Would a diesel suffer from inactiveity?
 

I know diesels have a much higher (milage) life span than gasers, but how about the opposite?...........would a diesel suffer more as a result of infrequent usage than a gaser?

Anything that sits and isn't used will suffer. Rubber and any seals will dry out. The worst thing for anything mechanical is to sit!!

FWIW. A few years back a friend gave me a Yanmar diesel utility tractor that was sitting for 5 years. Put a battery and fuel in, got it running and used it for another 4 years before I upgraded.

I have mixed feelings on this because I always look at our 1982 JD backhoe that sits all the time outside in the rain and starts instantly with a half dead battery every time.

I also look at people with extensive car collections that have things that sit and only get driven once or twice a year.

That being said I love driving diesel trucks and would find a reason to drive it no matter what

How infrequent? I bought a 2007 F350 in the fall of 06 and have less than 25K miles on it. It sits for weeks but not months. Its actually been getting more use the last 2 years since I started hauling to road races.

Sitting outside is the worst for a car/truck. At least in the northeast. Any truck with low miles is rotted bad and yet my gmc I just sold with 335,000 on it was real clean. If you have a garage to keep it in it won't matter much. Some of the seals may leak here and there but nothing major.

the fuel itself would be the biggest issue...thats why diesel boats that sit(as many big ones do) have tons of issues, most all due to alge growth in the fuel..then clogs pump, injectors, filters etc...

how long is long .. i put up my 13 f350 i just bought new .. didnt want to run in wisconson winters . i have several other vehicles .so it sitting wasnt an issue . has lift .aftermarket rims ect . i hate the look of rust .. ive added addatives as per fords recomendations .. hope im not making poor decission .

I wasn't talking about sitting for a few months at a time. I'm talking if something sits unused for years

[ATTACH=CONFIG]516123[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516124[/ATTACH]I bought my 08 2500 HD new in 08 and it just turned 20k miles. It sits inside year around but only gets run in the summer months to pull the boat. I treat the fuel and service enerything when I park it for the year. No issues here

thats what i like to hear .. no winters for my truck either .. salt just too hard on them .. kool the truck can sit nicely tucked away till spring .. lol

nice truck n boat by the way

Ive heard that the turbos tend to rust if not used

Thanks. I used to leave my truck and 32' hooked together all winter but now I need to unhook the 36' They both still fit in the boat bay that is 60' deep, just need to offset them a little. I may need to lengthen that bay...:whistle:

When you changed your mind about selling I bought an 07 F350 Dually with 38k, a year later it has 39.5k.

All the best!

PS, what size tires on yours again? Factory wheels, correct?

You will have fuel issues if you let a light duty diesel truck sit for too long in a cold climate.

I'd be more concerned of the transmission after a long hibernation on start-up. Unknown what model you are talking about, but if it doesnt get line pressure in Park, I would recommend always starting & warming up in Neutral before throwing it into Gear.

It was a general question comparing a diesel to a gaser if left to sit without running for weeks at a time. But to be specific, I presently own a '02 Dodger 2500 5.9 gas with hopes
to buy a used 2500 diesel someday- (be it dodge, ford or GM) I generally don't use (or have need for) my truck except for a few days out of the month.....it starts and runs pretty
well for the brief times I use it ...........just wanted to know if a diesel can be frequently "un-used" without major consequences.

Only issue might be the fuel as condensation can caue bugs to grow in the fuel. Evidence of them will be thier little black turds cloging up the fuel filter and return line filter. Star Tron makes an aditive for the issue.
Of course there set up for it, but used to have to start steam shovels that were under water in quaries some for a couple years before the water was pumped out to get to them. Didnt realy have any issues.

I had a 6.5 chevy that Did Not like to sit for a month then be asked to run. Not really a modern diesel tho. Switched to a 2500 HD with 496 gas. Let it sit for 2 mos, hop in drive away its awesome

fuel would be a issue for sure !!!!

I was talking to my buddy today who has a 09 2500 Dodge Cummins. He said the longest he has ever let his truck sit was 3 weeks in the dead of winter. He said he fired it up off the remote start from inside the house no probs at all.

