The engine is the heart of any vehicle. Engine oil is not only vital for ensuring the protection, function, and efficiency of a vehicle’s engine, but selecting the right lubricant can also reduce down time and associated maintenance costs, improve fuel economy, as well as contribute to your fleet’s sustainable efforts.
By Darryl Purificati
Engine oil is the lifeblood of a heavy-duty engine, lubricating the internal hardware to help maintain its performance, protection, and longevity. The lubricant is therefore vital for protecting the internal components of the engine—the ‘heart’ of the vehicle.
The Role of Engine Oil
In simple terms, engine oils are used to lubricate an engine and keep it running smoothly, minimizing friction and wear between moving components, and reducing unnecessary power losses. For fleets operating in the waste industry where stop/start technology is used, proper engine protection is even more important. These vehicles require a more durable lubricant to protect the engine against a significant amount of on/off cycles, which can result in increased wear. If an engine is not properly lubricated, it can cause its condition to rapidly deteriorate, and, in turn, result in costly unexpected maintenance and vehicle down time. In extreme cases that go unaddressed, engine failure can occur.
The protection offered by a lubricant is affected by several factors that must be considered when thinking about the best oil for your engine. Higher temperatures will accelerate the rate of the oil’s degradation and using a high-quality engine oil can counteract this
issue by providing improved oxidation control. Control of aeration is critical to preserve integrity of the lubricant and reducing shear stability helps sustain the viscosity characteristics of the original fluid.
Another factor that can impact engine protection is lubricant viscosity. Engine oils with higher viscosity are heavier and traditionally seen to provide more protection due to their ability to provide better film thickness. However, with advances in lubricant technology this is not necessarily the case anymore.
Many lower viscosity lubricants are just as durable and maintain the same level of engine protection as their higher viscosity counterparts while increasing the efficiency of overall engine operations, which can also improve fuel economy. The results are even more impressive in colder climates, where lower viscosity engine oils can more effectively lubricate engine componentry upon start-up and reduce the time it takes for engines to warm up thanks to their ability to flow faster through the engine and get to the working parts more quickly.
The most important factor, however, remains the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) recommendation. Ideally engine oils should meet and surpass OEM standards, as these lubricants can provide better engine protection and provide confidence that the oil meets the requirements of your specific engine. This is particularly important for engines under warranty as using the incorrect lubricant can put this at risk of being invalidated.
sufficiently protected.
Photo courtesy of Petro-Canada Lubricants.
The Benefits of Superior Engine Protection
Properly selecting and monitoring your engine oil will mean that your engine is sufficiently protected, and you can also experience a number of other benefits. These can include the potential to safely extend oil drains, improve fuel economy, reduce maintenance, and even contribute to your fleet’s sustainability goals.
To extend oil drain intervals without negatively impacting the condition and efficiency of your vehicles’ engines, it is important to conduct a regular oil analysis program and work with a lubricant expert who can help monitor and interpret your used oil data analysis. This first stage is key as it sets the baseline for the oil drain intervals and wear metal amounts as shown in the analysis data.
Once this is complete you will be able to work with your lubricant technical expert to extend out your drain intervals while closely monitoring to confirm you maintain engine lubrication so that engine protection is not compromised.
Extending oil drain intervals offers several benefits. This includes increasing the time the vehicle is on road time between scheduled maintenance stops, which, in turn, reduces the amount of oil needed per truck for oil changes each year and the volume of waste oil produced. Additionally, by switching to a suitable low viscosity engine oil you can reduce overall fuel consumption and carbon emissions, contributing to your operation’s sustainability goals.
Lower viscosity engine oils can flow faster, and, therefore, move more easily through the engine, helping to further improve engine efficiency and performance. This enables the engine to potentially use less fuel to achieve the same output,
reducing fuel consumption and improving fuel economy. However, before making any changes to your engine oil, it is vital to consult the OEM manual for its recommendation on lubricant viscosity.
Protecting the Heart of the Vehicle
The engine is the heart of any vehicle. Engine oil is not only vital for ensuring the protection, function, and efficiency of a vehicle’s engine, but selecting the right lubricant can also reduce down time and associated maintenance costs, improve fuel economy, as well as contribute to your fleet’s sustainable efforts.
However, to reap these benefits and maintain superior engine protection, you must work closely with a lubricant expert to select the right engine oil to meet the OEM and operational requirements of your waste fleet. | WA
Darryl Purificati is Senior Technical Advisor, OEM/Automotive, for Petro-Canada Lubricants, an HF Sinclair brand. He is also the Chair of the American Petroleum Institute (API) lubricants committee. For more information, visit lubricants.petro-canada.com.