"Michael D. Porter" wrote:
>
> Fred Thomas wrote:
> >
> > Michael, diesel engines are exempt from most all state emmission
> > inspections, and which large H.D. trucks or cars (diesel) have a cat.
> > converter.
>
> Sorry, Fred. Entirely wrong. Heavy-duty vehicles are covered by Federal
> law, as defined by the EPA. These rules went into effect around 1994,
> and got much stricter in 1996 and 1998, and will get even tighter in
> year 2000, since several engine makers got caught diddling the emissions
> data. Hate to say it, but it's my business--I work for a company which
> builds heavy-duty transit buses.
And, I forgot to add--we have not installed an engine, whether diesel or
natural gas, regardless of engine manufacturer, without a converter
since 1994. The original thrust of the regulations was to reduce
particulate emissions, but since then, the manufacturers have had to
install 3-ways, or alter injector timing and volumes to incorporate
low-smoke modes and to minimize nitrogen oxides. The latter was the item
avoided by manufacturers which got them in trouble with the Feds
recently.
Even though states may not require emissions testing, the Federal law is
broader and more encompassing than state law would be, and the engine
manufacturers must adhere to the regulations, in the same way that car
manufacturers must certify that their engines meet EPA standards for a
given number of miles or years. Because of those standards, all
heavy-duty engines sold in the last few years are equipped with
catalytic converters.
The important point here, given Phil's original post, is that the
so-called lubrication expert in the Car & Driver article may be behind
the times.... If you pick up a quart of Castrol 10W-40 and it says it
has an API rating of CF-2 through CH-4, it is suitable for use in a
heavy-duty diesel engine, so why go out and pay more for a heavy-duty
rated special diesel oil? Same same. There is some suggestion from
available data that the much earlier oils, even if they had better
anti-oxidation additives, are now obsolete and are unavailable, probably
because introducing them into an engine with a catalytic converter will
eventually cause the converter to foul. And if current additives are
suitable for both diesel and spark ignition engines, then there's no
benefit to be gained from a more expensive specialized diesel oil. The
API rating determines the oil properties and the level of engine
manufacturer certification, not whether or not it is advertised as
formulated specifically for diesel use.
Cheers.
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