Only a limited number of oils are proven effective in
these applications
Dan Peterson | VICE PRESIDENT,
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
With the beginning of each new year, many people think
about what they can do to improve some aspect of their lives. AMSOIL is
no different, except that it’s an ongoing process. We are always
looking for ways to improve our products, and one of the ways we
validate products is through field studies. The AMSOIL technical team
recently completed a field validation study outlining the performance of
AMSOIL hp
Injector Synthetic 2-Cycle Oil (HPI) in Evinrude® E-TEC
As part of the study, both engines were run for 28 hours
on the standard oil injection setting and were then reprogrammed by an
Evinrude dealer to operate at the reduced oil consumption setting for
the duration of the study. The starboard engine’s oil reservoir was
filled with AMSOIL hp Injector and the port side engine’s oil reservoir
was filled with XD100 two-cycle oil.
The validation period lasted a total of 534 hours;
approximately 240 hours were spent under heavy-duty service conditions
when the SEA-TOW boat towed marine vessels. The engines were closely
monitored for the duration, and upon completion, both were disassembled
and rated by a certified independent rater from Intertek. Intertek
of San Antonio, Texas is an independent company specializing in product
and performance testing, including qualification testing of lubricants.
Intertek evaluated both Evinrude engines based on NMMA TC-W3 criteria
for two-cycle marine engines, examining the condition of all engine
parts and inspecting for wear and deposit formation.
Wear protection in critical areas, including the
cylinder walls, was one of the main areas of interest. Although we
expected hp Injector to perform well, the results exceeded our
expectations.
As seen in the photo, the cylinders looked almost new
and the cross-hatch pattern from machining is clearly evident. Blockage
of the exhaust ports is rated on a 10-point merit scale; a rating of 10
indicates the port is 100 percent free of blockage. Scuffing of the
cylinder walls is measured by percent, where 0 percent indicates no
scuffing.
This photo shows one of the cylinders from the hp
Injector-lubricated engine. Note that the original cross-hatch pattern
is still visible. The scratch marks above the exhaust port are the
result of a mechanical phenomenon; they appear in the exact same spot on
the XD100-lubricated cylinders.
Both hp Injector and XD100 received high ratings. The
exhaust ports of both the AMSOIL- and Evinrude-lubricated cylinders had
few deposits. Both oils scored near a perfect 10. Neither set of
cylinder liners showed scuffing of the cylinder walls. Both engines
received a 0 percent wear rating in the cylinder wall area, indicating
the oils provided statistically equivalent overall wear protection.
AMSOIL hp Injector and XD100 earned near identical merit
ratings for hard carbon deposits, scuffi ng and/or staining in all
critical engine areas, including pistons, connecting rods, cylinder
head, crankshaft and main bearings. The physical condition of these
parts demonstrates that equipment integrity in both engines was
maintained at near identical rates, despite the reduced oil rate and
severe service conditions. The evidence clearly supports the use of
AMSOIL hp Injector in E-TEC engines programmed for reduced oil
consumption.
Based on these findings, AMSOIL hp Injector will provide
excellent protection for Evinrude E-TEC engines programmed for reduced
oil consumption, and AMSOIL fully supports the use of AMSOIL hp Injector
in place of Evinrude XD100 in these applications.
