DF Sales&Marketing
Oil Tech Moderator
additive packages play key role in keeping an engine clean
Premium quality motor oil will maintain its effectiveness over the life of the oil drain, allowing it to help in keeping the engine clean.
Additive packages are added to motor oil and play a key role in helping to keep an engine clean and protected from varnish and sludge, as well as wear from heat and acids. Additives can consist of anti-wear agents, friction modifiers, dispersants, detergents, viscosity index improvers and antioxidants. Some key cleaning ingredients that make up motor oil additive packages are detailed below:
anti-wear additives lay down a protective, sacrificial film between moving parts and also help stop oxidation of the motor oil.
dispersants Grab dirt and sludge before they can build up during engine operation, holding them in suspension and preventing them from depositing on to engine parts.
detergents Help keep high-tempera-ture surfaces such as pistons clean. Viscosity index improvers are chemical additives that are added to motor oil to endure proper oil viscosity at extreme cold and hot operating conditions.
friction modifiers help to reduce friction in critical areas of the engine, thus enhancing the vehicle’s fuel economy.
anti-oxidants stop oil oxidation to help keep the oil from becoming too thick.
The additives in engine oils are consumed during use at different rates, which vary with vehicle, engine type and driving conditions, therefore it is not possible to establish a universal oil drain interval. This methodology replaces the long – thought “proper time” of changing engine oil every 3,000 miles, and has come into fruition moreso lately due to the advent of energy conservation, and used oil analysis to determine when to change oil.
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spot lubrication warning signs with oil analysis
Knowing the condition of your lubricants is essential for running smoothly and reliably. This can be accomplished through a thorough oil analysis program that tracks multiple critical oil contamination and wear-related characteristics of the oil in service by comparing the current results with previous report values noting the trends.
Such a program helps identify contamination, lubricant degradation, abnormal wear and possible problems with sampling. It also can transform a lubrication program from time-based to condition-based maintenance, eliminating unnecessary oil changes and generally improving reliability.
Used oil analysis reports should at least report on the following areas:
acid number
This measures the amount of acid buildup in the oil from oxidation that the fluid has undergone since startup. It is a useful measure of the performance life of a lubricant, and a good predictor of when the oil should be replaced.
As lubricant fluid is used and exposed to high temperatures and the air, its oxidation level increases, increasing the buildup of acids and decreasing the effectiveness of the lubricant. An acid number that is significantly higher than its initial value is a key warning sign of lubrication (corrosion) problems.
water
Water is a major enemy of lubricants and equipment. Especially in moist environments, where the lubricant is exposed to open water or steam, the water content of a lubricant can significantly impact performance. Different lubricants have varying tolerances for water content.
For example, a polyakylene glycol synthetic oil has higher water tolerance limits than a polyalphaolefin or mineral oil products. Oils with various additive systems and designed for different applications can also have different water tolerance limits.
Each lubricant and equipment type has its own guidelines for acceptable parts-per-million (ppm) of water. These can be obtained from various sources including the lubricant supplier. Regardless of the lubricant used, water content that exceeds acceptable levels is a serious warning sign of impending lubricant failure.
metals
Metal analysis can reveal information about the wear in the system and the presence of certain additives. Metals are found in lubricants both as a result of the additives in the fluid and as a result of wear, depending on the type of lubricant and the configuration of the system.
A typical oil analysis measures common engine metals such as copper, aluminum, lead, tin, chromium and iron to provide an indication of the amount of metal generated by the engine and suspended in the lubricant.
viscosity
Perhaps the most common and important test of a lubricant is its kinematic viscosity, or its resistance to flow or thickness. Viscosity changes can indicate many operating conditions that the lubrication system has been exposed to.
An increase in viscosity is directly related to lubricant oxidation and contamination. A decrease in viscosity is directly related to contamination by a thinner material, viscosity index improver additive shearing or thermal cracking of the base oil. As a rule of thumb, lubricants should be changed before their viscosity changes by more than 10 percent.
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spin testing caution
Many engine builders use a test stand that motors the engine using an external power source. Duration of this testing must be held to an absolute minimum and a test oil, with a high “ep” additive content, used to prevent damage to critical cam lobe and follower surfaces.
Typically, the engine is fed a light oil by a pump within the test stand to simulate hot operating conditions. The engine is motored by the external power source at a speed of less than 500 rpms for 2 or 3 minutes while oil pressure, oil flow and torque required to spin the engine are monitored.
Occasionally a camshaft failure develops following the test and subsequent installation into a vehicle or power unit.
The speeds generated during this test are too low compared to those required for proper camshaft and lifter break-in. Since the camshaft in a 4-cylinder engine rotates at only one half crankshaft speed, the low rpms do not create sufficient inertia force to “toss” the lifter off the lobe apex which is necessary to reduce the loading on the nose or apex of the cam lobe. This reduction in loading at higher engine speeds prevents scuffing and wear of the lifter and lobe contact surfaces.
The thin test oil being circulated also tends to flush the camshaft break-in lubricant from the lobe and lifter surfaces. Then when the engine delivered to the installer the camshaft is protected only by the residual test oil. If the installer experiences problems firing the engine, or delays the break-in procedure for any reason, metal to metal contact is likely to occur; resulting in a lobe failure.
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Ford, navistar settle dispute
Navistar International corp. Will stop selling diesel engines to Ford motor co. In January 2010 as part of the settlement in a two-year-old dispute between the companies. The engine supply contract originally was due to last until 2012.
The agreement, announced in a joint release jan 13th, also ends all existing litigation between the companies. As part of the agreement, Ford will pay navistar an undisclosed amount.
The problems between the companies became public in early 2007, when Ford sued navistar for money to pay for warranty work Ford claimed was needed because of problems with a new engine, a 6.0-liter v-8 diesel, developed to meet the 2004 diesel emission standards.
Ford also claimed that navistar was charging too much for the next-generation engine, a 6.4-liter v-8 developed to fix the problems in the 6.0.
Navistar countersued a few months later, claiming that Ford was violating their engine supply agreement by developing its own diesel engine.
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