Why Does Diesel Engine Oil Break Down?

Why can't oil last forever? Why do we have to change our oil so often?

Many vehicle owners have asked this question. Manufacturers, too, wish that it were possible to eliminate oil changes because making time for an oil change is probably a vehicle owner's number one inconvenience.

The problem is, oil breaks down and is no longer able to keep your engine operating as optimally designed. Hence the need for an oil change regimen.

When we first wrote about this topic last fall we shared how understanding  oil chemistry and composition helps us understand the limitations of engine oil. This is why OEMs have recommended drain intervals, and also explains why ignoring these can cause us to risk voiding warranties. 

But there are additional reasons oil deteriorates and can cause engine failure if ignored. Machinery Lubrication published a helpful article by Jim Fitch of the Noria Corporation titled "Four Lethal Diesel Engine Oil Contaminants" that addresses this issue of oil breakdown. The bottom line here is that there is considerable value in periodic oil analysis, as we have noted elsewhere.

What follows is an abbreviated summary of the four destructive forces that can damage the integrity of your oil, potentially leading to the catastrophic failure of your engine. A link to the complete article can be found at the end of this story.

The Four Lethal Forces

Glycol
Radiator fluid with glycol can get into the oil a variety of ways, from blown head gaskets to defective seals to cylinder heads. According to one study, glycol was found to be present in 8.6 percent of 100,000 diesel engine samples tested. 

Even a small amount of glycol can cause serious issue. A 0.4 percent glycol coolant in the oil can cause soot to coagulate, leading to a dump-out condition resulting in sludge, deposits and oil flow restrictions. The article cites numerous other issues and they are all bad.

Fuel Dilution
It is fairly common to have minor fuel dilution occur with frequent starts or excessive idling. Severe dilution (2 percent or more) indicates a more serious causes like leakage or fuel injector issues. 

In cold temps fuel dilution can cause waxing that results in low oil pressure or oil starvation. Fuel dilution can also thin out the oil so that it is no longer adequate to protect against wear in the combustion zone. Severe dilution undermines the effectiveness of oil additives. These and other issues are amplified when using a biodiesel lubricant.

Soot
Soot is a by-product of combustion that is present in all diesel motors. The presence of soot is normal, but when present in abnormally high quantities it is indicative of other problems that need to be addressed.

Combustion efficiency is directly related to soot production. Things to look at include poor ignition timing, excessive ring clearance or a plugged up air filter. 

Fitch details a host of other concerns that can crop up when you have soot issues inside the engine. 

Water
Though we can't live without water, it is also quite destructive, especially inside your engine. As the saying goes, oil and water don't mix. Too much water will result in that greasy slop that is not going to be fixed with an oil change. It also increases the corrosive power of acids inside the engine and attacks additives. 

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The article closes by noting that total engine failure is something that happens over time as a result of the cumulative effect of one or more of these forces. This is not, the author notes, the some total of all that can go wrong in an engine. Dozens of other factors may lead to what seems like a sudden death. Usually, however, there are all kinds of warnings that we put off addressing or fail to notice.

Oil analysis is your best early warning system, though some of the signs of trouble can be observed as you do routine maintenance. 

Links

Four Lethal Diesel Engine Oil Contaminants

Champion Brands Offers Free Oil Sampling Kits for Diesel Engines

To Increase Your Diesel's Sustainability, Choose Blue Flame

Photo by Taylor on Unsplash

This past week Fleet Equipment published a thoughtful article by David Sickels about sustainability and efficiency. A lot of us tend to cringe when we touch this topic because sometimes it feels like the demands being put on the industry end up. costing us more money. We all want clean air, and a future for our grandchildren. We don't want the changes to be so economically unrealistic that they put us out of business.

The sustainability premise is that resources are finite. They should therefore be used conservatively with a long-term view in mind regarding consequences of the manner in which they are used.

The reality is that the history of diesel technology has taken the industry an incredibly long way toward this end. The article in Fleet Equipment outlines ways in which we can get the most out of these advances that have been implemented by engine manufacturers. It is titled "How To Increase Diesel Truck Sustainability, Efficiency Via Lubricants."

Sickels notes that most fleets are not yet ready to leap into the future of electric trucks, but these are steps we can take in the interim. 

1. Start with used oil analysis

We wrote in October about things things you can learn from oil analysis. Sickles takes this a step further, noting that some of what we learn from oil analysis can help us improve sustainable practices. By periodically analyzing the condition of our lubes, the data gives us a basis for leaving fleets on the road for longer periods of time between maintenance intervals. "It not only gives you a snapshot of the health of the oil, but also of the health of the hardware."

