Cat Gas Engine Lubricant, Fuel, and Coolant Recommendations Caterpillar


General Lubricant Information

Usage:

G342C 71B
Failure to follow the recommendations found in this Special Publication can cause engine failures, shortened engine service life, and reduced engine performance.

In order to avoid potential damage to your Cat engine, only purchase Cat fluids and filters through your Cat dealer or Cat authorized outlets. For a list of authorized Cat parts outlets in your area, consult your Cat dealer.

If you purchase what appear to be Cat fluids and/ or filters through other outlets/sources, you are at high risk of purchasing counterfeit products.

Counterfeit products may visually appear the same as the original Cat product, but the product performance and internal quality will typically be very low.

Counterfeit products have a high likelihood of causing and/or causing the engine and machine compartment damage.

Use of fluids that do not meet at least the minimum performance recommendations and requirements may lead to lower compartment performance or compartment failure.

Problems that are caused by using fluids that do not meet the minimum recommended or required performance level for the compartment are not warrantable by Caterpillar® Inc. The fluid manufacturer and customer are responsible for any damage that is caused by use of these fluids. Refer to the Aftermarket Product and Warranty in the Foreword section of this Special Publication.

Different brand oils may use different additive packages to meet the various engine performance category and specification requirements. For the best results, do not mix oil brands.

The overall performance of engine and machine compartments is dependent on the choice of the lubricants and on the maintenance and cleanliness practices. These choices include filtration products, contamination control, fuel management, and general handling practices. Cat designed and produced filtration products offer optimal performance and system protection.

Cat Fluids

Cat fluids have been developed and tested by Cat in order to increase the performance and the life of Cat components. The quality of finished oil is dependent on the quality of the base stock, the quality of the additives, and the compatibility of the base stock and additives. Cat fluids are formulated of high quality refined oil base stocks and additives of optimal chemistry and quantity in order to provide high performance in engines and components. Cat fluids are used for factory fill of Cat engines and components. These fluids are offered by Cat dealers for service fills and as aftermarket products. Consult with your Cat dealer for more information on these Cat fluids.

Cat recommends the use of the following Cat fluids for Gas engines:

Table 1
Caterpillar® Lubricants  Viscosity Grade 
Cat Natural Gas Engine Oil Ultra 40Next Generation High Performance NGEO  NGEO Ultra 40  SAE 40 
Cat Natural Gas Engine Oil Advanced 40Premium Performance NGEO  NGEO Advanced 40  SAE 40 
Cat Natural Gas Engine Oil EL350(1)
Premium Performance NGEO, Limited regional availability 
NGEO EL350  SAE 40 
Cat Natural Gas Engine OilHigh Quality NGEO, Limited regional availability  NGEO 40  SAE 40 
Hydraulic Oil  Cat HYDO Advanced  SAE 10W 
SAE 20W
Cat Bio HYDO
Advanced (HEES)
SAE 30 
ISO 46 Multigrade
(1) Cat NGEO EL350 replaced Cat NGEO EL250

Table 2
Caterpillar Grease and Coolant Products 
Grease  Cat Utility Grease 
Cat Prime Application Grease
Cat Extreme Application Grease
Cat Extreme Application Grease - Desert
Cat Extreme Application Grease - Arctic (Semi-Synthetic)
Cat Ball Bearing Grease
Cat White Assembly Grease
Cat Hammer Plate
Coolants  Cat NGEC (Natural Gas Engine Coolant) 
Cat DEAC (Diesel Engine Antifreeze/Coolant)
Cat SCA (Supplemental Coolant Additive) for use with Cat DEAC

Note: Cat fluids availability will vary by region.

Always consult with the OMM of your engine to determine the recommended oil for your specific engine model.

Always consult your Cat dealer in order to ensure that

you have the current revision level of this publication.

Note: The optimal application of the lubricants is dependent on the oil quality and the maintenance practices such as contamination control, tank management, and general handling practices.

Engine Oil

Engine lubricants play multiple roles in engines. Appropriate lubricants offer the following:

  • Provides lubrication to the moving components of the engine under a wide range of temperatures

  • Keeps the engine components clean and removes wear debris

  • Removes heat from the lubricated components

  • Neutralize acidic products due to combustion process

  • Protect the engine from cavitation

  • Protect the engine from corrosion and rust

  • Control oil consumption

  • Disperse/Solubilize contaminants (soot)

Engines that use gaseous fuel require oils that are formulated with additives that are specific to these engines. There are no industry standards that define the performance specifications of oils for these engines. Field evaluations must be used in order to determine oils that are acceptable. To aid in oil selection, guidelines are provided in this Special Publication.

The following costs are associated with maintenance of the engine lubrication system:

  • Initial fill

  • Consumption

  • Analysis of the engine oil

  • Replacement of the engine oil and engine oil filter

  • Disposal of the used engine oil

Maintaining the engine lubrication system is usually between 10 and 20 percent of the total cost of the engine maintenance. This percentage can be affected by the type of fuel, the engine duty cycle, and the maintenance practices.

The temperature of the cooling system, extended operation at light loads, and the condition of the engine (wear) have an effect on the rate of consumption and on the engine oil service life.

Maintenance costs can be greatly increased by the wrong engine oil. Inadequate lubrication that destroys moving parts causes expensive unscheduled down time. The following problems can result from the use of incorrect engine oil:

  • Buildup of varnish (glazing) in the cylinder liners

  • Damage to bearings

  • Deposits on the valves that can lead to guttering of the valves

  • Oil coking in the turbocharger

  • Piston rings and valves that stick

In order to achieve the lowest maintenance costs for the lubrication system, use the recommended and preferred Cat natural gas engine oils.

Hydraulic Oil

For information on hydraulic oil, see this Special Publication, "Hydraulic Oil" topic.

Lubricating Grease

For information on grease, see this Special Publication, "Lubricating Grease" topic.

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