Know Your Donuts

There is a new kind of “donut” in town however it’s not the type of edible donut that you would enjoy with your coffee. This particular “donut” that I’m speaking about comes from the American Petroleum Institute known to many as the API service symbol “donut.”

Make sure you are putting the proper oil into your engine as there have been many changes over the years. Two new oils have entered the market which both fall into the PC 11 category. It is very unusual for API to publish standards on two new oils at the same time. CK-4 is backward compatible and will replace CJ-4 while FA-4 is much different and is suited for the newest truck engines.

Times sure have changed from when I first began changing oil in my parent’s vehicles. Back in those days, the standard interval was 3,000 miles or three months, whichever came first. When I purchased my first semi-truck, the recommendation was every 15,000 miles and today we are seeing these intervals at recommended levels beyond 50,000 miles given certain criteria. One thing that has not changed over the years is the importance of having the correct lubricants at the proper levels and replacement intervals to maximize the longevity and efficiency of each and every drivetrain component. Be sure to check out the links below for more information regarding this subject.

Demand Detroit

Diesel Oil Matters