Usage:
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, gas oil, 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 for a detailed summary of Preferred and Permissible fuels and their specifications.
The minimum cetane recommended for the engine is:
Precombustion Chamber Engines - 35 Cetane
Direct Injection Engines - 40 Cetane
Fuel waxing can plug the fuel filters in cold weather. The fuel cloud point must be below the temperature of the surrounding air to prevent filter waxing and power loss.
Fuel heaters are available, which will permit the use of fuels with a higher than recommended cloud point.
The percentage of sulfur in the fuel will affect the engine oil recommendations. If the fuel has over 0.5% sulfur content, the CD engine oil must have a TBN of 20 times the percentage of fuel sulfur (TBN as measured by the ASTM D-2896 method). Your oil supplier should be able to furnish the correct oils.