand if equipped,
turbochargerbearingsand sea s,

lf lhese wear parts are replaced

before they wear out approximately
80%of majorenginefailurescan be
B € a r l n 9s h o w l n q a b n o r h a l w € a r . eliminated.
These parts are relatively inexpensive, and if replaced on a timoly basis, expensive components lik€ cylinder
heads, blocks, crankshafts and connecting rods should nev€r n6ed replacement.

W € a r t r e m s r 6 p r a c 6 dw h 6 n r o p a k l n g b 6 l o r 6 l a l l u r e ( o n t h o l s l t ) . P 6 r t s r o p l a c o da l t s r l a l l u r € ( o n i h o r l g h 0 . Thlnkolih€
unnscossary costs sssoclaled wlth alter lallure r€pahE.

RepairBeforeFailure
This concept is the basisfor the managementstrategy replacedand there is no damageto the crankshaftor
of repairingbefor€ failure. L€t's look at a quick other components,
comparisonbetweonbefore and after failurerepaks Usingthis €xample,let's summarizethe customor
so we cloarlyunderstandhow ropairingbefore failure benofitsof repairingbeforefailure.
bonefitsth€ customer.
In our after failure€xampletho customerignorestho
repairindicatorsand continuesoperatingthe 6ngine
untila main bearingfails causingmajor damageto the
crankshaft. In fact the damageis to the point that the
crankshaftcannot be used as a core lor a
remanufactured crankshaft- addingslbstantiallyto
the ropaircosts,
In our beforefailureexamplethe ongineis maintainod
correctlyand th€ repak indicatorsare monitored.
when an S.O.S report warnsof bearingwear the
engineis promptlyscheduledlor repair- before major
failurocan occur. Tho inexpensivobearingsare
Nobody knows Cat equipm€nt d6sign and wear trends
as w6ll as Caterpillarand Cat Dealers. They regularly
pool informatjon to develop wear trends for accurately
interpreting S.O.S lest results. Olher oil analysis
programs simply don't have this critical information.
The bottom line is, S.O.S is the only program that
can determine wh€n wear trends go from acceptable
to unacceptable- indicatinga problem.
LJsedr6gularly, S.O.S can catch problems early so
they can be fixed in minirnaltime and with minimal
costs to the customer.
EngineRepairIndicatorKit
The kit is convenient and 6asy to use, ln the kit are
such tools as:
Temp€raiure Fecord€r Labels
Coolant ConditionerTest Kit
Fiher Cutter
Crankcase Pressure Gauge
Also includedis helpfulliteraturesuch as an Overhaul
EstimatorForm, EngineEvauationWorksheeland
Sp€cialInstructions that give you the basic information
neededto completea lhoroughengineeval!ation.
Dealersalesmenar€ findingthe kit us€fulin buiding
cr€dibility and professionalismwith thelr custon]ers.
Now let's look at each oi the dies€lenginesystems
individually.

l. CoolingSystem
Over40%of engineiailuresresultfrom coolingsystem
problems. Of the live syslems,tho coolingsystemis
the mosl criiicalto engineliie.

Over 40/o of engine

One of the oasiest ways to determine the overall
failuresare due to cooling
conditionof an engineis 10 periorm some simple systemproblems.
checks or tests. That is the purposeior the Engine
ReDairlndicatorKit (ERIK). The kit includesthe basic
tools needed to evaluate the engine condition and
determinoii a before failureoverhau ls needed, or ii Tho compon6nts that makeup lhe coolingsystem
furtherdiagnosisis required. includeth6 lollowing.

T6mperature Thermostat
9aug6
 a Water Pump - The water pump providescontinuous Oil to ajr coolersaro used most often for hydraulic
circulationof coolantwheneverthe engineis systems,wherea much greatartemp€raturedrop is
turning. Water pumpson Cat enginesare tequared,such as on many excavators. Air to oil
genelallygear driven, excepton the 3208, 3j 14, coolersare similarin designand principleto
and 3116 Engineswhich havo belt drivenwator radiators. Ak blowsacrossthe surfaceof oil cooler
oumos. tubes dissipatingh6at awayfrom the oit to the
a Radlator- Th6 radiatortransf€rsheat awayfrom atmosohere.
th6 coolant, lowerinocoolanttemperature, Coolant
flows throughthe radiatortub6s whileair circulatos Howthe CoolingSystem
aroundth6 tubes providinga transferof heat to the
atmosphore. W€ have thrse styl€sof radiators,
Works
conventional-style, folded core, and the modular
core radrator.
o Coolant- Coolantis a mixtureof water, antifreeze
(glycol),and coolantconditioner (inhibitor).For
propercooling,each must be maintainedin th6
correct 9rooortion,
. Th€rmostgl- Technicallythe thermostatis calleda
temperatur€regutator. The thermostatassistsin
enginewarm-up and h6lpsmaintaincootantand
enginetempeEtureduringoperation. Whenthe 3o%
6ngineis cold the thermostatattowscoolant
circulationjust throughthe engin6,bypassinqthe
radiator(to h€lp the €nginewarm-up). Whenthe
engineis at proper op€ratingtemperaturethe
thermostatopensto allowcootantllow throughth6
radiator(so coolingtakes placo). The thormostat
continuallyopens and closesas the cootant
temperaturechanoes,
. Water Temp€relureGaug€- The l€mperature The primarytunctionof the coolingsystemis to
gauge indicatesthe temperatureof the cootant. maintaincorrect enginetemperatureby takingaway
The recommend€doperatingranoo is g€nerally unwantedhoat generatedby combustionand friction.
between190'-210oF(88"-99.C). Approximatoly 33% of th6 h€at €nergydev€loped
duringcombustionis convert€dihto usabte
. Fan - The tan forces air aroundthe radiatortubes
horsopower,7% radiat€sdirsctly off enginesurfaces
to transferheat out of the coolantand d€crsase and 30% out the exhaust. The remaining30% is
coolanttemperaturo. Fansare bolt drivenoff a dissipatedby the coolingsystam.
crankshaftpulley.
Coolantckculatesthroughpassagesin th6 engine
. Oil Coolers- Oil coolerslunctionto maintainthe calledwat6r or coolantjackets. The coolantabsorbs
corrcct tempetatureof engine,transmissionand heat from the hot enginosurfacesand carriesit to the
hydraulicoil. Therear€ two basictypes: oil to radiatorwh€r€it transfersto the atmosphere,
coolantand oil to air. The coolingsystemalso h€lps maintainthe correct
Oil to coolantcoolersare used most often for temp€ratureof engine,transmissionand hydrauticoil
coolingengineand transmissionoil. Oil ftows throughth6 use of oil coolers. Now let's look in more
throughtub€s whil€coolantftowsaroundth6 lub€s detailat how coolantflows throughthe engine.
pickingup heat and lowedngthe oil temperature.
 DiagnosingCoolingSYstem
Problems
which causes the most engine failures problems with
the cooling system or the lubrication system? Initially
most people say th€ lubricalion system' however the
correcl answer is the coolng system A cooling
system that tuns too colcl causos rYlarginallubrication
Vt rl'2 1 because the low tomperature prev€nts the oil from
warming up so that it can flow and coat parts
adequately. A cooling system that runs too hot also
causes marginal lubrication b€cause the high
temoeraiures breal down th€ oil properlies so that
oaris are nol orotected correclly. Both cases of
marginal lubrication can be traced back to cooling
1 . Coolant llow is iniliated by the water pump that syst6m proolems
starts and continues pumping as soon as the
engineis slarted.
2 . Coolant circulates through the engjne oil cooler to
cool the engine oil.
3 . From lhe oil cooler' coolant travels into the J.r
engine block and around the hot cylinder linefs
pickingup heat and coolingengineparts
Then it travels through intricate passages in the
cylinderhead(s) pickingup more heat aroundthe
criticalvalve areas.
5. From the cylindorhead(s) the coolantgoes to the
thermostat and on to the radiator for cooling li
tne engine rs cold the thermostatwill remain OII al norhal op€ratingtemPsratureon the lelt' thlck
viscousoll at low t6mperatu16 on ih6 rlght'
closed and will recirculate the coolant through the
enginebypassingthe radiator. Cooling and lubrication are closely related oecause
tempeiature greatly affects lhe oil's ability to lubricate
and protect Parts Properly
Generally,e4ginesare designedlo operale between
190"-21ooF(88'-99'C) - and they will not operate
well. or livo up to thoir exp€cted life, il continuallyrun
either colder or hotter than this. lf the engine runs
hotter (overheating), or iJ it continually operates oelow
liris temperalure (overcooling), the result is the same
- excessivo engine woar and damage Let s oxamlne
overheating and overcooling and the indicators or
warning signs o{ these Problems

