New Caltex Diesel with Techron D

Until about 10 years ago, diesel fuel was only of interest to lorry, bus and taxi drivers; most privately-owned vehicles have been running on petrol and thus it is this fuel that has received greater attention in terms of improvements in the formulation and additive packages. In as far as lorry drivers were concerned, as long as the fuel was cheap, that was what mattered since performance as the enthusiast knows it didn’t matter.
 

Then came the wave of new-generation pick-ups which were car-like in feel and could be registered for private use (until 1997, only companies could register pick-ups). More motorists began to use diesel power instead of petrol power and in due course, consumers wanted better fuels. Unfortunately, the combination of controlled pricing by the government as well as stagnation of fuel standards for years (the first standard of Euro-1 was established in 1996 and remained in force till September 2009) has not created any necessity for upgrading of diesel fuel quality. If the petroleum companies wanted to upgrade their fuel, they would have to absorb the extra cost in the refining process (extraction of sulphur) since the government would not allow them to pass on the cost to consumers.

The new generation of turbodiesel engines (Ford Duratorq TDCI shown above) require better fuel quality to run at their best. More advanced turbodiesel engines in models like the Land Rover Freelander (below left) and BMW 520d also need high-quality diesel fuel

With the introduction of the Euro-2M standard for both petrol as well as diesel fuels in Malaysia, the sulphur content has dropped to a maximum of 500 parts per million. Before, diesel was permitted up to 3,000 ppm but petrol was already at 1,000 ppm. So it is quite a big reduction although we’re still two steps behind Singapore which is already at Euro-4.

As there is this significant upgrade in fuel quality, Chevron has chosen to also make its own significant upgrade in its Caltex diesel fuel and now offers the Techron D package in its fuel. Techron, as most people will know, is a proprietary additive package that is already in Caltex Premium 95 and 97 petrol. In Caltex Diesel, the additive package has additional components to address specific issues with this type of fuel.

Optimised spray pattern with clean injectors

Water in diesel fuel causes corrosion of metal parts and Techron D prevents that from happening as evident on the right

Like the Techron package in Caltex petrol, Techron D’s strong point is deposit control and engine cleanliness. In diesel engines especially, deposits are a problem and if not prevented from accumulating, they will clog up the injectors and reduce performance as well as worsen fuel consumption. Keeping the injectors clean at all times is very important since the openings in the nozzles are very very tiny – around the width of two human hairs! So even a minute deposit can close off one opening and prevent optimum spraying of the fuel many times each second.

Keeping the injectors free of deposits is even more crucial these days with the more sophisticated high-performance turbodiesel engines which have commonrail high-pressure fuel delivery systems. This is where Techron D in Caltex Diesel claims to be very effective and if used all the time, it can maintain the cleanliness so performance is always at its best.

The claims made by Chevron for Caltex Diesel come after testing by an independent laboratory which was commissioned to determine the differences between Caltex Diesel with Techron D and plain diesel without the superior additive package. Using industry-recognised test methods, the findings were that with the additive package, the flow rate in the injectors was 47% better and the cleaner injectors also enabled power output to be 6% greater.
 

Besides those two points, Techron D is also said to offer good protection for metal surfaces against corrosion, an issue with diesel fuel delivery systems due to the tendency for water to accumulate in the fuel tank. An additive in Techron D prevents corrosion from taking place although it cannot do anything about corrosion that has already occurred of course. So to enjoy the full benefit, the engine would have to be running on Caltex Diesel with Techron D right from the start, something which Chevron Malaysia’s Country Chairman, Jeremy Oh, would really like motorists to do!
 

Anti-foaming agent in Techron D (right) inhibits foam and makes filling up easier

The fourth strong point of Techron D addresses something many people who don’t use diesel may not be aware of – long filling times due to foaming. Due to the nature of diesel fuel, a lot of foam is created as the fuel rushes into the tank and the foam takes time to collapse. This can makes things messy because the auto-stop sensor on the nozzle does not detect the foam and as it builds up, it can overflow out of the opening. So filling has to be done slowly and if you are a taxi driver, that’s a real hassle.
 

“We invited taxi drivers in Singapore to find out for themselves how good the anti-foaming additive in our fuel is. Compared to a fuel without the same type of additive, it could take as long as 10 or even 15 minutes to completely fill the tank of a Hyundai Sonata,” Mr Oh said. He added that when he was in Johor Bahru last month, a taxi driver remarked that pumping Caltex Diesel was faster and he did not understand why until it was explained to him (at that time, the new fuel was already being supplied to certain Caltex stations but not official announced).
 

As mentioned earlier, fuel prices are controlled by the government so even though there is now Techron D in Caltex Diesel, its price remains at RM1.70 per litre. Still, if it delivers on all its claims, then users will enjoy savings in the long run as a cleaner engine will enable better fuel economy and reduced corrosion will extend the service life of many parts.
 

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