Guide to choose the lubricating oil for the diesel engine
The moment to choose the lubricating oil for the diesel engine of trucks or cars usually raises doubts in many people, after all, it is not any product available on the market that is capable of really guaranteeing the adequate performance and protection of the vehicle.
Choosing a quality lubricating oil for diesel engines is essential to ensure the safety and performance of the vehicle and, therefore, owners and mechanics must, yes, pay attention to this item.
Why choose the best lubricating oil for diesel engines?
Initially, it is necessary to understand the real importance of lubricating oil for diesel engines. Its function, contrary to what many people think, is not limited to just lubricating the moving parts of the engine, such as pistons and connecting rods.
In reality, lubricating oil is an item that has other essential functions for the proper functioning of the vehicle, such as the following features:
- decrease the wear of parts and the formation of sludge;
- refrigerate the hottest components;
- minimize wear and tear on parts;
- seal the engine against the possible passage of combustion gases.
What to consider to choose the best lubricating oil for diesel engine?
Now that you know the importance of lubricating oil, here's how to choose the best option for vehicles with a diesel engine !
Composition
A point that must be observed is the composition of the product, since a good lubricating oil must contain certain additives that guarantee maximum performance in its composition, such as:
- anticorrosive;
- antioxidants;
- anti-wear agents;
- antifoams;
- viscosity improvers;
- detergents.
Types
In addition to the composition, the type of lubricating oil used in the diesel engine is also very important and, for this reason, it is necessary to pay attention to this point when choosing a product. Currently, there are 3 types, they are:
- synthetic oils;
- mineral oils;
- semi-synthetic oils.
The ideal, to choose the type of lubricating oil, is to observe what is recommended by the manufacturer of each vehicle. In general, the most recommended oil is mineral, but it requires changes with less mileage than synthetic and semi-synthetic oils.
Synthetic oils, on the other hand, have a higher frequency of changes than mineral oil, since they provide more protection against waste deposits (sludge). However, it is recommended to associate them with quality fuels in order to preserve their properties.
Viscosity
Currently, diesel engine oil require the use of multivitamin oils, as oils with this type of viscosity can quickly reach all places that need lubrication when the engine starts, due to its high fluidity even at low temperatures, which minimizes wear and tear.
Quality
In order to guarantee higher quality products and check the performance of the lubricants available on the market, different companies in the industry carry out different quality tests.
Specifications
A good lubricating oil for diesel engine must meet 3 specifications. See below what they are!
Specification of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
SAE is a viscosity specification that determines the oil's resistance to flow. In general, this type of test looks at winter oils, summer oils and multivitamin oils (a kind of combination of the other 2).
American Petroleum Institute (API) specification
The API classifies the performance level of the lubricant taking into account the degree of rigidity of the working conditions. Diesel engines are classified as C engines. In addition, there is also a second letter that joins the “C” and aims to indicate the types of services that the engine is capable of performing.
Factory specifications
Finally, there are the factory specifications, which are those that appear in the instruction manual of the vehicle manufacturer and that shows which products are recommended for each model.
Thus, it is recommended to look at this material in order to consult which lubricating oil is specifically indicated for each vehicle, since automakers often carry out tests frequently to indicate the best performing lubricant for each engine.