Engines with turbocharg€rs and aflelcoolers circulate

oaitiallton,ot coolantfiom th€ water pump oirectlylo
ihe aftercoOrer.Here the Coolanlis used tO lower th€
air temperature so that more air can be packed in lhe
cv,inde., This allowsmore f,lel to be burned a"d
c:eates highereng:nehorsepoweroutpul ln addlron'
some machineshave torque converterand
transmissionoil coolerswhich are also cooled by
enginecoolant.

8
Overheating
Overheatingis by far lhe most w€ll-known cooling
system problem. lf l6ft unresolved it will almost
always cause quack, catastrophic engine failure,
somgtimes in a matter of minutos.
Thls lllustrat€s rh. hea! bulld-up lgadlng ro a sotzur€
condlllon. Nole how h6ar afl€cis all parts torrnlnq th6
combusllon chamber, Includlng th6 valvos, luel nozzlo
and cyllnd€rhoad.
Without proper cooling, temperatures inside an 6ngine
will soar, - €sp€cially around th€ combustion chamber
whereextremehot spots can dev€lop, Ovarh€ating
causesparts to expandcausingmore friction,and
thus more heat. Temp€raturescontinu€to increase
untillhe parts cannotmove and will ultimatelysoize.
For example,a pistonwill expandcausingthe
clearancebetwoonit and the cylinderliner to
decreaseto the point that the Distonseiz€sin tho
liner, Often in this cas6, the pistonis pulledapan
from the connectingrod and pistonpin allowingthe
rod to breakthroughthe lin€r and go throughthe side
of the engineblock. Catastrophicfailur€- and
withoutpropercoolingit takes only a shon tim€ for
such a failur€to occur,
Overheating also caus€sa br€akdownof the oil which
is the main safeouardaoainstwear. As lsmperatures
increase,th6 oil thins out, destroyingits lubricating
qualities. In this thinnedout state the oil doesn't have
the strengthlo supportth€ parts adequately. lt
doesn't providoa barrierbetwaanmovingsurfacos.
The resultis metal-to-metalcontactand excessive
Indicatorsot Overheating
o S.OrS - high wear metals & oxidation
. High readingon temperaturegauge
. Crackedcylinder head
. Turbochargertailures
. High temperaturelabel readings
Ov€rh€ating oft€n causesexcessiveor prsmaturering
and liner wear, pistonscuffing,and bearingscuffing.
Extremeoverheatingcan also cause the cylinderhead
to crack.
It's importantto note h6re how ovarheatingcan aflect
the entire6ngine. Take for examplea customerwho
had a crack€dcylinderhead due to overheating,
roplacedit and then had a pistonseizurea shon ms
later, The knownproblemwas the c€cked cylinder
head, lt was €asy to diagnose, But unknownto the
customerwas the additionalDroblemof scuff6d
pistons. Whenth€ enginetemperatureincreasedthe
pistonsexpanded,and the oil lhinnedout, causing
scutfing. The sculfingcausodincreas€dfrictionwhich
eventuallycausedone of the pistonsto s€izo. Both
problems,the cGcked h€ad and scuffedpistons,
occurrodat th€ same time, but only ono, the cracked
cylinderhead, was diagnosed. Tho point is to thinkof
all the consoquoncesof an overheatingproblem,
beyondthe most obvious.
S.O.S roportson €ngin€swith ov€rheatinglypically
showelevatedconcentrations of w€ar metals,with no
substantialincroasein dirt (silicon). kon (cylinder
liners),chrome (pistonrings) and lead (bearing
overlay)readingsmay incleasodue to the eflects of
marginallubricationfrom ov6rh6ating. In addition,
since heat acts as a catalystto the oxidationprocess,
infraredtest r€sultsmay show elevatedoxidation
reaotngs,

