Can Engine Oils of Different Brands of Diesel Generator Sets Be Mixed

Diesel generator set is a kind of power generation equipment with high precision parts, and the selection of engine oil is also relatively high. Engine oil is the blood of diesel generator set, which has great significance function of lubrication, friction reduction, heat dissipation, sealing, vibration reduction, rust prevention, etc. But many users have such doubts: can new and old oils, oils of different brands and different viscosities be mixed? Dingbo Power give the answer is all is impossible, why? Let's look at the following:

1. Mixed use of new and old engine oil

When the new and old engine oils are mixed, the old engine oil contains a lot of oxidizing substances, which will accelerate the oxidation of the new engine oil, thereby reducing the service life and performance of the new engine oil. Tests have shown that if the engine is filled with new oil at one time, the oil life can reach about 1500 hours. If half of the old and new engine oils are mixed and used, the service life of the engine oil is only 200 hours, which is reduced by more than 7 times.

2. Mixing gasoline engine oil with diesel engine oil

Although both gasoline and diesel engine oils are blended with base oils and additives, the specific formulas and proportions are essentially different. For example, diesel engine oil contains more additives, and diesel engine oil with the same viscosity grade is also higher in viscosity than gasoline engine oil. If the two kinds of lubricants are mixed, the engine may be overheated and worn out when starting at low temperatures.

3. Mixing different brands of engine oil

Engine oil is mainly composed of base oil, viscosity index improver and additives. Different brands of engine oil, even if the type and viscosity grade are the same, the base oil or additive composition will be different. The mixed use of different brands of engine oil will have the following effects on diesel generators:

Turbidity of the engine oil: No matter whether the brand is the same or not, the mixed engine oils of different models may appear turbid. Because the chemical additives of each type of engine oil are different, a chemical reaction may occur after mixing, which reduces the lubrication effect, and may also produce acid-base compounds to accelerate the damage of engine parts.

Abnormal exhaust: The mixing of different brands of engine oil may also cause abnormal exhaust smoke, such as black smoke or blue smoke. Because the oil may be diluted after being mixed, the oil easily enters the cylinder and burns, causing blue smoke from the exhaust pipe. Or, after the oil is mixed, the cylinder is not tightly sealed, causing the exhaust to emit black smoke.

Produce sludge: The mixing of different engine oils is easy to produce sludge, which will reduce the heat dissipation effect of the engine oil, leading to high temperature of the engine and easy to cause failure. It will also block filters, oil passages, etc., resulting in poor circulation and the engine cannot be lubricated.

Accelerated wear: When the oil is mixed, its anti-wear performance may change greatly, destroy the oil film, and easily cause the piston and cylinder wall to wear. In severe cases, the piston ring will break.

Through the above introduction, we believe that users understand that mixing oil should be avoided as much as possible, as different types of additives are different, which may cause chemical reactions and cause various failures and damage problems. If the diesel generator set is running short of oil and it is necessary to mix the oil, you should try to use the same type of oil with the same viscosity. Replace the oil as soon as possible after the generator set has stopped to cool down.

If you have any problem with the using of engine oil in diesel generators, please feel free to contact Guangxi Dingbo Power Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. We are one of leading manufacturer of diesel genset, with more than ten years history in the field of design and production of diesel generators set. If you have plan to purchase diesel generator set, please email to dingbo@dieselgeneratortech.com.