The New Oils: A Silver Lining
Predicted doom and gloom about CI-4 oils fails to materialize.
Deborah Lockridge
Senior Editor
Clouds have formed over the new diesels with exhaust-gas recirculation technology, causing some buyers to hold off on new equipment purchases — at least for now.
But there is a silver lining: New motor oils specifically formulated for EGR engines are also better for existing diesels, and thus can save owners considerable operating dollars.
"Owners of non-EGR engines — a majority of the industry for the next several years <->— will benefit from the advanced lubrication technology," says Kevin Harrington, commercial vehicle lubricants product adviser, ExxonMobil. This technology, he says, will allow fleets to extend drain intervals, reduce the need for make-up oil, and lower operating costs and critical downtime.
CI-4 oils offer greater wear protection, more thermal stability, improved oxidation control and increased soot-handling capabilities. In addition to less oil consumption, better performance at higher operating temperatures, and the possibility of longer drain intervals, these oils offer the potential to extend engine overhaul intervals in older, non-EGR engines.
NEW ENGINES, NEW OILS
Engines meeting the new EPA emissions standard that went into effect last October, especially those using cooled exhaust-gas recirculation, put more demands on engine oil. They put more soot and acids into the oil. The oil also must help disperse the higher heat.
In fact, two years ago, there were concerns that Oct. '02 EGR engines would require an oil that would be so different from previous oils that it would not work in older engines. As recently as last summer, there were some in the industry predicting that the new oils, dubbed CI-4 by the American Petroleum Institute's licensing program, would be much more expensive than the CH-4 oils they replaced.
However, neither worry seems to have materialized.
"Most of the major lubricant suppliers reformulated or introduced heavy duty motor oils meeting API CI-4 well in advance of the actual September 2002 date in which products could be officially API licensed," says Gary Parsons, global consumer and transport segment director at ChevronTexaco. Chevron Delo 400 Multigrade, he says, has met the CI-4 requirements since 1998.
Because the CI-4 oils are backwards-compatible with older engines, most manufacturers are no longer offering oils that meet only the CH-4 category and not the CI-4 rating. Oil companies and fleets typically said they didn't want the hassle of dealing with two different oils, and the new oils promise to be better for both old and new engines in the fleet.
Dan Arcy, product manager for heavy duty lubricants at Shell, offers an example of benefits offered by the new oil category. The CI-4 test for volatility, basically the amount of oil burned off at high temperature, allows no more than 15%. For the previous standard, CH-4, that number was 18% .
"What that means to the consumer is their oil consumption rate, and more importantly the potential for deposit formulation, is far less than what it used to be. So they're going to end up using less oil."
The only cautionary note we heard from the oil makers was from Castrol, which says some CI-4 oils use a relatively high sulfated ash content, which has been shown to generate piston deposits.
As for the cost increase, that concern appears to have been overblown as well. There have been some increases in oil price, but it's difficult to tell how much of that has been due to market conditions such as higher prices for raw materials, and how much has been from passing along the cost of development of new formulations.
"There was a lot of money put into developing these oils," says Shell's Arcy, "but the market always drives the price. When it comes down to it, the difference in cost is minimal."
EXTENDED DRAINS
That's the good news on CI-4 oils. The bad news is, even with these better oils, the new EGR engines could put a crimp in extended oil drain programs.
Extended oil drain intervals are one of the most common ways to save money on lubricants and oil changes. Not only can you save on the cost of oil, but more importantly, you save the cost of filter and labor for oil changes, and keep the truck on the road making money. "You can pay your oil bill many times over with extended oil drains," says Mark Betner, heavy duty product manager at CITGO.
However, the jury is still out on how long you'll be able to extend oil drains with EGR engines. Most engine and oil manufacturers are advising caution.
"The chances of doing extended drains with EGR engines is minimal," says Shell's Arcy. "It's not something you're going to want to do, as they are generating more acids and a lot more soot."
Others, however, are more optimistic.
"While the new EGR engines are expected to lower drain intervals in some circumstances, fleets may still be able to safely extend drains by carefully monitoring the oil," says Karen Campbell, Castrol spokesperson.
CITGO's Mark Betner says the general consensus at a recent meeting of the Technology and Maintenance Council was that most fleets are not currently extending drain intervals to the point where it would be a problem. "The data is just beginning to roll in," Betner says, "but we felt that if you were under 35,000 miles you probably wouldn't have to roll your drain interval back."
The one thing everyone agrees on is that because there is limited real-world fleet experience with EGR engines, used oil analysis is vital to determine the right drain intervals for your equipment and operating conditions.
ChevronTexaco's Parsons recommends that wear metals, viscosity, TBN, and soot levels be used as indicators of when the oil has served its useful life. Check with your engine manufacturer about recommended drain intervals and how exceeding them might affect your warranty. Parsons also recommends using high quality full flow/bypass engine oil filters to help filter out impurities.
OILS NOT CREATED EQUAL
Most companies offer a number of different engine oils that meet the CI-4 API rating.
"Some customers may want to invest more in engine oil with premium qualities such as fuel economy benefits and extended drains," says Bill Runkle, Valvoline technical director.