Overcooling
Overcooling is less lndorstood than overheating' but
the results can be just as damaqing. Both causo
on l6fl
shaPodplstonat amblonll6mp€rature
Elliptlcally
Ths sah€ plslon at normaloporailnqtomPeraruroon
rlght.
Overcooling prevents the oil and parts kom getting to
the correct temperature. This is especially prevalent
during engine start-up and in low ambient temperature
aoolications, In these situations the oil is cold and
thick and doesn't flow correctly or quickly enough'
resulling in marginal lubrication Also' when pans
don't reach the correct operating temp6ralur€ they
don't sgat together properly - causing wear' Pistons
are a goocl example lf overcooling occurs. pistons
don't expand to lit correctly" in tho cylindor' ln elf€ct
you have an " out-of -round lelliptically-shapod)
piston moving up and down in a round cylinder liner'
The result is €xcessive wear around the piston skirl'
Indicatorsot Overcooling
. Not enough heat in the cab
o S.O.S - high wear metals, no oxidation
. Low readingon temperaturegauge
. Sculfed bearingsor Pistons
lnstead of immediate engine failuro, which is common
with overheating, overcooling causes woar that
orooresses over a longer time. It an engino will
norirally run SOOOhours to overhaul in an application'
with overcooling il will typtcally run only 6000 hours
Overcooling is harder to detect, but S'O'S is still the
best indicator. The S.O.S results will be similar to
overheating. However' since there is no excessive
10
heat, there will be no increased oxidation as occLlrs
during ovorheating conditions ln addition to
encouraging enrollment in S.O.S, check lhe following
points to help insure the cooling system is operating
CoolingSystemChecks
o
I
\:
Thermostals- Whenthe engineis cold the
thermostatassiststhe enginein lvarming-upand
reachingcorrect operatingtemperaturequickly You
can't tell by lookingat the thermostatif it's working
correctly,how€verthere are some indicatorsthat will
tell vou if it isnt workingcorrectly. In cold climates'il
a thirmostat is stuck open it will tako an €xcessiv€ly
long time for the engineto warm-up and littla or no
heat will be availableto heat th6 cab. lf the
thermostatis stuck closedthe enginewill overheat ln
this case the enginewill be very hot whileths radiato
hos€s and tubes are cool, indicatingthe coolantis not
goingthroughthe radiator. lt is importantto remrno
ownorsand oporatorsto neveroperatea Cat enoine
or machinewithouta thermostat- overheatingcan
result.
CoolantTemp€ratur€Gsugo - lf you suspecia taulty
gaugo,you can place a few temperaturelabslson th€
engineand aadiatorto get an approxamate
te-p.ratrrt reading. ll you still susped a problam
the servicedepartmentcan use a Thermistor
Thermometertor a more accuratereadingand for
turtherinvestigatron
Emohasizewith customersthe importanceof using
cori""t st"n-rp procedu@s. Remindthgm to not
start ope6ting untilthe onginehas reachedthe
corrgct temperature,indicatedby th€ coolant
temperaturegaugepointingin the gre9n area Also
warn them if the gaugepointsin the red area'
indicatjngoverheating,the machineshouldb€ shut
down or the loadsreducedimmediatelyso tho
problemcan be inv€stigated.
Radiato.& F n - The radiator,fan and th6
surroundingar6a must be free of debds for adeouate
coollng. Cleaningmust be performedas often 6s
need6d. This might be monthty,w€ekty,nighrtyor
even €very f6w hours, such as in some landfillor
forestryapplications.Also rememb€rthat tooseor
brokonfan bladesand belts will reduce coolingsystem
efficiency.
Reversiblefans are fr6quentlyused on machines
workinoin landfilland oth6r applicationswheredebris
can hind€rcoolingefficioncy. Reversiblefan btad€s
can be turned 1800to eith€rblow air from the engino
or to suck it throughthe radiator. tt is importantthat
machineswith roversiblefans followthe Cat
r€commendalions outlinedin the machinelaterature,
otherwiseoverheatingcan result. Coolanl or oll drlpplnq lrom !h€ wo6F hot€ on th€ std6 of
lho wat€r DumD lndlcate. w6ar.
Waler Pump - Th€ major indicatorof water pump
(coolantpump) wear is coolantor oil drippingkom
the weep hole on th€ side of the Oump. This
indicatesth6 pump seal is wearingand meansthe
pump will need replacementsoon,
Note, slightdrainingof coolantor oil from the weep
hole is normal, A l€akyor worn pump seal can be
identifiodil th€re is continuousflow or measurable
coolantloss every day.

RadialorCap S€El- The rubborseal in the radiator

cap must b€ in good conditjonfor correct s€alingand
pressurizingof the coolinosystem. lf there are
cracks in the s6al or signsaroundthe radiatorfilt ar6a
indicatingthe coolanthas boilodov6r, th€ seal
probablyneedsr€plac€ment.
Cat coolingsystemsgenerallyoperateunder8-16 psi
(55-110kPa)pressure.Thisraisosthe boilingpoint
of the coolant. lf th€re ls inadequatesyst€m
pr6ssur.6,thg coolantwill boil ov€r and the onginewill
ovorneat,

Coolanl- Coolantis the mixtur€of water, antifrseze

(glycol)and coolantconditioner(inhibitor). Cat
Antifreez€protectsagainstboil-overs,heezingand
corrosion. lt's significantto note that antifreezeis
ne6dednot only in cold weather,but warm climates
as well. In warm weather,glycol (antifreeze)is
ne€d6dtoi rais6the boilingpoint, pr€ventboil-overs
and overheating,to keep scale depositsto a
mlntmum.
Caterpillarrecommendsmaintainingthe glycol
concentrationin coolantb€tween30-60%,depending
on th6 aoolication.
 that Encourage customers to maintain their coolanf
Cat Coolant Conditioner (inhibitor) is the additive
erosion ol parts' accoroirig to the rocomm€nded procedures in the
orevgnts corrosion and cavitation
Lutlrication and Mainlonance Guide Also' encourage
baterpillar recommends maintaininga 3-6"/0
the use of Cat Antifreeze and Cat Coolant Conditioner'
concentration of conditioner' regardless oi tne
Both products are formulated to caterpillar
antilreere concentration A note here is that Cat lor Cat
lt ls "p""'i'c"tion" to provide lhe best proteclion
Antitreeze already contains coolant conditionor' so
additional conditioner (inhibitor) eouromen(.
flOi n"""""u,u t; add
on ini,iuttitt o{ the cooling systom with Cat Antikeeze'
However, the conditioner concentration should be
checked regularly and mainlained at the
i".ommenoiO concentration. Gonerallyit is only
necessary to add inhibitor at each engine lubrication
service intervat {250 or 5OOservice meler hours)
much
Be
W]
l | |
w
sure rhe concentration is between 3-6%' too | | | |
corrosion inhibitor will form insoluble salts which cause

Belts and Pulleys - The fan is belt driven off the

crankshaft as are some water pumps cat
recomm€nds about 1" (25 mm) play in the belts
ano
Belts should be checked daily for proper tension
position ot
sions ol cracking and wear. The correct
tits in tne pullev grooves should be as illustrated'
"ride" above the pulley grooves
The belts should

System
ll. Lubrication
mai,1
The engine lubricating syslem has three
lunctions: to clean' cool, and lubricate parts'

EngineOil
1. Cleans
2. Cools
3. Lubricates

. Cleaning: Oil cleans parts by carrying away

durrng
darnaging motal particles that materialize
as thrs normal engino operation Oil also cloans the
Cavtarioneroslonwlll plt and corrode Paris such (bottom) lacqLre
J.*"-u,"it" .n"-0..r (top) and cvrinder llner cylinder walls and carries away carbon ano
deposits produced during combust!on'
wtthoLt lhe needed condil'oner.severecavitalion part
erosion will pit and corrode the outer cylinder
liner . Cooling: The second function oJ oil is to cool
the block next to tne llners' by absorbinq and carrying hoat away
surfaces and surfaces o{
lf not stopped rt can
Erosjon can be very damaging . Lubricating: Thkdly' oil forms a thin film or layer
,hrough the liner or cylind€r block
iiog|.;"" "o.pr"*V between the surlaces of moving
parts to suppon
and separate them This prcvents metal-to-metal
contact that causes excessiv€ wear'

