By
Ross Sheil,
Staff Reporter
Jamaica
Gleanner
Kingston
Petroleumworld.com
03 05 06
LOCAL AUTOMOBILE
dealers are to meet with the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica
(PCJ) to discuss the poor quality of domestic diesel which is
damaging some engines and prohibiting the import of some models
of vehicles.
Kent Lacroix,
chairman of the Jamaica Automobile Dealers Association, said
the PCJ confirmed the meeting following year-long discussions
with the state-owned company. The poor quality of diesel fuel
is due to the high sulphur content, which is currently 2,000
parts per million as against 50 parts per million in the European
Union (EU).
EU SULPHUR
LEVELS
According
to Dr. Raymond Wright, a consultant and former PCJ group managing
director, Jamaica will not reach EU sulphur levels until early
2009 when the Petrojam Oil Refinery, a subsidiary of the PCJ,
is upgraded.
Juergen
Deforth, general manager of Audi Latin America and the Caribbean,
told The Gleaner earlier this month that poor diesel quality
in Jamaica means some automobile models, manufactured by Audi,
are withheld from Jamaica.
"The
fuel is a problem because modern diesel engines which use the
common rail injection system are damaged by high sulphur, low
quality fuel," said Mr. Lacroix. Specifically affected
are more efficient digital fuel pumps which are part of this
system.
"It
depends on the engine, some of the engines prefer or require
to use a low sulphur to run more efficiently. There are some
models such as the Land Rover which have been designed for the
global market (and higher sulphur levels) which due to the specification
of their engines means they can operate with higher sulphur
diesel than here," said Dr. Wright.
Richard
Stewart, Chairman of Stewarts Auto Sales, said his company would
be importing a diesel model Suzuki this weekend to test with
local fuel. He said that few Suzuki diesels have been sold in
Jamaica so far.
"For
the average man unless you are driving a very long commute and
have a high mileage the added expense of buying a diesel vehicle
may not be justified because you might just spend a long time
in heavy traffic," said Mr. Stewart.
He said
that a diesel Suzuki costs US$2,650 more than a gasoline model.
The PCJ
has promoted the adoption of diesel vehicles, since it claims
they are 40-45 per cent more fuel efficient than gasoline vehicles.
Dr. Wright said diesel vehicles currently make up 17 per cent
of imports, which the PCJ wants to double in the next four years.
Maintaining
your diesel engine:
Diesel engines
should be regularly maintained to ensure safe, clean and efficient
operation.
Air cleaners,
injectors, fuel pumps and pump seals should be checked and repaired
or replaced by your diesel mechanic at the correct time intervals.
Your owner's
handbook will indicate how often each of these checks should
be made.
Look out
for:
Any diesel
pooling under your vehicle, moisture or wetness at the bottom
of the engine, changes in engine exhaust (e.g., a smoky exhaust),
or decreasing fuel efficiency.
You should
get your fuel injection pump checked if any of the above occur.