ChevronTexaco's Parson says fleets should be looking at the total cost of ownership for a lubricant. Oils that seem more expensive may actually reduce costs overall if you can extend service intervals, improve fuel mileage, improve reliability, and reduce downtime.
"Fleets are desperately trying to cut their costs, but lubricants, even if you're using synthetics, are less than 2 percent of your operating budget," says CITGO's Benter. "For fleet managers who focus on trying to just look at how much they can save price per gallon, there's not much productivity there. Tires, fuel and general maintenance are your big maintenance costs. Lubricants are just almost off the radar."
Jim Abram, category manager, heavy duty oils and commercial products at Petro-Canada, explains it this way: "Often people think of oils as commodities. But all engine oils are not the same. You can't choose an oil on the basis of price alone. You have to look at its performance characteristics."
Most premium oils not only meet the CI-4 test result requirements, but exceed them. In addition, they meet or exceed requirements of various engine maker specifications, such as the Mack EO-N PremiumPlus, Cummins CES 20078 and Volvo VDS-3 tests.
"The OEM approvals are generally over and above standard CI-4 credentials," says Reginald Dias, director for commercial products for ConocoPhillips. "The additional performance will generally be met with advanced chemistry, better corrosion protection, better soot dispersancy, better oil consumption control, which overall leads to better performance and better protection for the engine."
CITGO calls these kind of oils "CI-4 plus," says Betner. "It's an unofficial description, but there is something beyond CI-4," he says.
SYNTHETICS VS. PETROLEUM
Synthetic engine oils allow you to extend oil drain intervals and typically provide greater fuel economy. They offer faster, safer starts in freezing weather and handle hot weather better.
The downside is, they cost more than mineral-based oils. How much more can vary vastly, depending on the type of synthetic as well as the mineral-based oil you're comparing it to. Oil makers gave us estimates ranging from 15% to five time as much.
"It takes an outside-the-box manager to consider using synthetics," says CITGO's Betner. "Synthetic heavy duty oils can save you several hundred dollars per power unit per year if you know how to manage their use."
For instance, Betner says, if you can save 1% on your fuel economy with synthetic oil, you can save 250 gallons of fuel per truck per year. At $1.50 per gallon for 100 trucks, that's $37,500 in a year. And most synthetics boast of even higher fuel savings.
In addition to fuel savings, one of the most commonly cited benefits of synthetics is extending oil drain intervals.
"We generally recommend (synthetic oils) for fleets that are trying to significantly extend their oil drain interval," says ConocoPhillips' Dias, "and for fleets subjected to extremely low and high temperatures and tough load conditions."
Valvoline's Premium Blue Extreme, for instance, is a full synthetic formulated with high-quality base stocks and a boosted additive system. "The product has extended drain capability that has been demonstrated up to 100,000-mile drain intervals in select on-highway engines under certain operating conditions," says Kimberly Shumate, associate marketing manager with Valvoline.
Petro-Canada has experience with extended drains as much as four times longer than conventional oils when using synthetics.
Synthetics also offer a benefit if your trucks operate in extreme cold or hot conditions. Better cold-weather starting can extend the life of your engine, battery and starter, says Betner. Drivers will be less likely to turn to starting aids such as ether or alcohol, which can damage an engine, he says.
"But your oil supplier has to work with you to help you achieve these things," Betner says. "It's not easy for most consumers — and then there's the cost."
In addition to pure synthetics, there are synthetic blends available, providing many of the benefits of a pure synthetic at a lower cost.
Some premium oils use Group 2 base stocks made with special refining processes, resulting in performance that their manufacturers say rivals synthetics in engine tests.
For instance, Petro-Canada's Duron is formulated using the patented HT Purity process, which results in base oils with virtually all the aromatics, sulfur and nitrogen impurities removed.
Similarly, Chevron Delo 400 Multigrade is manufactured with ISOSYN Group 2 base stocks. These are more highly refined than conventional Group 1 solvent-refined base oils.
"Synthetics cost significantly more and do not provide extended drain or fuel economy benefits when compared to high performance products formulated in Group 2 base stocks," says ChevronTexaco's Parson. However, he notes that there are extreme low temperature conditions where synthetics do offer an advantage over mineral oil products.
"If someone comes in and says they can save you money by going to synthetics, you should do engine oil analysis and see if the oil stands up to the claims being made," says Petro-Canada's Abram. Good advice for other premium oils, as well, not just synthetics.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A committee at the API is already beginning work on Proposed Category 10, or PC-10. Due out in 2006, this will set the standards for oil used in 2007-model diesel engines, which will burn ultra-low-sulfur fuel and use exhaust aftertreatments. Some members of Congress are also pushing for more fuel-efficient diesel engines, as well.
"Engineers say the challenges to reach the next level of oil performance are daunting and could require a whole new batch of additive chemistry, which might not be compatible with engines other than the ones they are specifically designed to lubricate," says ExxonMobil's Harrington. "Such a scenario would certainly bring about confusion and additional cost for fleet owners because they'd have to stock two types of oil and make sure maintenance personnel correctly dispensed the right formulation."
But then, that's what they were saying a few years ago about CI-4. A lot can change in three years.
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