12
The components of the lubrication system includ€ the
following.
otl
By-pass valv€ Dlpstlck
. Oil Pump - The oil pump operateswheneverthe
engineis turningto providecontinuouscirculationof
oil throughthe engine.
. Oil Cooler - Coolant circulates through the oil
coolor providing a heat transfer, fiom the oil to the
coolant. This lowers the oil tomperature and
protects the oil prop€rties.
. Oil Filter - Th€ oil filter cleans the oil by collecting
.aetal particles and other debris that can damage
engineparts,
. Oil Level GEuge (dipstick) - The dipstick provides
a method to check the amountof oil in the engino.
. Oil Pressure Gauge - The oil pressure gauge
indicates the pressure in the 6ngine lubrication
system during engin6 operation,
. Oil Pan - The oil pan (sump) bolts to the boltom of
the engine and is the reservoir for the engine oil.
. Oil Fill Pipe - This is where oil is poured into the
engine.
Howthe Lubrication
System
Works
1. Oil travelsfrom the oil pan (sump), at the bottom
of the engine, up throughthe oil pump and
2. th6n to the oil cooler. Here the oil is cooled by
enginecoolant,
3. Then the oil goes through the oil filter(s) where
debris and contaminants are removed,
4. Clean oil then mov€s into th6 oil manilold where it
goes in two directionsi
A. into the engine to lubricate components,
such as th6 bearings, g6ars, pistons, lin6rs,
valves,6tc.
B. and a smallerflow directlyto the turbocharger.
The oil then returns to the engine oil sump (pan) to
start the cycle again. A bypass valve in the filter
base allows unfiltered oil to by-pass a plugged filter
so the engine will always hav6 some oil. When the oil
is cold an oil cooler bypass valve bypassos oil around
the oll cooler during start-up.
 SYstem
Lubrication
Diagnosing
Problems
Thereare two major Ubricationsystemproblemsthat
can cause excessiv€enginewear: inadequate
lubricationand contaminantsin the oil.
Lubrication
lnadequate
Inadequatelubrication,or marginallubrication'can
developfrofi a numborof causos. The most
common, and the easiestto coriect, is cold engine
sta.ts. Whenth€ enginsis cold, the oil is thick and
doesn'tflowwell. lf enginespeedor loadis
increasedbefore the oil is warmed-upmarginal
lubricationwill occur. In effect, the parts will be
operatjngwithoutadequat€oil. Followingthe
recommendedstart-Llpprocedureswill eliminatethis
problemand help assurelong enginelife. Notethat in
extremelylow ambienttemperaturesauxjliaryoil
heatersmay be required.
Lackof LubeIndicators
. Low oil pressure
. Scuffedbearings
other calses of inadequatelubricationinclucle:
wrong Viscosityof Oil
lf the oil is too thin, it will not coat the parts
adequately; and if ('s too viscous, or thick, it will not
flow correctly. In either case, the oil is not providing
adeouate protect|on.
Not EnoughOil
ll ther€ isn't enoughoil in the engine' there of course'
will b€ inadequateprot€ctionbetwsenmovingparts.
Tho resultwill be almostimmediateenginedamage
Notoalso that even op€ratingwith a low oil level
causesproblems. lt allowsair into the system'
loweringthe lubricationsystempressurc,whichin turn
preventssufficiontlubricationto some parts-
Overcooling
Whenan engioeruns too cold it do€sn't get hot
enoughto boil off water producedduringcombustion
The waterthen mixeswith oth€r combustion
by-productsformingacids. The acidsdamageoil
propertiescausinginadoquatelubricationand
excessivewear.
In The Oil
Contaminants
The secondtyp€ of lubricationsystemproblemis
contaminatedoil. The leadingcause is €xonded oil
changep6riods. when oil changesaro pushed
beyondtho recommendedporiodthere is a
br€akdownof the oil itself and it losesits abilityto
suspendcontaminants,som€thingsimilarlo a
contaminantoverload. Whonthis happens,
contaminantsembod themselv€sin bearingsurlac€s
and other movingparts causingdamageand wear'
lndicatorsot Contaminated Oil
. S.O.s - high metalsor silicon
. Contaminants In usedoil lilters
. Scratchedbearlngs,pistonsor rings
. Milkycoloredoil (wateror antifreEze)
Dirt and metal particlesare the most common
contaminants,but soot, water, and antifreezealso
contaminatethe oil causing€xcessiveengineweal.
Note: Contaminated oil is the singl€larg€stcause or
enginecrankshaftbearingtailur€ B€tween70% and
80% of 6ll crankshaftbearingfailuresare causedby
contaminatedoil.
Boarlngs on lstt ar6 damag€d from d6brls and fallguoi
onos on rlghl show normal woar'
By far, bgaringsare the most sensitiveenginepartsto
oil relatedprobloms,esp€ciallyturbochargerboarings.
lf a lubricationproblgmexists,the first sign will be
worn turbochargerbearings. Maindnd rod b€arings
are the next most suscaptibleparts. But because
they are thicker,they can often surviv€marginal
lubricationlongerthan the thinnor,faster moving
turbocharg€rbearinos. The point to rem€mberis; if
boaringwear is a problem,th€ caus€ will normallybe
found in the lubricationsyst€m.

14
 Beloreleavingthe discussionon contaminatedoil
here's ong importantm6ssag6that needsto b€
discussedwith ev6ry equipmentowner. One of the
b€sl ways to ext€ndenginelile is to simplychangeoil
and filtors accordinOto recommendedschedlles.
Also to inspectfilters regularly. Thesesimple
I procedurescannot b€ overstressed.
I example,Irom 50 to 45 psi (345to 310 kPa). When
Oil Filters
I It's a good practicefor ownersand operatorsto cut
open usad oil filters and examinethe tilter paper and
oil for m6tal particlas.
:t t
Cunl.g op6h oll tlltors ls rh6 bost vlsualch6ck for
cleloctlng Intsrnal on9ln€ w€ar,
Otherthan S.O.S, this is the best methodfor
dotectinginternal6ngin6wear. h's a practic€that
shouldbe a regularpart of th€ oil and filter change
procodure.
SeOoS
We've akeadydiscussedS.O.S as a indicatorfor
siOnaling acceleratedenginewoar. lt shouldalso be
notedthat it monitorsthe conditionof the oil. S.O.S
indicatosif tho oil is contaminatedor if the orogenies
of tho oil are breakingdown.
I
I
Hereare some other ar€asthat can warn of
lubricationsyst€mprcbl€ms,
Low Oll Pressure
lf an oil filter plugs, a bypassvalv€will open and allow
unfilter€doii to lh€ engine. The operatormay notice
a slightreductionof plessureon the gauge, for
the filtor is r€placed,the pressurewill go back up to
the previouslevel. Extremolow oil pressuremay
indicatea dangerousproblempossiblycausedby an
insufficientamountof oil, a malfunctioning oil pressur€
reliefvalv6, or worn oil pump gears,
Cat Filters and Fluids
Caterpillar Filters and Fluids ar€ speci{ically designed
to provid€ Cat €ngin€s and equipment the best
protection aoainst excessiv€ and costly w6ar.
Cat Filtersare manufacturedto meet exactino
requirementsof each enginemodel. Th6se
specificationshelp preventthe filter from pluggjng
prematurely,.uptu ng or passingdamaginodebris.
Cat DieselEngin€Oil is specificallyformulatedto
reduc€depositsand providethe b6st wear protection
for Cat dieselengines. Cdt EnginoOil also provides
oxcellentprotectionand is recomm€ndedfor mixed
fleets or other brandsof onginos.
lll. FuelSystem
h is the function of the fuet injoction pumps and injectors 10 supply fuel into €ach cylinder in tho correct amount
and at the right time ior efficient combustion. The components of th€ fuel system include tho following'

