New Oils for Engines Set to Arrive in December
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Work on improving engine oils to assist in fuel efficiency is complete and the two new oils, CK-4 and FA-4, will be available in December, said Dan Arcy, global OEM technical manager of Shell Global Solutions.
New regulations to limit greenhouse-gas emissions and efforts to raise fuel efficiency prompted the changeover for both on-high and off-highway engines, experts said.
CK-4 is the next step up from the CJ-4 oil used now. FA-4, with a lower viscosity, is intended for new engines coming in 2017. Both have been in development since about 2006, Arcy told Transport Topics on Feb. 29 at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual meeting here.
Both new oils offer higher performance, said Arcy, who worked on the project. “They have higher oxidation stability, or the ability to perform in higher engine temperatures,” he said.
When they requested the new categories, engine manufacturers said some engine temperatures may be going up by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Centigrade) in 2017, he said.
“So that is a pretty significant increase in temperature,” Arcy said.
They also are better at controlling the air that forms in oil and foams up, reducing lubrication, he said.
In addition, they will have better shear stability to limit the stands of polymer that separate.
Shell said it has tested FA-4 type oils in existing engines over 25 million real-world miles.
