Knowing what lubricant you need really comes down to the specifications. Ensure that you are sourcing engine oil that meets the most up to date specs. When you do this they are often (not always) backwards compatible with previous generations.   Diesel Engine Oil Specifications The newest specs for diesel engine oil are the API CK-4 and FA-4. These were launched in December 2016. API CK-4 replaced the API…

  You can think of viscosity as how thick a liquid is. A liquid with high viscosity is thick, like honey, while a liquid with low viscosity is thin, like water. Comparing water to honey is easy to understand and visualize, it leaves too wide a range when we are discussing equipment. So, we use more accurate measurements when formulating lubricants.  The chart below shows the common scales that viscosity is measured…

You see after-market engine oil additives on the shelves that promise performance enhancements. It sounds great - wear protection, cleaner engines, rust inhibitors. Should you use them? Should you use engine oil additives? The short answer - no. When a blender formulates your engine oil they have already carefully selected additives that work together. Adding an unknown additive to an existing engine oil can cause a reaction with the chemistry…

Looking for the right lubricant? Your owner's manual tells you what lubricant you need. But it can be time consuming and confusing to go through those tables. They list many different products, specifications, and viscosity requirements over several temperature ranges. This makes it tough to determine what you need for your equipment. Another solution? Call your oil supplier.   Calling your oil supplier When calling a supplier and asking for…

    The lubricant market is filled with supply shortages and pricing increases. Despite this pressure it's important to remain aware of which oil you are purchasing. Oil specs play a huge role in performance. We've all heard it - if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Our customers have been seeing vendors moving old stock for great deals. These deals may seem appealing due…