Following more than
186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) and one year of
tough, severe road service under extreme conditions
in Australia, engine teardowns to assess the mettle
of Shell ROTELLA T have been completed.
And even though one year under these tough conditions would be like three years of service in the US, ROTELLA T not only stood up to the challenge, it passed the strict examinations with flying colors.
The results?
“Engine
component after engine component has shown little
or no wear,” said Dan Arcy, transport products marketing
manager for Shell Lubricants. “We are very proud of
the results, especially when you consider the heat
and dust in the operating environment, and the high
levels of soot and acid that resulted from the massive
amount of fuel burned.
Having tackled the severe conditions
in the Australian Outback, we’re extremely confident
that ROTELLA
®
T will perform admirably anywhere in the world.”
Engine Teardown Highlights
-
minimal sludge buildup on injector rocker arm assembly, valve deck, front gear cover,
gears and oil pan.
-
cylinder liner crosshatch pattern was well preserved,
while minimizing ring and liner wear and helping
to seal gases in the combustion chamber.
- wear
on the injector rocker arm shaft was minimal, indicating
excellent lubrication performance
-
piston pins were absent of scratches, scuffing and
abnormal wear patterns.
- Cams,
lobes and journals of the camshaft demonstrated
normal polishing, with all contact areas free of
ridges, scratches or distressed areas.
- The
rocker cover, valve deck, and oil pan were was extremely
clean, virtually free of deposits.
- The
piston crown had minimal bowl and crown deposits,
while ring grooves and ring belt areas were practically
free of carbon deposits.
“These
results confirm that ROTELLA®
T does an excellent job keeping the engine clean and
controlling deposits, oxidation and carbon buildup,
while also dispersing soot and controlling overall
oil consumption. Wear of bearings, valve train, rings,
and liners were minimal as well,” added Arcy.
About the Test
The
field test was conducted with three types of tractor
and multi-trailer combinations: fuel, cattle and mining
trucks called road trains.
The road trains measured
a maximum of 174 feet in length, vs. 75 ft in the
US, and weighed as much as 198 tons, roughly five
times the weight in the US.
“One way to assess how
hard an engine is working is to look at its fuel economy,
under the heavily loaded conditions, these engines
were getting around 2 miles per gallon,” said Arcy.
The road trains often operated in areas where the
temperatures were hot enough to necessitate cooling
towers for the differentials.
Shell ROTELLA® T is America ’s best-selling heavy-duty multigrade motor oil.
It meets or exceeds the warranty and service requirements of virtually all diesel and gasoline engine manufacturers, and may be used in gasoline
engines as well.
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