The author goes on to say that if you are able to use a lighter oil without compromising engine protection, you can improve by at least 1% one fuel economy with this viscosity change alone. (Check your owner's manual.) This latter leads directly into the second point.

2. Switch to synthetic lubricants

According to the Sickels, "Oil companies tend to agree that as long as the fleet is following OEM guidelines, swapping to synthetic lubricants will likely bring about fuel economy savings versus using alternative products."

The article suggests that if you're uncertain about viscosity selection, you can work with your oil company to ensure you have the right fluids protecting your equipment. 

Here at the Blue Flame blog, we have an orange button on the right that says ASK JAKE in the event you are uncertain about the correct fluids for your truck. Champion Oil has been a major player in the development and manufacture of semi-synthetic and full synthetic motor oils for 65 years.   

3. Check whether CK-4 or FA-4 oils can be used

Evidently many fleets are not taking advantage of the fuel economy benefits of CK-4 or FA-4 oils. There are trucks coming off the assembly line with FA-4 fluid and the owner or fleet manager switches to CK-4 at the first oil change. 

Since there's no one solution for everyone, it does get complicated. Decisions can be made based on insecurity or misinformation. That is why we address this in September in our article "Still Confused About Diesel Engine Oil Specs?"

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There's no question that things have become increasingly complicated in our modern age. Fortunately you don't have to go it alone. Whether it's Jake at Champion or your current lubricant supplier, build a relationship with someone you trust for answers when you need them. 

Trade magazines exist for this purpose as well, keeping you informed of new regulations that can impact your livelihood. That's what we're also trying to do here at the Blue Flame where our passion is all things diesel. 

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READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
"How To Increase Diesel Truck Sustainability, Efficiency Via Lubricants."  

Diesel Motorsports: Most Fun You Can Get in a Weekend

Photo courtesy Diesel Motorsports

Great story by Jeff Zurschmeide on the PRI website. Diesel motorsports is far from dead, and is even growing. The article, titled Shake, Rattle & Roll, describes how diesel motorsports have become a powerful niche market that is drawing in more people every year.

The author begins by making the same observation I've made over many years of going to races. Most racers use a diesel powered vehicle to pull their race car to the track which is gas powered. Today, diesel is no longer for tow vehicles. There is a huge, enthusiastic diesel motorsports culture. This diesel world includes engine builders, aftermarket providers and sanctioning bodies as well as the sponsors and businesses that provide products for the racers. Altogether it's a great show for the fans. 

Zurschmeide notes that drag strips are the primary venues for diesel racing, with a strong second being presence at pulling competitions. Diesel has also found some surprising success in sports car racing as when Audi proved that a diesel-powered car could compete at the highest levels. In 2006-2008 Audi’s TDI prototypes won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans three years in a row.

That last bit about Le Mans is no laughing matter. Audi and other automakers have developed some powerful diesel power plants, as we noted recently regarding Daimler's powerful new diesel engine for their Mercedes Benz. 

Photo courtesy Diesel Motorsports

That having been said, the mass market for diesel motorsports in America still remains almost entirely limited to straight-line power contests. For now.

Trucks are King in the diesel motorsports scene, which is a grassroots movement driven by an appreciation for power. This need for power is what drives engine builders to satisfy the hunger. Cummins, Duramax and Power Stroke are the main foundations, but innovative builders augment these engines to maximize their capabilities. 

The full article goes much deeper. Check it out by following the first link below.

(Sidenote: The song "Shake, Rattle & Roll" was originally recorded by Big Joe Turner, then made famous by Bill Haley & the Comets.)

KEY LINKS

Shake, Rattle & Roll

70-Year-Old Diesel Is A Thoroughbred at Pike's Peak Hill Climb

Daimler Claims This Is the Most Powerful Diesel Car in Mercedes-Benz History

Looking For Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil? 

Ka-Boom! Diesel Engine Explodes On Dyno, Throws Piston into the Stands

No, this is not a scene from a movie.

In 1998, Peter Bernstein published a noteworthy bestseller by Peter Bernstein titled Against the Gods, the Remarkable Story of Risk. The author's premise was that in whatever endeavor one undertakes, there is risk involved and we need to learn how to manage it. No one is infallible when predicting outcomes because there are always variables outside of our control. In short, risk is a part of business. There are no sure things. As Robert Burns noted in his Ode to a Mouse, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

This book came to mind when I read a recent Truck Trend story about a 12-valve Cummins diesel engine that blew up on the dyno in a somewhat sensational fashion. It didn't just throw a piston; it threw a piston into the crowd.  

Competition pushes people to discover the limits of their equipment. Nevertheless, these efforts always involve risk. You can choose to play it safe and minimize risk, but you won't bring home any trophies.

