Does a Diesel engine have a carburetor?

• A. Yes
• B. Sometimes
• C. No
• D. Only on some models

Answer: (C)

Diesel engines do not use a carburetor. In a diesel, air is drawn in and highly compressed, heating it to a temperature that is sufficient to ignite fuel. Fuel is then injected directly into the compressed air (either straight into the cylinder or into a pre-chamber) at high pressure, and it auto-ignites. A carburetor, by contrast, mixes air and fuel before it enters the combustion chamber and is used in many gasoline engines to create the proper air–fuel mixture. Since diesel relies on direct or indirect fuel injection and compression ignition rather than pre-mixed air and fuel, there is no carburetor in standard diesel designs.