With the average cost of diesel fuel in the USA at $3.68 per gallon1, a leaking charge air cooler is costing truck owners a serious amount of money in wasted fuel.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, a long-haul truck driver in the United States typically drives over 100,000 miles per year.
The average fuel economy for Class 7 and Class 8 trucks in the United States and Canada is around 5.49 miles per gallon (MPG)2.
Dura-Lite™ has produced a useful “Leaking Charge Air Cooler Calculator” that you can use to discover how much you can save by replacing a leaking CAC with a replacement Dura-Lite Evolution® Charge Air Cooler.
Using our calculator, Fuel cost of $3.68 USD gal, Fuel economy of 5.49 MPG, and an average daily trip of 550 miles, we calculate that you could be saving $25 per day! That’s $6,500 USD per year and for a fleet of 25 vehicles, it could be robbing you of $162,500 in wasted fuel every year! Leaks are sneaks!
Compare the difference:
Discover what a leaking charge air cooler could be costing you.
| Leaking charge air cooler | Dura-Lite™ leak-free charge air cooler | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel cost | $3.68 | $3.68 |
| Fuel economy | 5.5 | 5.9 |
| Average trip per day | 550 | 550 |
| Consumption per day | 100.0 Gal | 93.2 Gal |
| Cost per day | $368.00 | $343.05 |
Dura-Lite™ could save you per vehicle:
| Savings per day* | $25 |
|---|---|
| Savings per week* | $125 |
| Savings every 4 weeks* | $500 |
| Savings per year* | $6,500 |
Dura-Lite™ could save fleets:
| Number of vehicles: | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savings per day* | $625 | $1,250 | $1,875 | $2,500 |
| Savings per week* | $3,125 | $6,250 | $9,375 | $12,500 |
| Savings per 4 weeks* | $12,500 | $25,000 | $37,500 | $50,000 |
| Savings per year* | $162,500 | $325,000 | $487,500 | $650,000 |
*An engine with a leaking Charge Air Cooler will waste fuel. Dura-Lite’s calculation of the amount of fuel your engine is wasting is approximately what is shown above. The calculations are only approximate amounts based on a formula, using information from customer experiences with our products. Those experiences may be different from yours. The amount you save may be more or less than what is shown, due to other factors not reflected in the calculations. Dura-Lite™ does not warrant the accuracy of the calculations.
Enter the numbers from your own experience into our calculator to see what you could be saving every year:
Charge Air Cooler Leaks
A Charge Air Cooler (CAC) is a critical component for truck diesel engines that helps improve engine performance and efficiency.
Leaks can be caused by:
- Expansion and contraction during normal operation.
- Corrosion.
- Physical damage from road debris or impacts.
- Manufacturing defects.
- Excessive vibration or mechanical stress.
Symptoms of a Leaking CAC:
- Reduced engine performance.
- Increased fuel consumption.
- Loss of boost pressure.
- Elevated soot levels in the oil.
- Turbocharger or exhaust manifold failure.
- Elevated coolant temperatures.
- Black smoke from the exhaust.
Potential consequences of a Leaking Charge Air Cooler:
- Increased fuel costs.
- Turbocharger failure.
- Exhaust manifold failure.
- Increased emissions.
- Premature piston, ring, and valve failure.
- DPF soot build up with potential filter damage.
- Increased DPF regenerations.
Charge Air Cooler Pressure Test
The Dura-Lite Tester-Kit™ is designed and manufactured to pressure test charge air coolers safely and efficiently. The kit comes complete with everything required to pressure test most charge air coolers. With a Dura-Lite Tester-Kit, testing the charge air cooler will become as automatic as checking the oil and will give you confidence in knowing that an engine is performing well at the required level.
Dura-Lite Charge Air Cooler Tester-Kit
Do you have a leaking charge air cooler? The only way to accurately determine if a charge air cooler is leaking is to do a pressure test. Testing is quick and easy; it usually takes about 20 minutes using a Dura-Lite Tester-Kit.
Check out our video to see how easy it is to pressure test a charge air cooler!
When Only The Best Will Do - Dura-Lite!
1 Diesel Fuel Release Date: February 18, 2025 - https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel.
2 Average fuel economy of Class 7 and Class 8 trucks in the United States and Canada - https://www.geotab.com/truck-mpg-benchmark.
