Parts of a diesel engine

Diesel engines - the underrated older brother

Unlike petrol engines, which use spark plugs to essentially create combustion, diesel engines take advantage of high pressure within the combustion chamber to create energy. Common in heavy vehicles and machinery, they are known for their longevity and continuous raw power. We're going to break down the diesel engine to its core and find out how this spark-less wizardry takes place.

Engine Block

Your engine block is the main structure that houses and holds most of its components. A diesel engine block is cast or machined from aluminum or steel, as it is required to withstand high pressure for longer periods of time.

Pistons

Pistons are the beating hearts of your engine. This is what compresses your air-fuel mixture to create combustion and transfer rotational motion to the crankshaft. Note that all components, including the pistons of an engine block, are manufactured from rugged materials or using casting methods, allowing them to withstand higher temperatures and pressures.

Crankshaft

The crankshaft is the axis along which the connecting rods of the pistons rotate. The pistons are connected to the crankshaft in a supplementing manner to ensure the crankshaft has peak rotational power in every degree of rotation.

Connecting rod

As mentioned earlier, your connecting rods are the link between the piston heads and the crankshaft, creating RPMs at high speeds.

Sump

This is where all the used lubricating oil ends up after it has done its job, before it goes back out through the lubrication process again.

Oil pump

Your oil pump works around the clock to ensure all your components are lubricated for optimal movement, ranging from the piston rings around the cylinder walls to the connecting rod pins.

Cylinder head gasket

The cylinder head gasket sits between the cylinder head and the engine block within the tight space to avoid oil leaks and keep the seal clean.

Valves

The inlet valves and the outlet valves are placed depending on the configuration to introduce air-fuel while expelling exhaust gases, respectively.

Camshaft

The camshaft is a rotating shaft that sits above the engine block, allowing air in and out of the combustion chamber at different timings for the different cylinders, respectively.

Combustion Chamber

This is where the 'big bang' takes place to keep your vehicle in motion, using air and fuel in a highly pressurized environment.

Bearings

Bearings are what keep things in motion smoothly without any mechanical interference.

Injection pump

It pressurizes the fuel to its maximum potential, ready to be fed into the combustion chamber to create spontaneous combustion under extreme conditions.

Fuel injector

Using the pressurized fuel from the injection pump, it sprays it into the combustion chamber using small injector nozzles.

Now that you've learned about the components that go into making your big and heavy diesel engine, you'll understand why it's typically heavier than petrol engines: because of its use of high-density materials to resist pressure. Using your knowledge of diesel engines now, you can confidently join and leave conversations with a few diesel enthusiasts.