MAN TGX chooses RINNOL

Avto Liga Transport Company is one of the largest enterprises of the Volgograd region engaged in transportation. The organization’s fleet consists of about thirty vehicles. For testing RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil, the company’s management provided a MANTGX18.400 car with a mileage of 580,300 km.

The MAN TGX is a large-capacity truck produced by MAN since 2007. In 2008 and 2021, the car received the Truck of the Year award. MAN introduced the first MAN TGX in Amsterdam in 2007 as a truck for long-distance international and domestic transportation.

The MANTGX18.400 is a tractor truck designed for transporting large and heavy loads over different distances. The car is equipped with a 6-cylinder MAN D2066 LF engine (not equipped with a DPF particulate filter),   with a capacity of 400 hp (294 kW) and a working volume of 10.520 cm3.  Manufacturer’s recommendations for the MAN M3277 engine oil used.

The car is operated in harsh conditions, almost constantly with an acceptable maximum load, year-round. Transportation is carried out throughout Russia and to neighboring countries.

After the departure of Western brands of motor oils from Russia, the company’s management faced the question of how to replace their products so that the quality would not suffer. And this is a real problem in the current circumstances. Currently, depending on the region, the share of counterfeit goods ranges from 30 to 60% of the market volume. When servicing its cars, the company used lubricants from European brands, giving preference to the TOTAL brand. But after reviewing the products under the RINNOL brand, during the next maintenance, it was decided to test the RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil under the operating conditions of this car.

RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 is a synthetic engine oil with exceptional performance characteristics for modern high-load diesel engines, consisting of a combination of high-quality base oils and a highly effective additive package. It has excellent resistance to viscosity increase and aging, prevents the formation of all types of deposits in the engine, and also provides a high level of corrosion protection. Its use makes it possible to increase the service life of the engine before major repairs under any possible operating conditions (at high speeds and maximum loads, with frequent and short runs, operation in the “start-stop” mode, etc.).

RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil meets the requirements of specifications: API CF, ACEA E4-12/E7-12/E4-16/E7-16, MB 228.5, MTU Oil Category 3, MAN M3277, MACK EO-N, RENAULT RLD/RLD-2/RD-2, DEUTZ DQC III-18, DAF, Scania LDF-3, Volvo VDS-3

The main physico-chemical parameters of RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40

Naming of the indicator	Test method	Unit of measurement	Value
Density at 15 0С	ASTM 4052	г/см3	0,866
Kin. viscosity at 100 0С	ASTM D445	мм2 /с	13,0
Viscosity index	ASTM D2270		156
Flash point	ASTM D92	°C	243
Solidification temperature	ISO 3016	°C	-42
Base number (TBN)	ASTM D2896	mgKOH/g	16

At the time of the start of testing, the car’s mileage was 580,300 km. 

In order to monitor in detail the trends in the characteristics of the engine oil, a schedule for the selection of intermediate samples for laboratory tests was established. Oil samples were taken at oil runs of 15,000 km and at oil runs of 38,000 km. during replacement.

RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil has successfully worked the entire interval.

Let’s consider the results of a laboratory study of used oil: changes in viscosity, base and acid numbers, the content of wear products and soot, as well as conclusions about the stability of oil characteristics.

Viscosity characteristics of the oil

The change in the kinematic viscosity of RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 oil in the MANTGX18.440 internal combustion engine is shown in the diagram:

An analysis of the dynamics of changes in kinematic viscosity at 100 ° C of RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 oil in the internal combustion engine of a car that participated in the tests shows that the oil, during the entire test period, retains viscosity values at 100 ° C within the permissible standard values of the SAEJ300 classification, which indicates the stability of viscosity-temperature properties. In general, RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 oil adequately withstood the load: there was no sharp jump in viscosity (neither upward from oxidation nor downward from polymer destruction), the oil retained the necessary conditions for lubricating parts.

Base and acid number

One of the important indicators for diesel oil is the total base number (TBN), reflecting the stock of detergent and neutralizing additives. RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil belongs to the so-called “long-lasting” oils. This is a UHPD (Ultra High Performance Diesel) product, an engine oil for loaded diesel engines of commercial trucks, with an extended replacement interval, in accordance with the recommendations of the automaker. 

The changes in acid and base numbers are shown in the diagram.

The TBN of Fresh Oil was about 13.9 mg KOH/g, an excellent indicator for ACEA E4 oils. During operation, this indicator was expected to decrease.

