From the President of Amsoil “A.J. Amatuzio”
There is no denying that from the very start the cornerstone of our success as a company has been the quality of our products. Our products are what set us apart. We have continuously pushed the performance limits and set the standards in the lubricant industry. We have never been shy about comparing our products to competitive products and, clearly, ours deliver value to consumers that others simply do not deliver.
Support for this is revealed once again in this issue of your Action News. On page eight you will see a summary of some recent testing that was done on our 5W-40 Diesel Oil. This testing was conducted on the heels of an issue that affects all brands of diesel oil.
As many of you are aware, diesel engines are particularly rough on diesel oil in terms of shear stability. The molecular structure of the oil can be literally torn apart by the intense pressures of diesel engine operation. Once the oil is sheared, the viscosity decreases, film strength is sacrificed and wear increases.
This far-from-ideal condition is further compounded when diesel oil is contaminated by diesel fuel. Although fuel dilution has always been a concern in diesel engines, it has surfaced recently as a larger issue in 2007 and newer Ford, GM and Dodge diesel pickups. The problem stems from the regeneration process of the diesel particulate filters that have been mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency for all 2007 and newer on-highway diesel-fueled vehicles. Diesel particulate filters are designed to capture the particulate matter and soot that would otherwise enter the atmosphere along with the exhaust. Once the filter reaches capacity, however, it must be cleaned, or, in industry terms, regenerated. The method used to do this in the pickups in question is a process called in-cylinder injection. Essentially, diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder on the exhaust stroke. The fuel serves as a combustion agent and is intended to burn the captured soot.
This all sounds good in theory, but problems are created. Injected, unburned diesel fuel can wash past the rings and enter the crankcase, where it contaminates the oil. We now have fuel dilution. The oil thins, viscosity decreases, volatility increases, oil pressure decreases, deposits form and wear rates accelerate. Additional fuel dilution issues have been documented in 2007 to 2009 on-highway Caterpillar C13 and C15 engines. Possible causes include leaking seals or faulty injector components.
In any case, fuel dilution issues have forced us to reduce our drain interval recommendation in those pickup and Caterpillar applications to correspond with the equipment manufacturers’ recommendations. That’s not to say the playing field has been leveled. Even without the extended drain benefit in those applications, our oil provides value that other oils do not provide. As you will see in the article on page eight, our oil is much more shear stable. Even when diluted by fuel, it maintains its viscosity substantially better in high-shear conditions. To verify it, AMSOIL doubled the severity of the 90-cycle industry-standard Kurt Orbahn shear stability test and measured our 5W-40 against the other top-selling diesel oils. We were the only oil to stay within the SAE 40 viscosity grade when contaminated at the 4 percent fuel dilution level. That is absolutely outstanding performance, and all diesel owners would be foolish to use an oil of lesser quality.
As a final note iwill offer a few words to those Dealers who remain undecided about attending AMSOIL University on May 16-20. ican say without reservation that the training Dealers receive at AMSOIL University is the most comprehensive we have ever offered. Virtually everything a Dealer needs to know, whether it’s technical, sales related or administrative, can be gathered here. The numbers don’t lie; those Dealers who attend AMSOIL University earn greater incomes, and earn them faster, than those Dealers who do not attend. For the good of your business take advantage of this opportunity. Register now and iwill see you on May 16.
A. J. “Al” Amatuzio
President and CEO, AMSOIL INC.
Download Amsoil Action News March Issue (PDF)
