"Attached to diesel engines is a certain mystique that makes owners and mechanics alike call for help at the first sign of trouble. There is, in fact something intimidating about an engine that has no visible means of ignition, the torque characteristics of a bull ox, and fuel system tolerances expressed as wavelengths of light.

Yet working on diesels is no more difficult than servicing the current crop of gasoline engines. In some ways the diesel is an easier nut to crack - symptoms of failure are less ambiguous, specifications are more complete and the quality of design and materials is generally superior."

Paul Dempsey - Troubleshooting & Repairing Diesel Engines 3rd Edition