consumed, lubrication and cooling system require- ments that have evolved over the past six years. Manufacturers publish recommended oil change
intervals for specific engines operating under “Nor- mal” as well as “Over Te Road” conditions and in- sist that those intervals are followed while the engine is under their specified warranty protection, period. Some additives and add-on devices, which have
often been referred to as “snake oil,” “magic potion” and “magnetic atomic particle changers” may not do anything to base oils that would be interpreted as oil change extenders. As a former vice president of maintenance and
procurement for more than 40,000 school buses, I was often asked to try devices that modify the struc- ture of fuel or oil for combustion engines, which were promised to improve mpg or extend oil change intervals. Tey were always either magnetic devices or additives. Te claims are the same: improved fuel economy and emissions based on testimonials. Responsibility and a need to continuously learn go
hand in hand with being a good maintenance man- ager. Terefore, we should always keep our eyes open to new ideas but not be bogged down by performing fuel economy improver tests that may lead nowhere. So I recommend that you respond as follows to oil supplement and fuel additive solicitations. Tell the supplier that, if they have not done so
already, they should have the device or additive evaluated on an emissions test run on a modern elec- tronically controlled diesel engine on a EPA-certified test cell running the EPA Federal transient test cycle. If the fuel economy and emissions improve, as they have stated, you will look at the device.
BENEFITS OF OIL ANALYSIS Oil analysis is one of the most effective ways to
monitor the condition of your engine. A regular oil-analysis program helps you build a historical data- base and watch for trends in a variety of areas. Ideally, you want to analyze a sample of used engine oil after every oil change for each engine type in your fleet. Serving as an early warning system, oil analysis
can alert you to problems before they become costly headaches. Used-oil samples can tell if contami- nants such as water, coolant, fuel or dirt are getting into the oil, indicating a head-gasket leak, a leaking fuel injector, or other problems Spectrochemical analysis detects the presence of
wear metals in the oil — unusually high amounts of wear metals could be a sign of abnormal wear. Te analysis will also measure the oil’s viscosity, base number (reserve alkalinity), and fuel-soot level. Many oil suppliers offer limited oil analysis for free. Te knowledge gained from a consistent oil-anal-
ysis program can assist you in optimizing your oil- drain interval, help increase equipment reliability, help minimize unscheduled downtime and track maintenance practices more precisely. Tis combina-
60 School Transportation News March 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76