If it sits for more than three months at a time pickle the motor.. if its not used enough the cylinder walls rust and the rings dont seat causing blow by. If you pickle the motor you can avoid this. Or you can just start the thing every week for 10 minutes or so to avoid this, way easier.

have you watched the show "fast and loud" they redo stuff all the time that have been sitting forever, a lot of them start pretty easily

We have had the turbo vanes rust to the housing (cat motors) on the 50' Searay after sitting for over a year, just took the intakes off and got them turning, back in business, probably fogging them would alleviate that problem.

Cant see it happening very often on a road vehicle unless left parked in the grass.

Treating for algae is the number one thing I would be worried about as it can be a pain to get that cleaned out.

You can definitely believe everything you see on reality TV

I see that too but starting is one thing running up to snuff is another

I try to drive my 2006 F-350 PS, (30k miles) once every 10 days or 2 weeks. Start our boats once a month if we don't run them in the last 30 days.
Everything keeps on ticking.

Ask this guy- 2005 Duramax with 6100 miles http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/4320878837.html

I'd hate to spend 35K to find out though............even at 6100 miles with no heavy lifting all it's life .........I still think a diesel needs to work harder just to stay in shape.

If it was an 06LLY/LBZ I'd be very interested at 30k, my 06 has been the best vehicle I have owned. Still it's approaching 190K miles and I want to sell before it hits 200K.

The 05's had their share of potential issues and are not the most desirable motor IMO

The LLY is a great motor, just curious what you see as the problems. I am looking at 05's with 175k miles and they are avail. for about 12,000. Now I think this guy is smoking the front lawn because its a 9 year old truck. I MIGHT pay 25k but that would be it.

My buddy had injector problems twice on his 05 then the passenger side head gasket started leaking, this probably due to the 04-05 LLY tendency to overheat when worked hard, water pumps also had problems. If you google them these are the main issues, the 06LLY/LBZ resolved these and other problems. Stronger engine with more HP/Torque and completely Bosch engine management which was a big step up.

Having said that, the 05's were by no means a problem child like the 6.0 Ford of the same era. Had another buddy that never really worked his apart from towing a boat and was happy with it.. Here is a fair summary http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/04...ly-issues.html

My 06 has been awesome and worked hard many times over nearly 190K miles.

My 04 6.0Leaker has been out of the truck twice with the heads off, and valve covers a couple more times for injectors in 190k miles. My 05 LLY has been completely dissembled twice, bored and upgraded internals to what is basically same setup as the newer LMM. Lower compression and better pistons, but stock it only lasted just 150 hours.

The 6.0 makes about 450hp, while the 6.6 is pushing 650hp, and is a h3ll of a lot more fun..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNQrSUoCGvI

But come the end of the day, that old beat up 6-leaker always gets to pull that bad A$$ Durramax home.... LOL

Now that is a good way to introduce moisture into an engine, and in a bad way. Running for ten minutes at idle is not enough to heat the oil and engine enough to boil off any water vapor moisture inside the engine. But, it is enough time to heat the engine up and then let it cool back down, resulting in condensation forming inside your engine. This is similar to why some woodworkers end up with expensive rusty tools, they heat their shop while they are in it, and don't when they leave. The heat cool cycles result in condensation and rust. If you are not going to use an engine, there is really no good reason to start it, especially during winter storage.

Thanks wobble- If I buy a duramax ( a big IF) I would not work it that hard.

In all seriousness guys, Wobbles Duramax statement above is good info. From the LLY to today the Duramax is IMO a solid engine platform. First gen LB7's I would avoid because the injectors were known to be trouble and were connected "under" the valve covers, which could lead to serous engine damage if one leaks and you fill the crank case full of diesel fuel. The first 04.5 LLY model fixed that, but still suffers from weaker piston and rod design along with a couple possible oiling related points of failure. By 06 they were getting that stuff ironed out, the LBZ is good and by 08 LMM, it's a rock solid platform. I know of a few LLY's with well over 200k, and a LBZ with 700K on it going strong. I'd trade my love/hate 6.0L Ford for one any day of the week, they are just way more reliable in the long run.

Back to the original topic, I don't believe a diesel suffers from inactivity near a badly as a gas engine. Your injecting oil, not gasoline. So when you shut them down for long time there is no need or way to FOG a motor like you do a gasser. Plus the ethanol content in gasoline today will draw moisture over time. Those are the two biggest points I can think of.

I haven't owned a gas vehicle in over 4 years, everything is diesel now even the wife's car. When I store the boat for winter, I just suck the engine full of good antifreeze and shut it off. Six months later, hit the key and shes ready to rock all summer...