D110E2

Engine News
Please remove 4000 Series Engine News 110 issue 1 and put Engine News issue 2 in its place as more information has been added.
4000 Series 110 Issue 2

No Load or Light Load Operation June 2018
This engine news article applies to all 4000 Series 1500 rpm and 1800 rpm diesel engines.
Do not operate the engine excessively at no load or light load. If the engine is not in use, shut the engine down.
Refer to the relevant User’s Handbook or Operation and Maintenance Manual for the correct procedure.
Excessive no load or light load operation of the engine will result in only partly burnt fuel. This will cause high
carbon build up on the injector nozzles, cylinder head valves, pistons and rings. In addition, unburnt fuel will
remove the lubricating oil from the cylinder bores and dilute the oil in the sump. This can cause loss of
lubrication of the bearings and result in an engine seizure.
Light load operation can cause carbon build up on the top of the piston. When the power is increased, the
piston could seize on the carbon.
No load operation and or multiple start/stop events in colder ambient conditions can cause the emission of
white smoke from the exhaust. This is a result of partly unburnt fuel due to the low cylinder temperatures. No
load operation should be avoided and multiple start/stop events kept to a minimum.
Perkins does not recommend that an engine is operated on loads of less than the values that are listed in Table
1.
Table 1
Engine Sales Model Minimum Load (kWe)
4006-23 250
4008TAG/4008-30 340
4012-46A 500
4016TAG/4016-61 TRG 680
If an engine is operated on loads less than those identified in Table 1, certain engine symptoms will be
observed which may give cause for concern. The usual results of this operation is higher than normal
lubrication oil consumption, oil leaks from the inlet manifolds and the exhaust manifolds. The condition is
particularly evident on stand-by generator set applications, where exercising of no load is common practice.
These concerns are due to the fact that:
1 Turbocharger oil seals are not fully effective on light load, which results in oil being delivered together with
the air into the engine air manifolds.
2 The cylinder temperatures are too low to ensure the complete combustion of all the fuel delivered.
This can result in an oil leak from the exhaust manifold junction seals. A further result is that of abnormal carbon
build-up on the cylinder head valves, piston crowns and exhaust ports and thus the normal service interval
between overhauls may have to be reduced. Fuel dilution of the lubricating oil will also occur.
Perkins recommends that the following precautions are observed:
1 The operation of the engine at no load or light load should be avoided or reduced to a minimum period. If
weekly or monthly exercising at no load or light load is carried out, the operating period should be kept down
to minutes, or until the battery charging rate returns to normal.
Confidential Yellow. © 2018 Perkins Engines Company Limited. All rights reserved.
The information is correct at the time of print.
This article is for technical information only and cannot
be used as a basis for any claim including but not limited to warranty.
1
Engine News - 4000 Series 110 Issue 2 June 2018
2 After failed start/stop events, the exhaust system should be inspected for unburnt fuel and drained
accordingly. The engine should be operated on full load.
3 Every year the engine or generator set should be operated at full load for a minimum of four hours, to burn
off the build up of carbon in the engine and exhaust system. This may require the use of ‘test’ load. The
load should be built up gradually from zero over the first hour and the balance completed at full rated load
for the engine.
4 On engines with light load profiles, Perkins recommends a regular oil sample analysis is completed and the
oil changed accordingly.
Note: If prolonged periods of no loads or light loads are repeated it may not be possible to reverse the effects
by full load operation. This is due to the damage that may have been caused to the piston rings and liners,
resulting in polished cylinder bores.
Confidential Yellow. © 2018 Perkins Engines Company Limited. All rights reserved.
The information is correct at the time of print.
This article is for technical information only and cannot
be used as a basis for any claim including but not limited to warranty.

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Engine News

4000 Series 110 Issue 2

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