Diesel Wear Scar test limits - Canada vs. USA

[3930dave]

Came across this recently,

Bosch - Why Diesel Fuel Injectors Fail - Diesel Power Magazine

Sounds like the Lubricity test limits for diesel fuel are slightly different.

"The maximum allowable wear scar in the United States is 520 microns (460 microns in Canada)."

I did not know that..... thought I'd share ! Haven't tracked down the actual govt regs, but at this point I'll run with the assumption that DieselPower verified this statement, before publishing.

Good general article on diesel injectors, and their failure modes.

(P.S. - I linked to page 2, where I took that quote. Bottom of the page gets you back to page 1, if you want to read the whole article).

Rgds, D.

 

[Henri88]

There has been many discussion on this issue on the Volkswagen "TDI" forum. Some TDI owners have had their "high pressure fuel pump" HPFP failing prematurely apparently cause by a lack of lubricity in the fuel. The percentage of failure is much much higher in the USA compare to Canada. From the research some members of TDI did, Canadian diesel doe's have better lubricity compare to US.

 

[WilliamBos]

And cutting diesel with kero is one of the worst things that can be done. It is used as a cutting agent, not good for injector pumps.

 

[Henri88]

And cutting diesel with kero is one of the worst things that can be done. It is used as a cutting agent, not good for injector pumps.

Agree!

 

[3930dave]

There has been many discussion on this issue on the Volkswagen "TDI" forum. Some TDI owners have had their "high pressure fuel pump" HPFP failing prematurely apparently cause by a lack of lubricity in the fuel. The percentage of failure is much much higher in the USA compare to Canada. From the research some members of TDI did, Canadian diesel doe's have better lubricity compare to US.

Interesting datapoint Henri. % wise, those limits don't seem that far apart; it would interesting to see the studies that were done to create the Canadian limit.

From the time I purchased my used diesels, I always have added a fuel additive. I saw enough data at the time to convince me that it would be a good idea, and the subsequent field reports agree.

This article caught my eye, 1) because you don't see the govt #'s quoted often, and 2) I didn't realize there was a border based difference.

Rgds, D.

 

[WilliamBos]

Interesting datapoint Henri. % wise, those limits don't seem that far apart; it would interesting to see the studies that were done to create the Canadian limit.

From the time I purchased my used diesels, I always have added a fuel additive. I saw enough data at the time to convince me that it would be a good idea, and the subsequent field reports agree.

This article caught my eye, 1) because you don't see the govt #'s quoted often, and 2) I didn't realize there was a border based difference.

Rgds, D.

I had heard that diesel in the USA is cut with Kero for the winter blend, if they still do this, that is why the difference between CDN and USA diesel.

 

[3930dave]

I had heard that diesel in the USA is cut with Kero for the winter blend, if they still do this, that is why the difference between CDN and USA diesel.

Ahhh.... now I'm with you Will. I was thinking you meant an individual (vehicle owner) adding Kero, got it !

Could be - seems a lot of this industry runs on whatever is the most expedient/profitable for the oil Co's - if that means your IP, etc. goes out early.... Oh Well !

Caveat Emptor.

Rgds, D.

 

[creekbend]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

 

[crazyal]

This is a little bit of PR from a company promoting Biodiesel and is a few years old but it's still worth reading.

http://oxytane.com/mystery/Liquid%20fuels/Lubricity%20Bulletin79.pdf

 

[3930dave]

This is a little bit of PR from a company promoting Biodiesel and is a few years old but it's still worth reading.

http://oxytane.com/mystery/Liquid%20fuels/Lubricity%20Bulletin79.pdf

You're welcome CB.

Al - thanks for that pdf. Great snapshot of the history of this issue, and likely explains where the Canadian threshold came from (the Engine Manufacturers Association).

A lot of people may not realize that Big Oil won over the Engine Manufacturers (in the USA) - no wonder this information is somewhat obscure.

Biodiesel is generally recognized for good lubrication properties.

My concerns with Bdiesel are:

1) Consistent quality. This will hopefully stabilize as the sector matures. Another thread I've been in on here demonstrated that certain areas of the USA have Biodiesel commonly available in fairly high percentages, and that most of the volume users recently have had good results. There does seem to be a critical mass aspect in a given geography to getting the consistency right.

2) Pump level labeling that very clearly communicates the Bdiesel % present.

3) Solvent action. If you take an old diesel like mine, run the tank almost empty, then throw in a load of B50 Biodiesel...... chances are I'll be changing a fuel filter Real Soon ! I can do that, but it is something I'd rather not do when taking a vacation or a critical business trip.

Potentially a PITA for me, but nothing compared to a newer diesel - a plugged filter in that case can mean you are buying a new Injector Pump :shocked: :cryingeyesout: !!!

Rgds, D.