The explosion took place a few weeks back at the Ultimate Callout Challenge in Brownsburg, Indiana. The team Power Driven Diesel had its truck named Godfather up on the dyno. They were looking for spectacular numbers. Instead they experienced a spectacular debacle.

According to the story by Monica Gonderman, the truck's main engine had been having trouble during the drag racing portion of the event so they replaced it for dyno day. Evidently they had a small fire a couple hours before their turn on the dyno, but must have felt they were good to go. 

They were aiming for an earth-shaking 3,000 horsepower, which they hoped to achieve with a little squirt of nitrous. Having hit 2700 hp a week earlier, they were feeling upbeat about it. Gonderman writes:

After shifting into fourth gear, the truck was under full power and pushing probably 250 pounds of boost. It was ripping through the pull nicely--until it wasn't. The internet reports that the truck made 2,369 hp and 3,039 lb-ft of torque before exploding. 

As we said at the outset, there is always risk involved, especially when you are pushing the envelope. The truck experienced serious damage as parts flew everywhere. The piston landed two rows in front of a guy shooting video. 

The PDD team seems to have been good sports about it all, because they offered to sign engine parts as souvenirs for those who witnessed the calamity. Todd, the man in the driver's seat, said the reverberations from the explosion felt like what you might feel when surrounded by an exceptionally good sound system. Good vibrations? 

On May 23 the Power Driven Diesel team posted a video about the event on YouTube and has already had over 200,000 views. You can watch it here. 

You can also check out the Truck Trend site to read more and see a gallery of photos.  

NOTE: This coming weekend it's the Daytona Truck Meet at Daytona Beach, from June 10 - 13. Will we see you there? 

GM Testing the New Duramax Diesel Powered Oshkosh JLTV

The relationship between military and civilian vehicles has an interesting history. During WW2 G.I.'s had the first encounter with the those light-duty 4x4 transports known as jeeps. They were rugged, reliable and ever ready for action. Even though it was basically designed for functionality and not comfort, after the war, lots of guys said, "I want one of these." As early as 1945 the first Civilian Jeeps were manufactured.

More recently, the HumVee had the same effect. HumVees were light four-wheel drive military trucks developed by AM General at the beginning of the 1980s. During Operation Desert Storm they received a lot of exposure and sure enough, civilians began wanting these as well and a civilian version was introduced in 1992 as the Hummer. In 1993 their all-terrain toughness made them competitive in off-road racing. GM purchased the brand in 1998 and continued manufacturing them. They even reconfigured some as stretch limousines.

Fast Forward to the Present

A next generation version of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) military transport is now in the works and being tested at Yuma and Oshkosh. When the RFT went out in 2008 for a disruptive new military vehicle to replace the HumVee (Official name: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) and numerous major companies prepared bids. At that time, GM was not amongst those companies courting the contract. Today GM Defense has its hat in the ring to develop and produce this next-gen JLTV. GM Defense is the military vehicle and technology division of General Motors. 

Oshkosh Defense has been the manufacturer since that first run but GM has so analyzed this machine they believe they know it better than Oshkosh itself. 

What interested us most here at Blue Flame is that the engine for this vehicle is a Duramax supplied by Banks Power--yes, the same Gale Banks team that develops innovative engines for racers. The JLTV will be the most advanced, fastest and safest light tactical vehicle ever. The Duramax V8 turbo-diesel engines is couple with a six-speed transmission. According to Army Technology, it's equipped with a TAK4i intelligent suspension system which enable it to deliver a superior riding experience across various terrains.

According to a story by Bernice Baker, who had a chance to be a passenger, this is a machine that can tackle nearly any obstacle from marshy swamp to 60 degree vertical uphill climbs, navigating bouldered terrain and log piles with apparent ease.

It's also designed for being equipped with weaponry, something that I doubt will be available for civilians in this era of road rage. It has a self-leveling feature that improves weapon sighting, writes Baker. 

Like the HumVee it is designed with a low profile so as to make it convenient to load on cargo aircraft and amphibious landing craft that have low height clearances. Its versatility is another plus. It's not really a toy, but it does look like it could be fun.

Relevant Links

GM Authority's Photo Gallery of Testing at Oshkosh

Heart-Stopping Power: Gale Banks' 1200 Horsepower Tri-Charged Duramax

Baja Photo Gallery of the Project Vehicle Courtesy Banks Power

The Army Technology Feature with still more photos

Nearly Half of All Commercial Trucks Now Powered by Clean Diesel Technology with Near Zero Emissions

Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash

Yesterday the Diesel Technology Forum released information from a new study with impressive new numbers regarding the adoption of advanced diesel technology. Nearly half (49%) of all commercial diesel trucks on the road today utilize the newest diesel engine technology, eliminating 202 million metric tons of CO2, 27 million metric tons of NOx ad 1.6 million metric tons of PM. All this has been achieved while simultaneously saving almost 20 billion gallons of diesel and 296 million barrels of crude. 

