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FAQ Index .
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Automobile Association advice
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Dial gauge timing explained
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Diesel engine smoke colour indications
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Engine smoke causes
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Engine smoke colour indications
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Harm to engines from additives
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Help desk
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Hybrid cars
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Independent test data
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Intermittent usage effects
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Light load running effects
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Petrol engines
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Petrol/oil engines
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Saving fuel
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Saving oil
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Smoke causes
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Smoke colour indications
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Two-stroke engines
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Warranties
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Where to buy
1)
Q: What do the NZ Automobile Association (AA) say about your fuel and oil additives?
A: Our fuel additive (FTC catalyst) has been independently scientifically tested by Curtin University, WA, for fuel savings and power increases .. click here for details.
Our oil additive (SupaSLIP) has independent laboratory tests for friction reduction .. click here for details.
The combined use of FTC in diesel fuel and SupaSLIP in engine oil has been independently tested in both BP and Labcheck laboratories .. click here for details.
The AA advise potential users to check out the credibility of product claims prior to purchase .. we do too. We give a 200% money back guarantee on product performance .. click here for details.
2)
Q: Dial Gauge Timing .. what does this mean?
A: Dial Gauge Timing is a method of timing the fuel injection in diesel engines. This involves placing a dial-gauge into the pump assembly and measuring the pump plunger lift .. usually from 0.5--2.0mm. The point of lift may not be the actual injection timing, depending on whether the pump has any pre-stroke in the design. The engine is hand rotated back 90 degrees before compression TDC on the cylinder to be timed and then hand rotated usually to TDC. At TDC the dial-gauge is read for the recommended lift measurement.
The dial-gauge method is often difficult due to access in modern compact engine compartments (this is a bit of an understatement).
3)
Q: DIESEL ENGINE SMOKE .. what does the colour indicate?
A: The colour of diesel engine exhaust smoke and when it occurs can tell you a lot about the condition of an engine. Basically there are 3 types of smoke emitted from a diesel engine .. black, blue and white.
Black smoke:
This is the most common emitted from diesel engines and indicates incomplete combustion of the fuel. Black smoke causes can vary widely and include ..
Incorrect fuel injection timing .. commonly too retarded.
Fuel injection pump wear, or incorrect settings .. commonly retarded.
Faulty cold start, or faulty advance/retard mechanisms .. commonly retarded.
Incorrect air/fuel ratio setting .. excessive fuel to air ratio.
Under-performing turbocharger .. pressure low.
Dirty or worn fuel injectors .. commonly carbon deposits affecting spray pattern.
Carbon deposits in combustion chambers .. common in lightly loaded engines.
Excessive carbon build-up around exhaust valves and exhaust spaces.
Sticking piston rings .. often due to carbon deposits.
Glazed cylinder cross-hatch .. due to carbon deposits.
Incorrect valve clearances .. often timing error when replacing cam-belts.
Faulty valve stem seals .. rarely.
Engine wear in general .. often misdiagnosed when carbon deposits are the real problem.
Engine oil viscosity too low .. check oil grade against operating conditions.
Cool operating temperatures .. coolant should reach 85C, or higher. Check thermostats.
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system faulty, or blocked with carbon.
Engine overloaded .. reduce load, use lower gear, clean anti-foul, change propellor pitch.
High altitude operation .. lack of oxygen to complete fuel burn.
Dirty or restricted air cleaner systems .. air intake filter partially blocked.
Poor quality fuel.
Black smoke can occur across the entire operating range, but is usually worst under full power, or during the lag before the turbocharger boosts air supply to match the fuel usage such as in the early stages of acceleration and during gear changes. Moderate turbo lag smoke is acceptable, otherwise black smoke should be hardly visible in a
correctly running engine.
Blue smoke:
Blue smoke is caused by lubricating oil burning. The oil can enter the combustion chamber from several sources ..
Worn valve guides, or seals
Cylinder &/or piston ring wear
Cylinder glaze
Piston ring sticking
Incorrect grade of oil .. too thin and getting past rings, or valves guides
Fuel dilution of the oil, making it too thin.
Blue smoke is often evident at cold start, which can reflect reduced oil control due to carbon fouling deposits around the piston rings and/or cylinder glaze. Blue smoke should not be evident at any stage. An engine in good condition can burn oil without the evidence of blue smoke, because good compression burns oil quite cleanly, however, it is not acceptable for any new engine to burn large amounts of oil.
White smoke:
White smoke is caused by raw, unburnt fuel passing into the exhaust stream. Common causes include ..
Incorrect fuel injection timing
Defective fuel injectors
Low cylinder compression
Low cylinder compression may be caused by leaking valves, sticking piston rings, ring wear, cylinder wear, or cylinder glaze.
When white smoke occurs at cold start and then disappears as the engine warms up, the most common causes are fouling deposits around piston rings and/or cylinder glazing.
Continuous evidence of white smoke indicates a mechanical defect, or incorrect setting.
Fouling deposits can be safely removed by adding FTC catalyst engine decarboniser to the fuel.
