Oil to Combat Fuel Dilution

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My wife is currently driving a TGDI fuel diluter, and loves the vehicle...so I am dealing with it by using 0W30 oil vs 0W20 and doing 5000mi OCI (60% live left according to the MM).

Was on the Total Lubrication web site and found some interesting discussion regarding fuel Dilution,

"For this reason, it is crucial to use a properly formulated, high-quality engine oil capable of withstanding dilution by fuel, as well as the additional effects caused by the portion of biofuel. To show how important this is, the ACEA has carried out two tests in this area: the CEC L-104 that controls the effects of biodiesel on the engine (piston, rings and the formation of deposits); and the GFC-Lu-43 A11 (oxidation in the presence of biofuel), where it controls the presence of fuel and the effects it produces, especially biodiesel.

As a result of these tests, the lubricant is better able to maintain its characteristics and increase its capacity to protect the engine in the event of dilution."

Is anyone familiar with these tests, as a result what oils would be good for this application?
Thanks,
 
Is your vehicle a diesel? The ACEA spec is concerned with the effects of bio diesel fuel in diesel engines.

If your vehicle is gas, use any SN+ and/or Dex1 Gen2 or, if a Ford, the proper Ford spec oil.
 
I'm using M1 0w30 in my mazda, 4k interval. It does see short trips. It has fuel dilution in cold weather. I am going to run M1 0w-40 in the winter.
 
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What fuel dilution levels have you been seeing in your oil analyses ?
 
This is an interesting question. To be clear, it's not about combatting fuel dilution but how the oil keeps its lubricant protection qualities while gasoline is being slowly added. We have seen multiple UOAs with high fuel dilution yet the wear metal numbers were still very good.

The SN+ and d1G2 testing regimens are on top of this and should be what the consumer looks for when buying oil for their GDI engine.
 
Biodiesel tests does not apply to gasoline engine, as the most common biodiesel in Europe is FAME based, which is a fatty acid treated with methanol & lye. Fuel dilution of diesels need to be able to handle residual methanol in the fuel.
 
Try 0w30, and have it analysed. See what the viscosity is and how much it sheared. If it is still within range of a 0w20 or 0w30 you should be good, If it sheared too much for your liking, id go up to a 0w40.
 
Go for an SN+/D1G2 that uses the least amount of VII's. Something like a 5w20/10w30, if possible.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
What fuel dilution levels have you been seeing in your oil analyses ?


Greater than 5%. 4500 miles on the oil , 7300 on the vehicle at that time. Sample drawn end of nov 2018 after her typical 7 mile commute. M1 0w30 afe.


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I wonder if the rings could still be seating?..at 7500 miles I'd be surprised if they were but you might call the dealership and ask them, considering the amount of F/D you are seeing. You might also ask them about your FI while you're at it.

For the time being consider cutting your oci's back to severe service (3750) and running a thicker oil like the 0w40 since the 0w30 doesn't seem to be staying in grade after just 4500 miles.

If you're having to top off between oci's, I'd consider using a 5/40 or maybe even an oil stabilizer (-but if you're not familiar with what an oil stabilizer is and how they work, you might wanna steer clear of that because too much can cause pressure/flow issues within the engine).

This is all a band aid.. you have a new car that's leaking a fair amount of fuel into the crankcase, you need to find out why that is.
 
Originally Posted by Tjbouwhu
My wife is currently driving a TGDI fuel diluter, and loves the vehicle...so I am dealing with it by using 0W30 oil vs 0W20 and doing 5000mi OCI (60% live left according to the MM).


We get that it is TGDI but could you tell us what specific vehicle and engine it is?
 
Originally Posted by doyall
Originally Posted by buster
Go for [an oil] that uses the least amount of VII's. ...


How does someone make this determination?

For a multi vis, the smaller the difference between the 2 numbers, the lower the amount of viscosity modifiers needed. That's the gist of it...
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
For a multi vis, the smaller the difference between the 2 numbers, the lower the amount of viscosity modifiers needed. That's the gist of it...


As a general rule that may have some validity, but is there a more precise method? Does base oil group/composition or any other identifiable characertistic which can be readily ascertained factor into the equation? I doubt the manufacturer is going to share that information.
 
Originally Posted by doyall
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
For a multi vis, the smaller the difference between the 2 numbers, the lower the amount of viscosity modifiers needed. That's the gist of it...


As a general rule that may have some validity, but is there a more precise method? Does base oil group/composition or any other identifiable characertistic which can be readily ascertained factor into the equation? I doubt the manufacturer is going to share that information.

You answered your own question... that's why we can only guesstimate.
 
Right. You can look at VI, Noack and mSDS to get "some idea" but it's not entirely accurate. For example, M1 EP 0w20 is majority PAO based and EP 5w20 is Visom based. It's possible that the 0w20, despite having the larger spread, had less VII's than the 5w20 due to the higher base oil quality natural VI. You can also look at Gokhan's base oil quality index too.
 
And as SonofJoe pointed out on here not all VII are the same. Some are of higher quality than others and are more shear resistant. He also stated that higher quality ones are more resistant to permanent viscosity loss.
 
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