On May 18, 2017, Dave Marti Trucking’s 2007 Peterbilt 379, featuring a Cat C15 diesel engine, turned 1,000,000 miles without issue. The engine was torn down in December 2017, and almost every part was analyzed. The engine was in outstanding condition. We sincerely appreciate Dave’s loyalty to FS and his willingness to help us tell the story about his truck. While not everyone can or will choose to run equipment to a million miles, we want you to know it can be done. Dave did it! This article is dedicated to highlighting the results of Dave’s meticulous maintenance coupled with high performance FS fuels and lubricants.
Engine Wear
Cylinder liners sit inside the block and house the pistons. A critical element of the cylinder liner is honing, otherwise known as crosshatch. Honing creates microscopic peaks and valleys on the liner wall that help retain a protective film of oil for better longterm protection of engine parts. It enhances the engine’s cooling capacity, protects the ring’s ability to seal, improves heat transfer capabilities, defends against combustion gas leakage, prevents piston skirt scoring, and helps maintain better compression to assure power.
Low-quality diesel engine oils allow lacquer and sticky deposits to form in the honing grooves of the cylinder liner, resulting in a smooth, glazed liner surface finish. The glazed finish is caused by wear and deposit buildup and ultimately leads to a dramatic increase in oil consumption along with a decrease in torque and horsepower. Even after 1,000,000 miles, the cylinder liners exhibited outstanding honing retention. Dave had used FS Suprex Gold ESP the entire time, and it had done its job of protecting the liners.
In addition to leading viscosity modifier technology that lasts longer than competing brands, Suprex Gold ESP contains a unique detergent system that retains a high level of total base number (TBN) to neutralize corrosive acids throughout the oil drain interval. It also contains robust anti-wear chemistry that coats metal surfaces to prevent metal-to-metal contact, antioxidants to limit the rate of acid production caused by oxidation, and dispersants to hold soot particles in suspension instead of allowing them to build up on liner walls and pistons. The result is a balanced formula, longer-lasting protection, and the potential to safely extend oil drain intervals. *
How did the other parts look? Watch highlights from the two-day teardown and hear from the JX Peterbilt mechanic yourself: https://youtu.be/Tq6QVrN1DZw.
*FS always recommends utilizing Used Oil Analysis if looking to safely extend oil drain intervals.
Complete Combustion
The teardown also gave us the opportunity to evaluate evidence left behind by fuel combustion in the combustion chambers. Dave’s truck is used primarily for short hauls, providing opportunity to routinely fuel up with Dieselex Gold additized diesel fuel.
Total Fuel System Protection
While Dave Marti’s million-mile truck provided real-world evidence of the benefits of quality products and meticulous maintenance, it didn’t tell the whole story regarding Dieselex Gold. Complete combustion, clean engines, maximized power and efficiency, and wear-protected engine parts are only part of the story.
Clean, dry fuel is essential to the operation and efficient combustion within engines utilizing a high-pressure common rail (HPCR) fuel system. Fuel quality management (FQM) is important and can work synergistically when used in tandem with a fuel like Dieselex Gold.
Moisture, mainly from condensation, is the beginning of most fuel quality problems. Excessive condensation leads to free water at the bottom of the tank, creating an ideal environment for bacteria and corrosion. Tactics to reduce the amount and effects of condensation include keeping the tank full, tilting the tank away from the suction pipe, installing proper venting, and providing shade for the tank. A regular check of storage tank bottoms is recommended.
Filtration is another useful tactic for keeping fuel clean and dry. Today’s HPCR engines contain moving parts with very tight tolerances. Even small particles can get stuck between moving parts and cause sticking and wear. Filters effectively remove rust, corrosion, and other particles that can harm engines. Using a Hydrosorb filter can also remove small amounts of water and provide an indication of more significant water problems.
So how does in Dieselex Gold Dieselex Gold encourage s make FQM even more effective? free water in the fuel to drop to the removal , ultimately preventi ng Demulsifier chemistry tank bottom for easy corrosion and sludge. Another technology, commonly used in the aviation industry, increases the fuel’s capacity to hold dissolved moisture allowing it to keep tanks dryer. Dispersant chemistry in Dieselex Gold keeps solid particles that are not caught by the fuel filter small enough to pass through the fuel system without causing harm. Its lubricity component helps , prevent wear on pumps and injector s as well.
Regularly following FQM procedures coupled with the using Dieselex Gold system performance and protection of can improv e the quality of the fuel entering the engine and ultimately optimize combustion within the cylinder . ’s fuel See your local FS Energy sal es professional for more information on FQM and Dieselex Gold.