According to the analysis results, the base number of the oil decreased to 12.7 mg KOH/g. This is a fairly high residual level, well above the critical limit (~6 mg KOH/g, at which the oil is considered to have exhausted its life). In other words, even after intensive operation, the oil has a sufficient alkaline reserve that protects the engine from corrosion and deposits.

Reducing the base number is not critical, which indicates the stable detergent-dispersant properties of the oil. It decreased by about 12.1%, while a drop of more than 50% is considered critical. Despite the fuel entering the oil system and the accumulation of soot (0.17%), the oil retains a significant service life. This is an excellent result, taking into account the extreme operating conditions, fuel ingress and soot accumulation during such an inter-service interval.

The acid number (TAN), which characterizes the accumulation of acidic oxidation products, increased slightly. In fresh form, the acidity index was low (about 1.8 mg KOH/g). By the end of the test, the acid number reached only 2.65 mg KOH/g, which indicates that the oil would still have a significant resource if not for extraneous factors. A small increase in TAN with a significantly higher TBN indicates the effective operation of the detergent-neutralizing additive package: the acids formed during the combustion of diesel fuel were successfully neutralized.  The acid number does not exceed the base number and does not even approach it. Its growth was insignificant and remains within the normal range, which also confirms the good condition of the oil. The ratio of TBN to TAN remained high, meaning the oil retained its ability to prevent acid corrosion. Thus, according to the chemical indicators of aging (base/acid number) RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil has shown excellent stability.

Wear products in oil

Laboratory analysis of the metal content in the waste oil showed minimal engine wear. The concentration of iron (Fe), the main indicator of wear of the cylinder piston group, increased to only 4 mg/kg over the entire period of operation. This is an excellent result for a diesel engine with such mileage and operating under heavy conditions under high loads. The accumulation of iron at such a low level indicates that the oil effectively protects friction pairs (cylinders, rings, valve gear) from wear even when constantly working under load.

Other wear markers, such as aluminum (Al, from pistons), copper and lead (Cu/Pb, from plain bearings), chromium (Cr, from rings), etc., are practically absent. The absence of a high concentration of non-ferrous metals confirms that neither the piston group, nor the turbocharger, nor the main and connecting rod bearings have undergone abnormal wear. In other words, the antifriction and anti-wear additives of RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 oil worked effectively, forming a strong oil film and preventing metal-to-metal contact even under high load conditions. The combination of low wear metals allows us to conclude that the MAN TGX 18.400 engine with RINNOL OLGA PREMIUM 10W-40 oil survived the test without deterioration of its condition – the oil reliably protected the parts from wear.

Soot and fuel content

In a heavy-duty diesel engine, it is critically important how much soot accumulates in the oil, as soot can increase viscosity and accelerate wear. During the test, the soot content in the oil turned out to be low. According to the laboratory, the proportion of soot particles in the waste oil was only 0.17% by weight. This indicator changed from the moment of the first sample and at the intermediate stages 0.24% was recorded – in 10W-40 Oil drained before the tests, 0.02%, 0.13% in the tested product, which indicates incomplete combustion of fuel, possible use of low-quality fuel. However, the soot index of 0.17% during oil change also indicates the high quality of the dispersing additive package. The oil effectively kept the soot particles suspended and prevented the formation of sludge.

In some samples, fuel was found to have entered the oil during the tests. The figures ranged from 0.2% to 0.3%.

It is not uncommon for loaded engines to get a small amount of unburned fuel into the oil. In our case, the presence of up to 0.3% fuel in the oil did not affect the viscosity parameters of the tested oil.

The test results of RINNOL OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil in the MANTGX18.400 engine fully confirmed the possibility of extending the replacement interval to 50,000 km.   

In order to increase the oil change interval on machinery, as well as to periodically monitor the quality of the oil in engines for which an extended replacement interval has been confirmed, it is recommended to regularly use the system of periodic engine oil checks as a tool for monitoring the condition of engine oil (analysis). In addition to monitoring the condition of the lubricant, this system will help to monitor the condition of equipment and predict in advance the required repairs, which in the future will prevent the occurrence of unforeseen breakdowns and downtime of machines.

Thus, the lubricant ensured reliable operation and protection of the engine with a good margin of operational properties, which confirms the excellent quality and reliable performance of the OLGER PREMIUM 10W-40 engine oil even in difficult operating conditions.