Frequently asked questions about lubricants
Lubricants are generally used to reduce friction and transfer heat. They are essential to the proper functioning of any system requiring lubrication.
Yacco lubricants are designed to increase both engine output by reducing friction and mechanical durability by reducing wear. Through their detergent and dispersant components, Yacco lubricants keep the engine clean in order to ensure its proper functioning.
Additives antioxidants in Yacco lubes also deliver protection of the engine against corrosion. Last, lubricants help cooling the parts which cannot be cooled by a coolant product used for a given movement.
The viscosity of a Yacco lubricant represents its resistance to flow. High viscosity forms a thick layer that separates moving parts and thus increases the protection of mechanical parts. Lower viscosity reduces friction and thus helps save the energy used for a given movement.
Viscosity is often referred to as grades or classes defined by standards. Thus, ISO VG grades are widely used in the industry and SAE grades in the automotive sector. Yacco lubricants are no exception to the rule: the degree of viscosity of the lube presented is indicated on every Yacco lubricants' product information sheet.
In theory yes, but all lubricants are not miscible or compatible with each other and all lubricants have their own formulation. The mixture of two products can therefore degrade performance and damage mechanical parts in contact with these products.
Through a wide range of specific lubricants, Yacco lubes offer many benefits.
Yacco lubes are designed to facilitate cold engine start and to reduce wear of mechanical parts: 20 to 30% of engine wear occurs during engine start-up and optimal warm-up.
Yacco lubes thus increase engine’s longevity and deliver better powertrain performance. Yacco lubes also have the benefit of saving fuel by reducing friction in moving parts.
You will be able to find the standards of each Yacco product on the labels of our products. ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) performances as well as approvals from the manufacturers are indicated and allow you to choose the most suitable lubricant to your vehicle.
To choose the right Yacco lube, we advise you to follow the recommendations of your equipment manufacturer.
You can also contact us through our contact form for us to help you determine the Yacco lubricant best suited to your needs.
Yacco advises you to follow the recommendations of you equipment manufacturer to ensure good performance and operational life of your bearings. It is essential to select the appropriate lubricating grease type and grade. Your choice in terms of lubrication should follow the NLGI grade established by your equipment manufacturer. This degree qualifies the consistency of lubricating greases.
The NLGI scale ranges from grade 000 (very fluid lubricating grease) to grade 6 (hard lubricating grease). Fluid lubricating greases are generally more suited to central lubrication. Grade 2 is generally suitable for hand pumps or disposable cartridges. Grade 6 is considered "hard" and is therefore required for certain applications.
Each lubricant - including Yacco lubes – has a limited life cycle, defined by its formulation. The life cycle of Yacco lubricants varies depending on operating conditions. The standards associated with each Yacco lubricant define its operational life. Therefore, drain intervals should be respected in order to ensure proper operation of your equipment.
YES and NO. There is a Yacco lubricant for each application. A large majority of vehicles require specific lubricant for their transmission systems such as the gearboxes or the beam axles.
However, many two-wheeled vehicles and some farming equipment require the use of the same lubricant for the engine and the transmission system.
In any case, refer to the recommendations of the equipment manufacturer.
YES. Specific Yacco lubes have been developed in order to meet the ongoing evolution of engines needing to adapt to new environmental constraints. The Yacco lubricant used for your engine must be compatible with pollution control devices of your vehicle such as catalytic converters and particulate filters, to ensure its proper effectiveness and action.
The "UPKEEPING MY VEHICLE" on our yacco.com website provides information on the Yacco lubricant best suited to your vehicle engine and corresponding to the manufacturer's recommendation.
NO. Yacco synthetic lubricants can increase drain intervals and thus reduce upkeep costs. Yacco synthetic lubes are also used to save energy and improve reliability. The range of Yacco lubricants includes most of synthetic lubes available in the market.
Visit the "UPKEEPING MY VEHICLE" section to check whether you can use a synthetic lube for your engine and to find the Yacco lubricant which is best suited to your needs.
The Yacco company is particularly attentive to the processing of waste generated by lubricants. A lube waste recovery system exists in France. The collection process is financed through the General Tax on Polluting Activities (TGAP). Please note that only certain approved companies are authorized to collect used lubricants in compliance with the law. It applies in particular to automotive engine lube landfills. Please do not discharge your lubricants in the environment.
In a 4-stroke engine, the lubrication is done by circulation of lubricant between the crankcase and the component to be lubricated. After completing its role, the lubricant "falls" into the crankcase to be used again.
