7452A15 Mercury SWITCH BOX

API Licensed Oils
Caterpillar recognizes and supports the American Petroleum Institute (API) "Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System" for engine oils. The API publication No. 1509, 13th edition, contains the detailed information concerning this system. Engine oils bearing the API symbol are licensed by the API.
Examples of the API symbol.Diesel engine oil classifications CD, CD-2, and CE are obsolete API categories. Caterpillar will only reference those categories that are currently licensed by the API. The following chart summarizes the status of the categories. CF is NOT the same as CF-4. API CF oils are only recommended for Caterpillar engines with precombustion chamber (PC) fuel systems.In previous lubricant specifications, Caterpillar referred to U.S. Military oil specifications (MIL) and to European Comite des Constructeurs d'Automobile Marche Commun (CCMC) diesel engine oil specifications. Those specifications do not provide identical performance to API CF, CF-4 or API CG-4 engine oils. Therefore, Caterpillar will not make reference to MIL or to CCMC specifications in this publication.Grease
The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) classifies grease, based on the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D217-68 Worked Penetration characteristics. Grease characteristics are given a defined consistency number.Terminology
Some abbreviations follow the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J754 nomenclature. Some classifications follow the SAE J183 abbreviations. The definitions other than Caterpillar's will be of assistance in selecting lubricants.Caterpillar Diesel Engine Oil (DEO)
Caterpillar Oils have been developed, tested, and approved by Caterpillar to provide the full performance and service life that has been designed and built into Caterpillar diesel engines. Caterpillar oils are currently used for factory fill in diesel engines. These oils are offered by Caterpillar dealers for continued refill use. Consult with your Caterpillar dealer for more information on these oils.Due to significant variations in the quality and in the performance of commercially available oils, Caterpillar recommends: Caterpillar Diesel Engine Oil (DEO) 15W40 Caterpillar Diesel Engine Oil (DEO) 10W30Caterpillar multi-grade DEO is formulated with detergents, dispersants, and sufficient alkalinity to provide superior performance in Caterpillar diesel engines. Multi-grade DEO is blended in two viscosity grades: SAE 10W30 and SAE 15W40. Refer to the Lubricant Viscosities For Ambient Temperatures chart to choose the correct viscosity grade based on ambient temperatures. Multi-grade oils provide the correct viscosity for a broad range of operating temperatures and for cold engine starts. Multi-grade oils are also effective in maintaining low oil consumption and low levels of piston deposits.Caterpillar multi-grade DEO is qualified for use in other diesel engines and in gasoline engines. Refer to the engine manufacturer's guide for the recommended specifications. Compare the recommendations to the specifications of Caterpillar multi-grade DEO. The current Caterpillar multi-grade DEO industry specifications are listed on the product labels and on the product data sheets.Contact your Caterpillar dealer for part numbers and available container sizes.Commercial Diesel Engine Oils
The performance of commercial diesel engine oils is based on API categories. API categories are developed to provide commercial lubricants for a wide variety of diesel engines that operate in various conditions.If Caterpillar multi-grade DEO is not used, the following commercial oils are recommended.* API CG-4 (multi-grade)* API CF-4 (multi-grade)The following explanations of these API categories can be used to make the proper choice of a commercial oil. CG-4: CG-4 is the newest heavy duty diesel oil category. CG-4 oils can be used in Caterpillar diesel engines where CF-4 oils are recommended. Compared to CF-4 oils, CG-4 oils provide improved piston cleanliness, improved viscosity control, and improved crankcase cleanliness, especially in applications where oil soot is a problem. Although CG-4 oils were primarily developed for diesel engines operating on 0.05 percent sulfur diesel fuel, CG-4 oils can be used with higher sulfur fuels. The new oil TBN determines the maximum fuel sulfur level for CG-4 and CF-4 oils. Refer to the TBN and Fuel Sulfur topics in this publication.CG-4 oils are the first oils to pass industry tests for foam control and viscosity shear loss. CG-4 oils must also pass recently developed tests for metals corrosion and wear. CF-4 oils service a wide variety of modern diesel engines. This oil classification was developed with 0.40 percent sulfur diesel fuel. The fuel used in the CF-4 category represents the type of diesel fuels commonly available world wide. CF-4 oils provide improved piston deposit control and improved oil control when compared to the CE category oils. CF-4 oils also provide improved oil soot dispersancy compared to CD or CF category oils.Some commercial oils meeting these API specifications may require shortened oil change intervals as determined by close monitoring of oil condition and wear metals (Caterpillar's S O S Oil Analysis Program preferred).
Failure to follow these oil recommendations can cause shortened engine service life due to deposits and/or excessive wear.
Synthetic Base Stock Oils
Synthetic base stock oils are acceptable for use in Caterpillar engines if these oils meet the performance requirements specified by Caterpillar.Synthetic base stock oils generally outperform non-synthetic oils in two areas:* Improved low temperature viscosity characteristics, especially in Arctic conditions* Improved oxidation stability, especially at high operating temperaturesSome synthetic base stock oils have performance characteristics that enhance the useful service life of the oil. However, Caterpillar does NOT recommend the "automatic" extension of oil change intervals for any oil, including synthetic base stock oils. For Caterpillar diesel engines, oil change intervals can only be adjusted through an oil analysis program that contains the following elements: oil condition and wear metals (Caterpillar's S O S Oil Analysis preferred), trend analysis, fuel consumption, and oil consumption.Re-Refined Base Stock Oils
Re-refined base stock oils are acceptable for use in Caterpillar engines if these oils meet the performance requirements specified by Caterpillar. Re-refined oils can be used exclusively in a finished oil or in combination with new base stocks. The U.S. Military and other heavy equipment manufacturers have also accepted the use of re-refined base stock oils with the same criteria.The re-refining process should be adequate to remove all wear metals and oil additives that were present in the used oil. This type of re-refining is generally accomplished by vacuum distillation and hydrotreating the used oil.