4)
Q: DIESEL ENGINE SMOKE .. do you have a list of causes?
A: YES. The following checklist may assist in identifying faults that will contribute to smoke emissions from diesel engines ..
Incorrect fuel injection timing .. commonly too retarded.
Fuel injection pump wear, or incorrect settings .. commonly retarded.
Faulty cold start, or faulty advance/retard mechanisms .. commonly retarded.
Incorrect air/fuel ratio setting .. excessive fuel to air ratio.
Under-performing turbocharger .. pressure low.
Dirty or worn fuel injectors .. commonly carbon deposits affecting spray pattern.
Carbon deposits in combustion chambers .. common in lightly loaded engines.
Excessive carbon build-up around exhaust valves and exhaust spaces.
Sticking piston rings .. often due to carbon deposits.
Glazed cylinder cross-hatch .. due to carbon deposits.
Incorrect valve clearances .. often timing error when replacing cam-belts.
Faulty valve stem seals .. rarely.
Engine wear in general .. often misdiagnosed when carbon deposits are the real problem.
Engine oil viscosity too low .. check oil grade against operating conditions.
Cool operating temperatures .. coolant should reach 85C, or higher. Check thermostats.
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system faulty, or blocked with carbon.
Engine overloaded .. reduce load, use lower gear, clean anti-foul, change propellor pitch.
High altitude operation .. lack of oxygen to complete fuel burn.
Dirty or restricted air cleaner systems .. air intake filter partially blocked.
Poor quality fuel.
6)
Q: Will your products harm my engine or machinery?
A: All our products are harmless to engine and machinery components when used as directed on the product labels .. in fact they increase the longevity.
7)
Q: Do you have an expert to talk with about your products?
A: We offer a free technical email service, a free on-line engine health check and our staff may be available to take a telephone call .. please contact us.
10)
Q: What happens if I forget to add your fuel additive to the fuel, or only use it occasionally?
A: Of course you will get the most benefits if you remember to add the additive at each refuel, but if you forget, you will simply dilute the benefits. If you keep forgetting, the short term benefits such as fuel savings and engine performance will be first to go. Longer term, engine deposits, oil usage and wear will increase.
11)
Q: Light Load Running means what?
A: Light load running is considered to be anything less than 25% of full load for naturally aspirated engines and anything less than 33% of full load for turbocharged engines.
Engines running continuously for 30 minutes or more at light loads, can develop serious problems, which lead to increased maintenance and often major repair work.
Lightly loaded engines often fail to reach their designed operating temperatures. Running clearances in piston assembles, valve gear and other bearings may be excessive when designed operating temperatures are not reached. Commonly, the pistons and rings are not expanded enough to form the designed seal with the cylinder or liner wall. Lower than designed operating temperatures may result in excessive unburnt fuel inside the combustion areas.
Light load running often causes the following undesirable effects ..
1) Excessive gas “blow-by”, which causes crankcase pressurisation. This may force oil out the crankcase breather, or cause other oil leaks.
2) If the dew point temperature is not exceeded for long enough, there is a risk of condensation within the engine.
3) Condensation and gas blowing past the piston rings causes the engine lubrication oil to become sludgy with carbon and acidic (corrosive).
4) Unburnt fuel will wash lubrication oil off the cylinder walls, causing excessive cylinder or liner wear. Unburnt fuel then dilutes the lubrication oil. Fuel in the lubrication oil increases the risk of crankcase explosion.
5) Poor contact via the designed oil film between the piston rings and cylinder or liner, may cause distortion due to poor heat transfer.
6) Increased need to frequently change the lubrication oil due to 3) & 4).
7) Piston rings commonly stick with heavy carbon deposits, because oil from the cylinder wall, or from down the valve stems is not burnt or vapourised by exhaust gases.
8) Sulphuric acid vapour (H2SO4), formed from sulphur in the fuel, causes cold corrosion of injector nozzles.
9) At low rpm, there is often a large amount of valve overlap. In this case, exhaust pressure can overcome air intake pressure resulting in a back flow of exhaust gases through the inlet manifold. If this occurs, carbon can build on the inlet valves, ports, manifold and turbocharger impellar. Then inlet valves may not shut properly causing loss of compression and the turbo will become unbalanced.
To minimise the effects of light load running, do all 3 of the following ..
1) Constantly keep lubricating oil and engine coolant temperatures as high as possible, within makers recommendations, by adjusting thermostats and coolant valves if possible.
2) Immediately before light load running, run the engine on as high a load as possible and ensure designed operating temperatures are reached.
3) On completion of light load running, run the engine on at least 50% full load for at least 30 minutes.
19)
Q: Will the use of your products void vehicle, or machinery warranties?
A: Warranties are so varied that we cannot give a yes/no answer .. we suggest you read the fine print. However, all our products are harmless to engine and machinery components when used as directed on the product labels .. in fact they increase the longevity.
20)
Q: Where can we purchase your products?
A: Only on-line from this website at present .. products.
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