Equipment World Digital Magazine
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SAE 10W-30 A P I S E R V I C E CK -4 , C J - 4 , C I- 4 , CH - 4 C I - 4 P L U S SAE 10W-30 F A - 4 AP I S E R V I C E August 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 34 Category 11. That was a temporary group designa- tion, and as of December the official API licensing nomenclature will be CK-4 and FA-4. We asked three experts in the industry to tell us what this means for you. Here's what they said: WHY THE SPLIT? On-road engine manufacturers are looking at tight- ening fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions requirements in 2017. To meet these goals, they needed help from a low-viscosity oil. The lower the viscosity, the less energy the engine spends mov- ing the oil around the engine to the pistons and crankshaft, etc. So the oil industry came up with the FA-4 standard to provide this low viscosity – and still be able to protect the engine from wear and maintain or extend drain intervals. Road tests indicate that the FA-4 oils can improve on-highway fuel economy by 2 to 4 percent. The off-road engine manufacturers also wanted a new oil formulation, but for different reasons. Newer off-road engines run hotter, so OEMs asked for an oil that provided better oxidation control, among other things (See "What are the main benefi ts to us- ing the new oils?" on page 36). But fuel economy is less important to the off-road market and off-road manufacturers were not sure lower viscosities could provide the kind of wear protection they needed in severe service applications, so they got a separate oil category, CK-4, with the same performance im- provements, just different viscosity specs. WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO BUY THE OLD CJ-4 OILS I'VE BEEN USING? For a while, yes, but don't expect them to be around much longer than three to six months. Historically, diesel lube oil category transitions happen rapidly since most of the oil companies and most of their customers don't want to stock two types of oil. WILL THE NEW OILS WORK IN OLD TRUCKS AND EQUIPMENT? The new CK-4 oils for off-road and on-road equip- ment are backward compatible with almost all other off-road and on-road diesel engines, regard- less of age. They can also be used in any current or older on-highway engines. As in the past, fleets should select the recommended viscosity grade for their anticipated ambient temperature and operat- ing conditions. The FA-4 oils were designed specifically for fuel economy in newer on-road engines and will not be available in XW-40-weight viscosity grades. This may limit their backward compatibility for some older trucks. In cases where FA-4 oil is not recommended, on-highway fleets can use the CK-4 formulations. There is no detriment to using CK-4 oils in older truck engines. The only difference is that you don't get the fuel economy benefit with XW-40 grade CK-4. Ultimately the engine OEMs will determine which of their older on-highway engines are suitable for FA-4 oils. maintenance | continued CJ-4 Previously for all HD diesels on- and off-road Off-road equipment, vocational trucks (for now), and some on-road trucks. Approved on-road trucks seeking fuel economy advantage. For: For: OLD NEW NEW Graphic: Equipment World