prrmrng Sscondarv
ru6t lthor

DireclInjoctlonEnsin€
. Fuel Tank - The tank is the reservoir for holding . Fuel Fillers - Fuel passeslirst througha primary,
tuet, then a secondaryfuel filter. lt's criticalto have
cl€an fuel for these high pressurspumps Someo
. Fuel Trsnsler Pump - The transter pump marntarns
the clearancesbetw€enparts are as smallas a tew
a constant flow of low-pressure fuel kom lhB fuel
millionthsof an inchand evonthe smallestdebris
tank 10 the enginefuel system. Not6, th€ transfer
can causedamage,
pump is diflerentJrom the tuel injectionpumps.
. Water S€parator- Waterseparatorsare usedlo
. Fuel lnj€ction Housing All engines,except those
protectagainstrust causedby water-contarnlnate
with unit injectors, have a Iuel iniection housing that
fuel. All 3208 engin€shave water separators Note
holds the individualfuel injection pumps (one per
they are not standardequipmenton all engin€sand
cylinder).
shouldb€ used on any enginewh€re
. Fuel lnj€ction Pumps - There is one fuel injection water contaminatedfuel is a problem
pump for each cylindor. Unliketho fu€l tlansfor
. Fuel Pr6ssureGaug6- This gauge readsthe
pump which is low pressure,the fuel injection
pressureg€neratedby the luel lransferpump down
pumps operate at high pressure, Injection
streamlrom the tilters. It a filter becomesplugge
pressurescan run kom 2,800 to 20,000psi (19,290
a pressurereductionwill show up on the gauge.
to 137,800kPa). Each pump rnetersthe correct
amountof fuel and pumps it, at a high pressure, . Fuel Lin6s - Fuel linesare most commonlydefine
through metal lines to each luel injector. as thoso from the fuel injectionpump housingto th
iniectors. On orecombustionand direct injection
. Unit Injeclors - The unit injector combines a fuel
€nginesthe fuel linescarry high pressureluel
injection pump and a fuel injector into one
Sinceunit injectorshave the injectionpumpsbuilt
assembly. Unit injectorseliminatohigh pressure
into the inioctorassgmbly,they do not have high
fuel lines between the pump and injoctor allowing pressurelrnes,
for higherfuel injoctionpressures.

16
Howthe FuelSystem
Works
There are tvrc methods of detivering fuel into the
combustion chamber; the first is precombustion,
where fuel b€gins ignitionin a precombustionchamber
before going into the cylind6r;and the second is
direct injection, in which the fuel is injected direc y
into the cvlinder for combustion.
It is also important to understand unit fuel injectors
which are used on many of the latest model Cat
engines. lJnit injectors use a direct injection method
of fuel dehvery but they are dif,erent lrom engines
D l r € c t l n l e c t r o nE n g l n e
Precombustion
with traditional precombustion and dkect iniection
systems,
The fuel travels through all Cat Engines in basicatlythe
same way, up until the point of fuel injection. (1) Fu6l
goes from th6 tank, (2) through a water separator,
(3) through a primary fuel filter, and (4) into the luel
transfer pump. (The primary filt€r can be before or
afler the transfer pump). From the transfor pump luel
(5) goes to a secondary lilt6r, and then either (6) to
a tuel injecdon pump (precombustion and direct
injection) or to a unit fuel injector.
The precombustionchamber (PC) systemis found
primarilyon older model engines. Fuel is putledfrom
the tank by the fuel transferpump and pumped
throughthe primaryand secondaryfuel filtersto the
fuel injectionpump hous;ngwherethe individualfuel
pufips are locatgd (one per cylindor). The luel
injgctionpumpsforce fuel throughhigh pressurefuel
linesto the fuel nozzlesmountedin lhe cylind€rhead.
A precisiondrilledholo in the end of each nozzle
atomizestuel as it entersth€ precombustionchamber.
As the fu6l beginsto ignite,the heat of combustion
torces the remainingfuel and air mixtur€throughan
orifice in tho precombustionchamberinto the cylinder.
Glowplugsar€ mountedin the PC chamberhousings
to warm the air and assistin startingPC engines, lt's
easyto idontifyPC enginesbecauseof ths etectrical
glow plug wires runningto each precombustion
chamberin the cylinderhead. And, you can easily
tell pistonson PC enginesby the steel heat plug
mountedin the center on 6ach piston.
17
DirectIniection Manyol the latest mod6l Cat engin€s,includingthe
35006nd 1.1 LiterEnginesuse unitfu€l iniectors.
Each unit injectorhas a high pressureinjectionpump
and injectornozzlebuilt-in 6ach unit assembly. Ther
is one unit injoctorfor each cylinder.They are
mountedin th6 cylinderh€ad. Low pressurofuel is
deliveredfrom the fuel transfergump to aach unit
injoctor,then throughthe injectorassemblydirectly
into the cylinder. A rockerarm assembly,similarto
that usod to operatethe enginovalv€s,operatoslhe
fuel injectionpumps. By eliminatingthe fuel lines,the
injoctorpresssrescan be increasedresultingin more
efficiantatomizationand combustaon.

FuelSystem
Diagnosing
Problems
Underfueling
Und€rfueling occurs whenthero is not snoughfuel to
meet the power demandson the engin6. lt doesn't
normallycause enginedamagebut will cause a lack
of pow6r. Most often the cause is a pluggedfuel
On direct injection (Dl) enoines fu€l travels from the filter,and th€ remedyis to simplychangethe lilter.
tank through th€ filters, pump, and lines to the injeclor
housing the same as on precombustion engrnes.
However, inst€ad of pre-ioniting the fu€|, direct Indicatorsot Underfueling
injection engines inject frlel directly into the cylinder'
You can tell pistonson Dl enginesbecausethe lop of
. Low power
the piston crown has a conical crater design and no . Lowfuel pressure(pluggedfilter)
steel heat plug.

UnitInjectors
CorrectFuel
The typ€ of diesgl fuel as well as th€ maintenanco of
the luel is important to the performance and life ol ar
6n9ine, First, the fuel must be clean _ fr66 of waler
and contaminants, and second it must be the corroct
type for the application,

lndicatorsof Incorrect Fuel

. Difficult starting
. Enginecutting out

In low ambienttemperatures,liohterfuels, liko dies€l

fuel numbor1, are us€d to gr€ventproblemsof fuel
jelling (a situationwh€rethe fuel coagulates
preventingsufficientflow).

