Ok so like I said before I'm new to diesel. What I'm reading is you're getting fuel in the crankcase causing these catastrophic failures
My question is are you supposed to get fuel in there and if so what is the acceptable amount.
I've had my truck for three weeks. Checked the oil yesterday and it's very black already and the level is above max. The dealership I bought from supposedly changed it upon arrival to their shop. They could have overfilled I guess or is this the fuel getting in there
OK, some amount of diesel fuel in the motor oil is unavoidable, however as indicated by the excellent AMSOIL videos posted by MSP548 the regen cycles tend to increase the amount of fuel dilution being experienced. No the fuel is not pumped through the crankcase it inadvertently ends up there. The ED injectors can fire 6 times per cycle. So 1. some fuel is allowable. How much? 4% or below has been the industry standard for years. By TC Diesel's standard 2% at 5K miles would equal 4% at 10K miles, so at industry standard. 2. The type of oil is pivotal in this respect as well as driving patterns. The oil originally placed in the ED, and some dealers are still installing, was a euro spec 5W-30 which was known to not do well with high levels of fuel dilution. But in FCA defense it was not totally anticipated. I presently am reading another article concerning diesel engine oil in the May 2017 issue of
Engine Builder magazine,
www.enginebuildermag.com, pre warning not all articles are online available to non members, in the 12th paragraph it references the FCA change from the 5W-30 to the 10W-40 or 15W-40 CJ-4 classification oils. Title of the article
Regulations and Research. how PC-11 Became a CK-4/FA-4 Reality. Noted five years of testing and implemented in Dec. 2016. The CJ-4 category of oils has a higher soot/ash/fuel contamination carrying capability with a higher shear strength. With the caveat that the SN designation of motor oil is for automobile gas fuel.
Drive patterns also play a role in fuel dilution, as it also plays a role in regeneration cycles. A lot of short haul, in town type of driving will increase the need for regen cycles and therefore increase the potential for fuel dilution, as well as not allowing the engine temp and oil temp to stabilize long enough to allow the diesel fuel to evaporate from the oil. Conversely long haul drive cycles reduce the regen cycles and also allow for stabilized oil temps and evaporation times. During these cycles it is important to have a motor oil that can handle the contamination.
I do not know your or MSP548's driving patterns so I can not even begin to guess your oil level causation, however I can state that a reliable lab test of your oil for protective additive levels as well as fuel dilution is a good idea. Some recommend testing at half way point of planned oil change, some perform at oil change. Many of the posters on this board utilize these services and I would leave it to you to decide who best to use. I would also recommend using a Diesel Oil stabilizer additive, of which several are available and several are used by posters on this board.
As I stated in a previous post I debated a diesel engine purchase based upon my drive patterns and my knowledge of diesel and gas engines, I also debated CNG and Propane fueled engines. The technology is new and developing in the DPF and NOX catalyst on diesels but bear in mind that all new model Commercial diesels now have the DPF and NOX systems installed so this technology should be settling into a sustainable area shortly. The technology had been known for years but EPA advanced the timeline for implementation of the Tier 7 bin 5 standards by a couple of years at the last minute, giving a shortened testing cycle for the manufacturers.
I apologize for the long post. There is just too much information and emotion attached to this issue to have single syllable answers. And I am sure someone will call me out for misreading my post.
