Your Ignition System Explained
Ever wonder what your truck does when you turn your ignition key? Well, when you turn that key, a series of things happen. Firstly, your glow plugs will fire using power from your battery. When glow plugs fire, they heat the fuel entering your engine in an effort to encourage combustion. Simultaneously, your fuel injectors release diesel fuel, and your starter motor turns your engine over, allowing your intake to suck air into your combustion chamber. From here, the mixture of hot fuel and air is compressed within your engine and the internal combustion process begins! Although this sounds simple at a high level, there’s actually a lot more that goes into the process behind the scenes.
Your Alternators Role
Your battery powers your starter and your glow plugs, but where does it get its power from? Well, that’s the responsibility of your alternator! When your diesel engine is running, your alternator uses the rotational force from your engine to charge your battery. If this alternator malfunctions, your battery won’t get charged, and your ignition process will be unable to begin.
Fuel System Components
Although many may not be considered electrical components, your fuel system components are a major part of the ignition process. Your fuel pump, fuel lines, fuel injectors, and even fuel filters all must be in pristine condition for your truck to start. Something as simple as bad fuel or an unchanged filter can cause these components to clog and your engine will fail to start.
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