Lubricants - Fuels - Coolants
Fuel Specifications
Types of Fuel
Caterpillar Engines have the ability to burn a wide variety of fuels. These fuels are divided into two general groups,
Preferred and Permissible.
The Preferred Fuels provide maximum engine service life and performance. These are distillate fuels.
They are commonly called fuel oil, furnace oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene.
The Permissible Fuels are crude oils or blended fuels. Use of these fuels can result in higher maintenance costs and
reduced engine service life.
See Caterpillar Form Number SEHS7067 Preferred and Permissible Fuels and their specifications.
Cetane Requirement
The minimum cetane number recommended for this engine is 35 for PC engines.
The minimum cetane number recommended for this engine is 40 for DI engines.
Fuel Cloud Point
In cold weather, the cloud point of the fuel must be below the temperature of the surrounding air. If the cloud point is too
high, wax will form in the fuel, which will cause clogging of the fuel filters and loss of power. Fuel heaters are avail able
which will permit the use of a fuel with a high cloud point or a fuel with a lower cloud point should be used.
Fuel Sulfur Content
The percentage of sulfur in the fuel will affect the engine oil recommendations. If the fuel has over 0.5% sulfur content,
the engine oil must have a TBN of 20 times the percentage of fuel sulfur (TBN as measured by the ASTM D-2896
method). If the sulfur content is greater than 1.5%, consult your Caterpillar dealer for correct engine oil recommenda tions.
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