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"The fuel in California has not really had the lubricity additives removed
as they were not there to start with; there are no legal lubricity specs to
meet, only engine and fuel injection manufacturers requirements. No fuel
supplier wants to be saddled with being the only one who fails injection
equipment, so they may take some precautions. The addition of clean oil
into the fuel will certainly help and can be done safely. We do not
officially recommend that it be done as it is just not needed and the
system has to work on straight fuel..."
Cummins published a "Fuels for Cummins Engines" (Bulletin 3379001-05,
1995)
to better familiarize interested customers with our fuel specification
recommendations. This bulletin can be ordered from our literature supplier
by contacting Gannett Direct Marketing at 1-800-646-5609, or by calling
1-800-DIESELS and selecting the literature option or by sending E-mail to
"inquiry@gdms.com".
Or let us know your mailing address, and we will send you a copy.
Bulletin 3379001 also contains an extensive section titled, "Blending Fuel
and Lubricating Oil for On-Highway Applications", discussing U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulings on this subject. This
bulletin also contains a section on additives, which includes the
following:
"Cummins neither approves nor disapproves of the use of any fuel additive,
fuel extender, fuel system modification or the use of any device not
manufactured or sold by Cummins or its subsidiaries. Engine damaga, service
issues or performance problems that occur due to the use of these products
are NOT considered a defect in workmanship and/or material as supplied by
Cummins and are NOT compensable under the Cummins warranty. Cummins engine
are designed, developed, rated and built to operate on commercially
available No 2-D diesel fuel; therefore, it is not our policy to recommend
fuel additives. In extreme situations, when available fuels are of poor
quality or problems exist which are peculiar to certain operations,
additives may be used; however, Cummins recommends consultation with the
fuel supplier or Cummins Service Engineering Department prior to use of
fuel additives. Among the situations where additives could prove useful are
the following:
...
6. Cummins Premium Plus - Diesel Fuel Additive can be used to clean carbon
deposits from injectors and improve lubricity in fuels that fall below the
recommended lubricity specifications in Table 1... Premium Plus is the ONLY
diesel fuel additive recommended by Cummins for use with fuels that do not
meet the lubricity specifications in Table 1."
According to Table 1 of our Fuel bulletin, Cummins recommended
specifications for lubricity are:
"3100 grams or greater as measured with the U.S. Army scuffing BOCLE test
or Wear Scar Diameter (WSD) less than .45 mm at 60 degrees C (WSD less than
.38 mm at 25 degrees C) as measured with the HFRR method"
Lubricity is the ability of a liquid to provide hydrodynamic and/or
boundary lubrication to prevent wear between moving parts.
Table 3 lists the following lubrication values:
Fuel
Lubricity (BOCLE - grams)
------------------- ---------------------
No. 1-D fuel 1200 - 3000
No. 2-D fuel 1900 - 4500
No. 2 fuel oil 4600
Jet A fuel 1600
Jet B fuel less than
1000
No. 1&2-K kerosene more than 1500
JP-4 fuel less
than 1000
JP-5 fuel 2200
- 3000
JP-8 fuel 2200
- 3000
Cummins Diesel Engines will run on a great variety of fuels, but some fuels
will give better performance, higher efficiency, improved reliability, or
lower maintenance costs than others. Fuel must be selected based on
overall operating costs, not just on the price per gallon. Cummins Diesel
engines have been developed to take advantage of high-energy content and
generally lower cost of No. 2-D fuels.
Cummins engines are designed to operate on commercially available Grade
No.2 D fuel that meet the requirements of the American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM) D975, Standard Specifications for Diesel Fuel Oils.
Cummins recommends the use of a premium diesel fuel during winter operating
conditions (20 degF or below).
Most all fuel suppliers in cold climates blend about 30 percent No. 1 fuel
in with the No. 2 diesel. Cummins does not recommend use of straight No. 1
fuel or kerosene, since it does not have enough lubrication qualities to
avoid excessive wear on fuel system components. If ambient temperatures
require the use of straight No. 1 fuel, then a lubrication additive should
be added to the fuel. Cummins does not recommend more than 60 percent No. 1
fuel mixed with No. 2 diesel.
Cummins diesel engines will operate on some "Emergency" type fuels,
however, fuels outside the recommended fuel oil properties are only meant
to be used for short periods of time when no other fuels are available.
Use of emergency fuels can have an adverse effect on engine performance and
durability and Cummins assumes no warranty responsibility for repairs or
increased costs of operation resulting from the use of fuels that do not
conform to our recommendations.
Many "Emergency" type fuels that do not conform to Cummins
recommendations
and do not have sufficient lubrication qualities, which may require
additional maintenance and repairs to the engine fuel system components.
Also some Emergency fuels are much more flammable than No. 2-D which may
place the engine or operator at risk of fire or explosion.
No. 1 diesel is about the same as kerosene and does not have the
lubrication capabilities of No. 2 diesel. Cummins engines are
designed,
tested and built to run on No. 2 diesel and when fuel blending is required
in cold climates, Cummins recommends no more than 60 percent No. 1 fuel be
mixed with No. 2 diesel or fuel system components will be damaged from lack
of lubrication.
Under no circumstances must gasoline, gasohol or alcohol be blended with
diesel fuel. This practice creates an extreme fire hazard and under
certain conditions an explosive hazard.
If you are in doubt, it may be advisable to check with the fuel suppliers
in question to confirm whether the fuel lubricity meets the Cummins 3100
gram requirement.
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