Right now 23 states exceed this average and Indiana leads the pack with 67% of its commercial trucks being 2011 or newer. 

To fully appreciate how significant these numbers are, consider this. The quantity of emissions and fuel savings is equivalent to replacing 43 million cars with EVs or creating a 210,000 acre wind farm (roughly 5 times the size of Washington D.C.).

How many Americans are aware of how much progress has been made in reducing toxic discharge? Throughout the coming decade we will see even greater environmental gains.

"Results from the newest technology diesel vehicles are growing in the form of cleaner air and fewer greenhouse gases in communities around the country," said Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. For those unfamiliar, the DTF is a not-for-profit association that represents leaders in diesel engines, equipment and fuels.

The primary reason all this is important is that diesel-powered commercial carriers are the primary, and favored, way of transporting goods across our ribbons of highway. Reliability, durability, low-cost acquisition and operation, high-value resale and flexibility head the list of reasons diesel-powered trucks are dominant. With the incremental improvements to achieve zero emissions and energy-efficient performance, diesel's contributions to our nation's economic growth are significant and unheralded.

Diesel Technology Forum continues to do important work as advocates on behalf of diesel. We're exceedingly appreciative of their lobbying efforts and all the numbers crunching they do to assemble this kind of encouraging information for the diesel community. 

The full article is a five minute read. You can check it out here.

GMC Lands Two on US News & World Report's List of 13 Most Powerful Diesel Trucks

GMC Sierra 1500 -- standing strong in 2021.

Making lists -- whether Top 10 Video Games or Top 100 Album Covers -- seems to be one of those things we never weary of. Top 10 state colleges. Top 5 investments for coming out of the pandemic. Billboard Top 100 for any year. Forbes' Top 400 Billionaires always grabs a lot of eyeballs. And the subject of this blog post, U.S. News & World Reports' Most Powerful Light-Duty Pickup Trucks of 2021.

My first thought in reading this list is to ask, "Why 13?" The answer that comes readily to mind is that by making the list longer, it can be more inclusive. Thus, U.S. News & World Report is able to include Nissan, Toyota and Honda offerings, in addition to the major U.S. manufacturers' offerings. 

In this post I want to introduce the two GMC trucks, then close by listing the top five on USN&WR's powerful trucks list.  Number 8 on the list is the 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 Off Road Performance Edition. The GMC Sierra 1500 muscled its way into the Number 3 slot.

GMC Sierra 1500
The truck division of General Motors covers a lot of territory. GMC makes military vehicles, motorhomes, SUVs, vans, buses, and trucks--heavy duty, medium-duty and light duty. This year's Sierra is available with five engine options, out favorite being the Duramax 3.0-liter Turbo-Diesel. This engine produces 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. 

If you know your Spanish, you might be aware that the word sierra means saw. We've come to associate it with mountains, but those High Sierras and Sierra Madres obtained their names from their ragged sawtooth appearance. GMC adopted the name to no doubt correspond to the rugged requirements for vehicles in this kind of terrain.

In addition to the engine options, the Sierra comes with three different drivetrain options that correspond with engine selection. GMC also offers buyers three different can configurations as well. Just looking at this truck, with is expansive grille and staunch design, gives you the impression that it's ready and able to go to work. 

2021 GMC Canyon

2021 GMC Canyon 

Like the Sierra, the Canyon also has a name that speaks of ruggedness. The GMC Canyon took a respectable 8th place on the USN&WR top 13 list. This truck has three engine options. It's Duramax Turbo-Diesel is a four-cylinder power plant that puts out 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. This is a more compact machine that one can dress up with trim options.  

Car & Driver summed up its take on the Canyon with this verdict: "The Canyon has fancier styling than its Chevy sibling, but they both have tremendous capabilities."

The Top 5 
Here are the five USN&WR selected as their highest rated favorites, though all of these trucks have been turning heads and pulling strong reviews. 

(5) 2021 Nissan Titan

(4) 2021 Silverado 1500 

(3) 2021 GMC Sierra

(2) 2021 Ford F-150

Numero Uno: 2021 Ram 1500

GMC liked seeing both these trucks make the USN&WR Top 13 Powerful Light Duty Trucks list. This blog post was inspired by a story highlighted on The News Wheel website.

For a full account of the 13 trucks selected by U.S. News & World Report, visit Jim Gorzelaney's May 27 story here.

Photos: GMC