​What is a diesel mechanic?

Diesel engines are great, they provide more mileage for your dollar, deliver good fuel economy, they don’t need ignition tune ups, can withstand a harsh work load, and they provide plenty of torque in vehicles. However, it’s just as important to maintain your diesel engine and have any necessary repairs performed to prevent things from going wrong whilst you’re on the road working or going about your business.

If you own or run a diesel powered vehicle or piece of machinery, then chances are a typical mechanic won’t do when things go wrong or when it’s service time. Diesel mechanics are specially trained to help you maintain, test and repair your diesel engines, both mobile and stationary. Diesel powered engines and machinery work differently to typical fuel-powered ones, therefore specialised diesel mechanics are required to step in to help with maintenance and repairs.

Diesel engines can be found in both engines of vehicles or in powering stationary machinery and equipment. Some of these include:

• Buses
• Trucks
• Plant and agricultural equipment
• Tractors
• Generators
• Pumps
• Drilling rigs
• Earth moving vehicles and equipment
• Large/heavy road transport vehicles

A qualified diesel mechanic needs to have a Motor Vehicle Repairer Certificate and a Police Clearance in order to operate so you can rest assured that they are qualified to maintain and repair your work vehicle or machinery.
In order to maintain or repair these vehicles and machinery a diesel mechanic needs plenty of skill and experience working with different systems. These skills and systems include:

• Transmissions
• Suspension
• Steering
• Braking systems
• Fuel injection
• Grease systems repairs
• Track change outs
• Tracked machine repairs
• Electrical systems
• Cooling systems
• Diagnosing tools
• Tuning your diesel engine
• Preventative maintenance
• Engine overhauls
• Performing spot repairs

A good diesel mechanic will have an understanding of the sometimes complicated operating systems involved with getting your machinery back up and running again and making sure it’s working to its optimum performance levels.

Your diesel mechanic will also have experience working with a number of different tools to get the job done, including sometimes welders or processing tools. Sometimes the use of computerised diagnostic equipment will be necessary to find out what is wrong with the particular engine or diesel system. Other times, plenty of technical, practical or manual repair skills will be applied to get the job done.

Diesel technology is constantly improving too, therefore it’s important that the diesel mechanic you choose keeps up with changes within the industry and keep their skills and any training up to date.

Contact the experts at DieselWest Mechanical Services in Perth for civil, construction, servicing and maintenance or your diesel engines and machinery. Call 0427 501 378 today.