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In a series of bench engine, road simulation dynamometer and on-road fleet tests various single fuel parameters have been examined to check their efficacy as potential predictors of CCD. Parameters included TGA residue, unwashed gum, T95, sulfur, PNA, and aromatics. The tests show that no fuel parameter acts as a good predictor of CCD thickness (maximum or mean) and that more complex physical-chemical models are required.

The Coordinating Research Council conducted a program to measure the reversibility of fuel sulfur effects on emissions from California Low Emission Vehicles (LEVs). Six LEV models were tested using two non-oxygenated conventional Federal fuels with 30 and 630 ppm sulfur. The following emission test sequence was used: 30 ppm fuel to establish a baseline, 630 ppm fuel, and return to 30 ppm fuel. A series of emission tests were run after return to 30 ppm to ensure that emissions had stabilized. The effect of the driving cycle on reversibility was evaluated by using both the LA4 and US06 driving cycles for mileage accumulation between emission tests after return to 30-ppm sulfur fuel. The reversibility of sulfur effects was dependent on the vehicle, driving cycle, and the pollutant. For the test fleet as a whole most but not all of the sulfur effects were reversible.

From 1995 to 1997, the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) conducted a cold-start driveability program to evaluate the behavior of lower volatility fuels at cold, intermediate, and warm ambient temperatures. The program used 135 vehicles to evaluate 87 hydrocarbon, MTBE blended, and ethanol blended fuels. Evaporative driveability index equations (EDIs) were developed using the test design fuel variables (E158°F, E200°F, E300°F), and three other variable sets: (E158°F, E250°F, E330°F), (T10, T50, T90), and (E70°C, E100°C, E140°C). The models that best fit the data contained oxygenate offsets. Overall, the best indices are the E70°C, E100°C, E140°C equation and the DI equation with offsets.

A significant deterioration in low temperature pumpability properties (as measured by the mini-rotary viscometer; MRV) was observed in certain commercial-quality engine oils in a taxi field test program. A detailed investigation demonstrated that contamination by carry-over of the factory fill oil in combination with oil aging was the cause of the marked deterioration in low-temperature pumpability properties; no evidence of new oil incompatibility was observed using industry-standard test procedures. A subsequent investigation identified a number of commercial ILSAC GF-2 quality engine oils which also caused large MRV viscosity increases when added in concentrations as low as 1 wt% to used engine oils. A root-cause evaluation established that low concentrations of certain viscosity index improvers caused large MRV viscosity increases when added to used oils.