SPECIAL REPORT Promoting Good (Engine) Health
How oil analysis can save you time, money and wear and tear on your engines By Stephane Babcock
moisture, soot and unburned fuel. Te presence of metal shavings or fillings indicates that there is too much metal- to-metal contact. “Outside contaminates could be silica,
indicating a problem with air intake allow- ing dirt into engine,” said Lonnie Young, maintenance facility lead for Durham School Services’ Everett, Wash operation. “Fuel dilution is a common problem lead- ing to reduced lubricity of the oil caused by a bad injector or other internal leaks.” Young and his team have been able to
prevent numerous complete engine fail- ures by detecting coolant contamination from leaking EGR coolers or oil coolers, which allows coolant into the oil and could destroy the bearings.
BRINGING IN THE PROFESSIONALS To get a more complete picture of
Ask most mechanics and they will tell
you that oil is the lifeblood of any vehicle. Under extreme heat and pressure, this slippery liquid keeps all the metal surfaces in an engine from generating too much friction, transfers heat away from the combustion cycle, suspends by-products of combustion, and cleans the engine of these chemicals and build-ups. It’s no wonder why so many mechan-
ics send away samples of their engine oil for testing to see if it is keeping up with their expectations. “It’s like a blood test,” said Walter Pro- thro, director of transportation for Temple
(Texas) Independent School District. “En- zymes, fat, etc. in your blood can tell you if something bad is going to happen or if something bad already happened. In oil, things other than the oil itself may show up indicating some type of unusual wear and tear on the engine. Taking care of it could prevent major component replacement.”
CHANGING OIL, READING SIGNS Analyzing your oil can be as simple as
looking at it during an oil change. Look for water in the used oil, which can be caused by combustion blow-by into the crankcase that contaminates the oil with
28 School Transportation News Magazine March 2010
what your oil is trying to tell you, a num- ber of technicians and industry experts advise the use of an independent labo- ratory to analyze your oil. Hydrotex’s Dwight Gleaves called fluid analysis “one of the most important tools that can be utilized by fleet operators,” stressing that lubricant selection can make or break an engine. “We always recommend utilizing the L.E.T.S. method. Always
consider the
‘Load,’ ‘Environment,’ ‘Temperature’ and the ‘Speed’ of the unit being considered,” added Gleaves. Tere are numerous options when it
comes to performing oil analysis, from employing independent labs to the man- ufacturers themselves. “While we certainly use an analysis from
the vehicle manufacturer, more than once we have found that an independent study was needed in order to fully receive the needed repairs or attention when deal-
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