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Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc.
Oregon Truck Dispatch
TMC
TECHNOLOGY & MAINTENANCE COUNCIL
New Diesel Engine Oils
Meet the Needs of Current & Future Engines
By Dan Arcy, OEM Technical Manager, Shell Lubricants
About Dan Arcy
Dan works closely with
OEMs on new product
testing and development
of lubricants and new
lubricant specifications.
He also works
extensively with Shell’s
on- and off-highway
field testing programs.
He served as chairman
of the New Category
Development Team
(NCDT) and was
responsible for leading
the NCDT in defining
the PC-11 performance
standard for the next
generation heavy-duty
engine oils.
API CK-4 and FA-4 Oil
Specifications Will Replace
Current CJ-4 Category
The American Petroleum Institute (API), working
with engine manufacturers and oil makers, has
completed redesigning two new heavy-duty engine
oil specifications. Nearly a decade has passed since
the last diesel engine oil category, API CJ-4, was
developed and major changes are required.
The current CJ-4 standard has lasted well beyond the
life of the typical engine category. Some of the engine
tests required to qualify an oil are no longer available
or no longer relevant to next-generation engines.
Oil technology and engine technology go hand in
hand. Changing regulatory limits challenge engine
manufacturers to reduce emissions. As engine
manufacturers begin to create a new generation of
lower CO2, more fuel-efficient diesel engines, they
need a new generation of higher-performing diesel
engine oils to protect them.
Evolution to Revolution
Heavy-duty diesel engine designs have evolved
substantially over the last 40 years. This evolution has
been driven by emission legislation and customers’
requirements for efficiency and reliability. There has
been significant progress. For example, high pressure,
common-rail injection systems are now widely used
to improve combustion efficiency; advances in
turbocharger technology have increased specific
power output; and exhaust gas recirculation and after
treatment devices, such as diesel particulate filters
and selective catalytic reduction, have curbed
harmful emissions of oxides of nitrogen and
particulate matter (i.e., soot).
Despite this progress, recent regulations coupled
with customers’ desires to reduce the total cost of
ownership are making fuel economy the most
critical driver for engine manufacturers. Advanced
technologies and materials, and new operating
conditions such as higher operating temperatures
continue to improve engine efficiency.
Engine changes place more stress on the oil, which
has to lubricate, cool, clean and protect over long oil-
drain intervals. The vehicle industry is starting to
recognize that oil can help to achieve an engine’s full
potential for fuel economy without compromising
hardware durability. As engine manufacturers create
cleaner, more fuel-efficient diesel engines, they will
need a new generation of higher-performing diesel
engine oils to protect them.
Defining the Category
Engines have changed considerably since CJ-4 was
introduced. They have improved fuel consumption
and increased power outputs. New EPA emission
and NHTSA legislation scheduled for diesel-
powered commercial transport vehicles in 2017
requires significant improvements in fuel
consumption that will help to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions. These fuel consumption
improvements depend on vehicle class, type and
size, and include specific improvements for medium
and heavy-duty engines. This has created the need
for a new category of lubricant specifications,
collectively called Proposed Category 11 (PC-11)
while they were being developed.
The new specifications have been finalized and
two new oils performance standards were