18
In ar6asoutsideNorthAmerica,it's importantth6t
ownersmatch the TBNnumber (TotalBaseNumber)
ol the engineoit to the sutfurcontentof th€ fu€|.
NormallyTBNadditivesin th6 engineoil neutlalizefu6l
sulfurby-productswhich rosultfrom combustion,
How€ver,if ths concentrationof sulfur in the fuol is
too high, or the oil TBNtoo low, sutfuricacid will
dev€lop. This can cause corrosionand 6xc6ssive
wear of pistonrings, b€arings,and liners. To countor
such problemscustomerscan changeto a higherTBN
oil or shonen the oil chanoeintervals. Note:
recommendshorteningth€ oil changeintervalsonly
after thoroughdiscussiohwith ths appropriate
Catergillaroersonnel.
Overfuellng
burningstrcam of fuel, much like a cltting torch. The
temp€raturesget so high and th€ burningis so
concentratodthat it can actuallyclt into the piston.
In addition,som€ ol the unburnedfuel runs downthe
lin€rwalls. This washosoff the protectiveoil,
rcducinglubricationand acc€leratingdng and liner
wear and pistonscuffing.
Whenfuel is not atomizedcorrectly,the combustion
proc€sslakes longerthan normal,leavingunburned
fuel in the cylinder. Again,the problemof fu6l
runningdownthe liner wallsoccurs. This is typicallya
fuel systemproblomand shouldbe handledby the
servic€depanm€nt, The leadjngindicatorsare;
excessivoblacksmoke, a lack of power,and fuel
contamination of th€ engineoil,

Overfuelingoccurswh€n too much fuet is injoctedinto

lhe cylind€r. Excossivebtackexhaustsmok6 is the
loadingwarningsign. Therearg many causes,such
as a high fuel rack setting,misadjustgdaklfu€l ratio
controlor faultyfuel injector. All involv€the fuel
systemand must be handledby appropriate
dealorships6rvic6oersonnol.
Indicatorsof Overfuelingor Incorrect
Atomization
lV. Air Intake& Exhaust
System
The ak intakesystemsuppliesclean ak for enoino
combustion. Ths exhaustsystemtakes awayexhaust
gasesand h6at, and driv€sthe turbocharger. The
componentsthat mak6 up the air intakeand exhaust
systemincludethe following.

. Black smoke
. Increasedtuel consumption
. S.O.S showingtuel In the oil

Plstontallur. du6 to Incorr.cttuot InJ6crton

Wheninconoct atomizationor fuol injectionoccurs,
fuel is Injectedinto thg cylind€rin a stream inst€adof
in an atomizedstato, This happonsif an injsctoris
pluggedor has a brok€ntip. Instoadot a smooth,
completebuhing of th€ fu€I, the liquidignitesinto a
19
 Pr€cleanel- The pr€cleanerremoveslarge
paniclesof dirt and debris.
Howthe Air IntakeandExhau
I Air Filters - Usually there are two air filters' a
SystemWorks
primary and secondary lilter. They collect
contaminants and prevent dirt from entenng tn€
6ngine.
r Air Filter Service Indicator - The indicator monitors
restriction through the air filters. lt is the most
accurate method for determining when to change
air filtors, Every engineshouldhave ona An
interesting tact is that changing filters too olten can
actually do more harm than good - because dirt
can so easily enter the engine during a lilier
change. This mak€s lhe indicator a very useful and
importantmaintenancetool
a Turbochatger - Exhaust gases drivB the
turbocharger which pumps additional air into lhe
engineallowingmore fuel to be bLlrned'thereby
increasing the horsepower output
. Aflercooler - The aftercooler cools the air aiter it
leaves the turbocharger but before it enters the
engine, This increases lhe air density' so more alr
can bo packed into each cylinder.
. Air Intak€& ExhEuslManifold6- The air intakeand 1 . Air first entersthe systemvia the precleaner'
exhaLrstmanifoldsconnectdk€ctlyto the cylinder H€re large dirt particlesare removed
nead(s), Theintakemanrlold cleanair
dislributes
intoeachcylinder' 2 . Then air movesthroughthe primaryand
irom the air tilteror turbochargor secondaryair filterslor further cleanrng'
whilethe exhaust manitoldcollectsexhaustgas€s
them to the On turbochargedongin€sths spinningo{ the
lrom each cylinderand dkects turbochargercomprgssorwheelpulls air Into tne
turbocharger and/orto the muffler. turbocharger.
. Mulfler - The mufller reducesthe soundlevel and 3 . The complessorwheelcompressesthe air (whi
providessufticientback pressureto the engine,so also heats it) and s€nds it to tho aftercoolor'
th6 enqins"broathes'asdesignad. The aftercoolerreducesthe air temperature
makingit more denseso more air can b€ pack
into the cylind€rs
4. Tho densecompressodair mov€strom the
aitercoolerthroughthe air intakemanitoldand
cylinderhead(s)
5. past the intakevalv€sinto €ach cylinder
combustlonchamber. As the intakevalvesclo
and thg pistonmovesup in the cylinderthe air
comoressgdturther. when lhe pistonis near I
roo of its stroke, fuel is injectedinto the
combustionchamber, The fuel mixeswith the
hot, compressedair and ignites The force of
the combustionpushesthe plstondown on the

6. Wh€nth€ pistonmoves up againit is on tho

exhauststrok€. The €xhaustvalvesopen allow
exhaustgasesout throughthe oxhaustmanifo
20
T h e c o m b u s r l o nc y c l €

On engineswithoutturbochargersair movesdir€ctly
from the precleanerand air cleanerthroughthe intake
manifoldinto the cyljnd€rs. After the combustion
cycle, exhaustgases exit throughth€ exhaustmanifold
and muffler.

Diagnosing
Air Intake&
ExhaustProblems
The two major problems associated with the air intake
and exhaust syst€m that can affect engine
performanc€ and life ar6: not enough air and dirty air.

Not EnoughAir
E x h a u F tg a
lndicatorsot Lack of Air
. Black smoke
Turbocharger
operation . Low power
Exhaustgasesflow throughthe €xhaustmanifoldinto . Hard starting
the turbineside of the turbochargerto drive the
turblnewheel. The turbinewheelis connect€dby a
shaftto lhe compressorwheel, The compressor
wheelpullsair into the system. Exhaustgases aft€r
drivingthe turbinewheel pass out throughthe muffler
and oxhauststack.

2l
-

Wh6nair tilt€rs becom€ pluggodor there is a Anythingthat inhibitsor restrictsair coming into tho
restrictionin ths system,tho engineis staNed for ak. engin€,throllghthe air filt€r, turbochargeror
The enginecan not efficiontlyor completelyburn the aftorcoolor,or going out, throughthe exhaustsystem
fuel. Most often this problomis diagnosedby an will affect eltici6ntcombustion. As noted betor6' the
operatorwho complainsof excessiveblack smokeor l€adingindicatorsar€ black smoko, which indicates
a loss of power- before actlal €nginedamage unburnedfuel (du6 to not €noughintakeair) and a
occurs, loss of power.
Tho most commoncausesof air rostrictioninclud6the
followin9. Dirtyair
PluggodAir Flli€rs - Dirty, plugg€dair lilters are the
most ovorlookedand yet the primarycaus€ ol air
restriction. Th€ first item that shouldbe ch€ckedil Indicatotsof DirtyAir
ther€ is blacksmoke or a lack of powercomplaintis . Highoil consumption
th6 ak filter. Rem€mberair filter serviceindicators
are the most accurateway to knowwhen to cnange . Worn:
the air filters. They shouldbe recommendedlor all Rings
€noines,if not alreadyequipped.
Liners
Bearings
Turbocharger Pans

