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Smaller diesel trucks run very high injector pressures and should fill at forecourts that have a high turnover of diesel stock

There was a time, not too long ago, when SA diesel had truck OEMs reeling under warranty claims. Much damage control was called for, coupled with a lot more testing and tweaking of truck components to reduce the likelihood of engine failure. To their credit, the OEMs succeeded in marrying their trucks with SA diesel relatively happily. Today, on paper, the incompatibility of local diesel and newly imported trucks is a thing of the past. The question is - will SA's low sulphur diesel cause engine problems as it rolls out? Paul Collings spoke to several OE representatives to get their take on the new 'juice'.

Geoff du Plessis, CEO of MAN SA Truck and Bus, sums it up perfectly: "Trucks need good clean fuel and good clean air."
 

MAN SA TRUCK & BUS  GEOFF DU PLESSIS... ‘have a two-year unlimited warranty on the TGA injector units and a two-year 200 000km warranty on our other trucks’.

New MAN trucks are fitted with the very latest common-rail injector units and when they first appeared on the scene here in SA, they struggled. Now with Euro 2 diesel readily available, Du Plessis does not foresee new problems arising with regards to injector failure. "We have a two-year, unlimited warranty on the TGA injector units and a two-year, 200 000 km warranty on our other trucks," says du Plessis, suitably putting his money where his mouth is.

Cummins has been conducting tests on the compatibility of local diesel with its engines for several years and, according to Marius de Lange, product and customer support director, "we did experience some failures with 500ppm and 50ppm diesel in the past. We sent the fuel pumps over to the US for analysis and the problems were quickly sorted out. We now have no problems with the bigger engines. The smaller engines run higher injection pressures and could run into problems but we're pretty confident they won't. Both Cummins and Bosch have enough experience and expertise of local conditions to prevent this."

The message from de Lange is that trucks need to be adapted to suit our unique operating environment. For example, "OEs are fitting fuel coolers now to lower inlet temperatures. On the positive side, recent developments have been effective in reducing soot generation and extending oil-drain intervals." 

A good illustration of how local diesel quality has improved over the last five years is the fact that DAF has been selling Euro 3 spec trucks in SA since 2004. "Sasol sent fuel samples to DAF in Europe to test," says Phil de Wet, MD, DAF SA. "It's a matter of understanding what's involved technically and putting the right solutions together."
 

DAF PHIL DE WET... it’s a matter of understanding what’s involved technically and putting the right solutions together

Indeed. And with truck technology very much an 'international' business, knowledge sharing and technical 'cross-pollination' only help to advance transport efficiencies across the planet.

From an emissions point of view, the environment will only benefit if trucks are well maintained and combusting perfectly. Peter Wraight, marketing manager, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, believes that you can't filter enough.
 

"Filters and water separators have to be spec'd for local conditions. One of our clients takes contamination so seriously that he actually welds the filler neck on the truck tank closed and fuels the trucks using a custom-made coupler that keeps dirt out. He also ensures his trucks are only filled from his own tanks."

Like de Lange, Wraight believes that extended oil-drain intervals are a boon in that they reduce downtime. He does sound a word of warning though: "The extent of these intervals has to be verified with the manufacturer. You don't want to push them too far."

With the benefit of having run engines on low sulphur diesel in other parts of the world, comes the confidence to offer the customer added value and peace of mind in the form of extended warranties on engine components. Caterpillar is one such OEM. Says Mark Clarkson, product support representative for Barloworld Power Systems Cat: "Ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) has been in use in Europe for several years and the Caterpillar engines have not experienced fuel system failures related to ULSD. Caterpillar has even gone so far as to offer the customer - at a low additional cost - an extended service coverage (warranty of 5 years 800 00km) that covers all fuel system components including injectors and the fuel transfer pump."

Clarkson says Caterpillar on-highway truck engines have been running with a 2-micron fuel filter ever since the electronically controlled engines were launched. "It is clear to us that proper filtration will not only benefit us as engine suppliers and manufacturers, but our customers as well."

It certainly looks like a brave new world out there in OE-land, one imbued with the confidence that comes from much trial, error and correction. In other words, experience.
 

SCANIA GIDEON DE SWARDT... don’t expect to have any problems with low sulphur diesel... been running Euro3 trucks for some time now.

Scania's SA marketing director, Gideon de Swardt, is going forward boldly: "We don't expect to have any problems resulting from low sulphur diesel. We've been running Euro 3 trucks for some time now and will launch a Euro 4 truck in 2006." 

Now that speaks volumes!