A 2-stroke engine uses a different type of lubrication: the lubricant is mixed with fuel or sprayed in the crankcase and is then burned with the fuel. Make sure to choose carefully your Yacco lubricant based on the type of engine: a 2-stroke lube is not designed to remain in the engine and will thus degrade rapidly; a 4-stroke lube is not designed to burn, thus leading to poor carburetion and heavy smoke emissions.
Visit the "UPKEEPING MY VEHICLE" section to determine which Yacco lubricant is best suited to your needs.
Yacco’s Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) present the risks related with the use of the product in question. Yacco’s MSDS also set out the procedures to handle the product safely as well as the behaviors to adopt in case of accident (ingestion, inhalation, etc.). Make sure to read carefully these documents before using Yacco lubricants.
YES. A too low lube level can lead to engine failure as the lubrication of the engine is not properly ensured. However, if the level of lube is too high, the crankshaft may strike the surface of the lube, which could damage it and lead to engine failure: the "Minimum" and "Maximum" levels of your equipment should always be observed.
Just as Yacco lubricants, Yacco coolants can be formulated from different technologies which are sometimes incompatible (organic or inorganic, for example). Failure to comply with the manufacturer's instructions may cause corrosion problems in your cooling system and cause engine overheating.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of a braking system, brake fluids must meet very strict standards and have a very high purity level. Yacco brake fluids are classified according to their "DOT" grade. Some grades are not soluble with others.
Labels on Yacco products provide useful information about the lubricant type and quality.
One of the first information given on Yacco labels is the viscosity grade. For engine lubes, it is expressed according to the SAE J300 standard which includes:
- a "Winter" grade ranging from 0W to 25W defining the product’s viscosity at low temperatures. The lower the "Winter" grade (5W for example), the more cold starting will be facilitated.
- a "Summer" grade ranging from 16 to 60 defining the lubricant’s viscosity once the engine has warmed up. Fluid grades show a tendency to save fuel while viscous grades increase engine protection (in any case, manufacturer's recommendations should be observed).
For Yacco transmission lubes, viscosity is expressed according to SAE J306, which also includes:
- a "Winter" grade ranging from 70W to 85W
- a "Summer" grade ranging from 80 to 250.
For Yacco industrial lubes, viscosity is expressed in "ISO VG” grade which corresponds to the lube’s viscosity at 40 degrees, measured in centistokes (cSt).
Engine lubes are generally classified according to their ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) grade, which are divided into categories:
- Class A is specific to "gasoline" engines,
- Class B is specific to diesel engines,
- Class C is adapted to the latest engines (gasoline and diesel) complying with the most recent "Euro" pollution control standards (engines with particle filter, for example).
- Class E corresponds to engines used in transport, farming and heavy equipment, etc.
The figures after the letters indicate the performance level:
- A1/B1: "Fuel-Economy" typed lubricant for short drain interval,
- A2/B2: High-viscosity lubricant for short drain interval,
- A3/B3: High-viscosity lubricant for extended drain interval for fuel and diesel engines with indirect injection,
- A3/B4: High-viscosity lubricant for extended drain interval for fuel and diesel engines with direct injection,
- A5/B5: "Fuel-Economy" typed lubricant for extended drain interval,
- C1: LOW-SAPS "Fuel-Economy" typed lubricant,
- C2: MID-SAPS "Fuel-Economy" typed lubricant,
- C3: MID-SAPS high-viscosity lubricant,
- C4: LOW SAPS high-viscosity lubricant,
- E4: lubricant used for vehicle without particulate filters running at very high speed,
- E6: lubricant used for vehicles equipped with particulate filters running at very high speed,
- E7: lubricant used for vehicle without particulate filters running at high speed,
- E9: lubricant used for vehicles equipped with particulate filters running at high speed.
API (American Petroleum Institute) standards serve the same purpose as ACEA standards, but are generally more recognized abroad. They are divided into two categories: "S" for fuel vehicles and "C" for heavy-duty diesel vehicles. The further in the alphabet the letters after “S” and ”C” are, the more recent the specification is.
Example: SN/CF corresponds to a lubricant used for petrol vehicles sold after 2011 and for heavy-duty engines with indirect injection since 1994.
For transmission lubes, the main nomenclature is the one established by the API with the GL grades:
- GL-3: gear lube with intermediate level of extreme pressure,
- GL-4: gear lube with high level of extreme pressure,
- GL-5: gear lube with very high level of extreme pressure (can be corrosive to equipment requiring a GL-4 level).
For all lubricants, manufacturers may impose their own requirements, which are generally improvements of ACEA and API standards.