Dkt in an enginecauseswear' As little as one

teaspoonof din can cause severedamageand
possiblyshut the enginedown. Commonproblems
that can allowdirt in an engineincludea split or sma
pin-holein a hose, a loose hose or pipe connection
or a to.n air lilter.
Dirt that ontersthe enginecollectson the oily cylind
Tho ak fllt€r sorulc6 Indlc.tor lin€r walls. As th€ pistonrings movo r'lpand down
alongth€ wallsthe dirt causesfine wear, much likg
sand oap€r, on the pislon ring grooves,ringsand
M6lfunctioningTurbochsrger - ll turbocharger
cylinderliner surfaces.
bearingsor sealswear to the point that turbocharger
speed is reducedor if the bladescontactthe housing S.O.S is the b€st indicatorof dirt entry Belorew€a
thers will be insufficientair going to th€ cylindersfor of the ringsand linerswill cause blowbyand increas
comol€tecombustion. oil consumptionS.O.S will warn ol an increasein
siliconlevels- alortingthe ownerto a problem.
PluggedAft€rcool€r- Any restrictionin ihe
aftercoolerwill docreasothe amountof air into the
cylindors,
ExhaustBestrlction- A restrictionin the exhaustwill
slowtho turbochargersince it is drivenby exhaust
oasos. This will reduc€the amountof intakeair going
into th6 cylindersand calse a loss of powor. Exhaust
rcstrictionscan be causedby customizedexhaust
systemsthal are incorrecttymatchedto the engin6'
damagedmufflersand pipes and other items that
restrictair flow.
OilConsumption
andBlowby

t, ,iii

Corroct rlng and llner contact Woar rnd Incr6asod oll consumDtlon

N o r m a l € n g l n e o p € r a t l o no n l h e l e l t , r l n g a h d l l n o r w 6 a r c a u s l n s I n c r e a E e do l l c o n s u m p ! l o no n i h 6 r l g h t .

Here is a good plac6 to explainoil consumptionand Blowbyoccurswhen combustiongsses travel past th6
blowby. Oil consumplionoccurswhen lubricatingoil ringsand/or valvesand valv6 guidestrom the
on the cylinderliner wallsis allowodpast the piston combustionchamborinto the crankcase. This allows
rings into the combustionchamberor when oil passes carbon,soot and othsr contaminantsto mix with the
antothe combustionchamberdue to excessive oil increasingenginewear.
clearancebetweenthe valvesand *tt q'l::-:--
-,- d, other causes
---- of
- increased
- - oir consumptionand browby
Normallythe ringscontrolthe amountand thickness
n"frOa
the oil on the liner wall, but if wom, the increased
clearancebetweenthe ring and linsr allowsexc6ssiv6 a worn tulbochargelbearingsand s€als
amountsof oil in the combustionchamber,.Th€ oil a worn crankshaftseals
then burnsalongwith the fuel. As the engine
oporates,additionalamountsof oil are consumed . worn oil-lubricatedgovornorseals
creatingth6 need to continuallyadd oil to the engine. . oil l€akinginto the ,!el or coolingsystems

23
O consumbtton occors on rho lhtak6 s[oko as too much oll ls l6il on lho cyllnd6r llner wh€n tho plston hovo3
downward, Blowby occurs on th€ compresslon and powor slroko as aas€s pass b6tw66n worn rlngs and llnerc'

Th6 terms oil consumptionand blowbyare otten used

interchangeably.To assistin diagnosingengine
V. ElectricalSystem
problems,blowbyis a more specificterm and is
easierto measurelhan increasedoil consumption.
Blowbycan be checkedby measuringcranKcase Batt€ry Plug
pressurewith a pressuregaugeor by chockingblowby
volumewith a blowbymeter. Oil conslmptionis
harderto measlrrosince it dependson good
consistentmaintenancerocords- somethang many
customersdon't have. Also blowbycan be moasured
at any time. wheroasoil consumptionhas to be
measuredover sev€raldays or weeks, The important
pointis oil consumptionand blowbyboth r€sultfrom
€nginewear, and the most commontype ot engine
wear is pistonring and liner wear,

The primaryfunctionof a dieselengine'selectrical

systemis to start the engine. The secondaryfunctio
is to powerlights,gaug€sand vehicleelgctrical
components. (som6 of the latest€nginesin the
on*highwaytruck marketalso have electronictuol
controls).
It's intgrostingto noto that after crankinga diesel
engine,the batteryis no long€rneededto continu€
runningbecausether€ is no ignitionsystemrequired
fot combustion,as on a gasolineengine

24
MaiorComponents
in the Electrical
System
. Battery- The battorystoreselectricalenorgy.
a Alt€rnelor- Th€ alternatorcreatesolectricalenergy
to replenishth6 charge level in the battery. A
voltageregulatoris insidethe alternator.
. Slart€r - The start€rmotor is poweredby el€ctrichy
Irom th€ battery. lts functionis to start the engine.
. Glow plugs - Glowplugs pr6h6atthe air for easier
enginestarting. Th6y ar€ only found on
pr€combustion engines.
Howthe ElectricalSystemWorks
The batterystoreseneroyand providesthe pow6r
neededtor the sloctricalstarterto crank the engine.
As electricalenergyis used out of the batteryit has
to be replenished.Tho alternatordevelops€lectrical
enorgyduringmachineoporationto replenishth6
battery.
Glow plug uEod tor siartlng prooombustlon 6ngln€g
Fot quickerand aasier€ngin€starts, precombustion
sng;nesus€ €lectricalglow plugsto warm and preheat
th€ air in the precombustionchamberbefore cranking.
They heat for approximat€ly one minute. And even at
60"F (15.5oC)temperatur€sit's a good practiceto
heat th€ glow plugsfor a short time. lf not
preheat€d,th€ extremetemperatur€change,from
ambi€ntto combustiont6mper6turo,can causeth6
tips of the glow plugsto br€ak off. Basicallyit's
b€ttorto h6at them up graduallywith el€ctricitythan
to shockthem with combustionheat.
Dlagnoslng
EleclrlcalSystem
Problems
Battery
A majorityof electricalsystemproblomsar€ relatedto
the balt€ryand most commonlyresultfrom a lack of
maintenanco.Battarymaintonanceis very simple-
keep the batteryfilled, clean, and clampoddown
corl€ctly.
ll not secur€dcorrectlywith the clamps, the batt€ry
will bouncearoundduringmachineoperationcausing
the internalplatesand connectionsto crack and break
resultingin a batteryfailure. Extremejarringcan ev€n
cause the cas6 to crack, allowingths fluid to leak.
25
 SlowCrankingSpeed
Dieselenginesrequiresufficientcranl(jngspo6olo
developtie high compressionpressuresneededto
idnitethe fuel. lf th6 crankingspeed is slow the
e;oine will be hard to start. Beforecallingthe servrc
lf
d"_pun-"nt.h""k th" batt€ryand all connections
th6 problomis still not identiti6da servicemancan
ItLJx tne "ta.ttr ano moasur€the crankingrpm ol
the 6ngin€ The starter or batterymay need ropalror
replac6m€nl

OtherMaterialonCatEngines
& EngineRePairOptions
Battoryterminalsand connectionsshouldbe cl6anand
corrosion-free. on oth€r than maintenance-tree
batteries,the lluid level must be maintainedaccordrng
to the Lub.icationand MaintenanceGcommenclations.
i;e €lectrolyteconc€ntrationcan be checkedwith an
hydrometer. This tells how much chargeis in the
"dead' baltery is rechargedovernight
Oattery. tf a
and i; th€ morningstill showsonly a low chargeor no
chargeat all. the bstlery will no longeracc€pl a
chargeand must be replaceo.

GlowPlugs
Hardstarting.crankinga long tim€ or runningrough
glow
untilthe enoin€is warmodup aro signsthat the
correctly Each glow
olrjosmav iot be {Llnctioning
olui can be easilychecked with an electricalmeter'
inJ gtow ptugs6r€ checked during tune ups and as a
reoularpart of each of the engine overhauls'

Alternator& VoltageRegulator For moro informationon Cat Englnesand Cat Engin

Oncothe engineis running,the alternatorservosas Repairoptionscheck the followingmaterials
gauges'E[4S
tnr "t."t|.i""ipo,n"|. sourceto run lights, o ERIK- Engin€RepairIndicatorKit - Pari number
oanels,and eiectricalcomponents, plus replenishthe
ofl the 4C3502
chargein the battery. lt is belt driven
crankshaft. . lntroductionto Di€selEngines- TECB6005
(TrainingBull€tin)
lnsidethe alternatoris a voltageregulatorthat limits -
the voltag€outputto the battory. This prevents . Guid€for ManaoingEnginePerlormance
overcharglng. PEDP71Ol(Advertisingbrochure)
lf a oroblemdevelopswith the charging systeman . Howto PreventEngineFailure- PEDP6101
will "on" Thiscould
alto;nator liohtin lhe cab Oo (Advortisingbrochure)
sionalthe alternatoris not supplyingan adequate
"tiu,g", o, " wiro is not connectedcorreclly ll not o Cat EnginoPartsQuality- PELP7901 (Flipchart)
.orrJcted, tn. electricalenergywill drain out of th€ . EngineR€pairOptions
"Decisions"- PEVN6020
batteryuntil no more charge remains' (VideotaPe)
. Sch€dul€dOil SamplingSrOoS- PEDP7105
(Advertisingbrochure)

26
 Air FilterServiceIndicator- pEHp9O13
(Adv6rtisingbrochure)
Oil and Your Engine- SEBD0640
(T6chnicalPublication)
Coolantand Your Engin6- SEBDog70
(TechnicalPublication)
Fueland YourEngine- SEBD0717
(TochnicalPublication)
KnowYourCoolingSystem- SEBDo5IB
(TechnicalPublication)
catelpillar'sMachineLubricationRecommenoaI|ons
- SEBU6250 - (T€chnicalPublication)
Thereare many oth6r matorialsavailabl€,check the
I\rarketingTrainingMalerialsCatatog(TECM005O) and
ProductSupportPromotionMatoriatsCatatog
(PEGP9800) for compl6tatistings. (your d€al€rship
Promolionand/or TrainingManagerhave these
catalogsavailabl6.)

Conclusion
You now have a good undorstandingol how diesel
engines work, how they wear and the common
warningsigns of problems.
use this knowledge to h€lp your customersi
a develop correct prBventativomaintenance practicos
. choose appropriate inspsction programs
. solect the best repair options for their spec.tic
situation
And, as a last note, remember to always demonstrate
and reinforce with cilstomers that your dealership's
capabilitiesand Cat products offer the best vatue
available.
 lndex
N o r m avl s . A b n o r m a Wl e a r. . . . ' . . . . 2 W o r k s. . . . . . . . 1 7
H o wt h eS y s t e m
r e f o r eF a i l u r eB e n e f i t s . . . . . . 3
R e p a iB P r € c o m b u s ,t .i o . .n. . . . . . . . . 1 7
SrOeS- ScheduledOil Sampling... 5 D k e cI tn i € c t i o. .n. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
l J n iItn j € c t i o. .n. . , . . . . . . . . . 1 8
ERIK- EngineRepairIndicatorKit .. 6
l . C o o l i nSgy s t e m ................6 P r o b l e m&s I n d i c a t o r.s. . . . . . . . 1 8
.,,.,.,.. 7 U n d e r f u € | i n g . . . . . . . . . . . .1. 8. . . .
Components C o r r e cFtu e.l . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
H o wt h e S y s t e m W P r k s. . . . . . . . 7 O v e r f u o .l i. n. .g. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9
P r o b l e m&s I n d i c a t o r. s. . . . . . . . 8 tv. Air Intake& ExhaustSystem ... 19
O v e r h e a t i n. .g. . . . . . . . . . I
C o m p o n e n. .t .s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 2 0
O v e r c o o l i .n. g ... . . ........ 10
T h e r f i o s t a .t .s. , . . . . . . . . 1 0 H o wt h e S y s t e mW o r k s. . . . . . . . 2 0
C o o l a nGt a u g .e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 Operation. . .... 21
Turbocharger
R a d i a& t oFra n . . . . . . .. 11 &sI n d i c a t o r. .s. . . . . . . 2 1
Probfem
R a d i a t o r C a p . . ... . . . . . . 1 l Not EnoughAlt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
WaterPump... . . . ...... l1 P l u g g eAdi rF i f t e r. s. . . . , , . . . 2 2
C o o l a n t . . . . .. .. . . . . . l l Turbocharger Problems. . .... 22
B e l t s& P u l l e y .s . . , . . . . . . . . 1 2 A f t e r c o o l e o b l e m .s. . , . . . . . 2 2
P r
l l . L u b r i c a t iSo yns t e m. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 E x h a u sRt e s t r i c t i o. .n. . . . . . . 2 2
Components ........ ' 13 D i r tAy i r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2
OilConsumption & Blowby. . ., 23
H o wt h e S y s t e mW o r k s. . . . . . . . 13
14 E l e c t r i cSayl s t e m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
P r o b l e m&s I n d i c a t o r. s. . . . . . . .
I n a d e q u aLt eu b r i c a t i o .n. . . 14 components ,........ 25
Wrong Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 H o wt h e S y s t e mW o r k s. . . . . . . . 25
N o tE n o u g O h il ......... . . . 14 P r o b l e m&s l n d i c a t o r.s. . . . . . . . 25
O v e r c o o l i n .g. . . . . . . . . . . 14 Battery 25
C o n t a m i n a ot ei ld. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 G l o w P l u g. s . . . , , . . . . . , 2 6
Oil Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 A l t e r n a .t .o, r. . . . . . . . , , . , 26
s . o . .s. . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. .5. . . S l o wC r a n k i n .g . . . . . . . . . 2 6
L o wO i lP r s s s u r.e. . . . . . . . 15
OtherMaterials '. " " 26
C a tF i l t e&r sF l u i d s. . . . . . . 1 5
Concfusion "'.."'27
I t l .F u e lS y s t e m ...... 16
Components ..... '... 16

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