AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants

Oil Analysis 101 - Article Followup

Since the initial article I posted on Oil Analysis 101, I have received a number of inquiries asking - "Tell me more".

So, here is the second part of this 2 part series, originally published in Orbit magazine.

Let me know what you think....

What Is The Correlation Between Particle Size And Engine Wear?

Everyone understands that superior filtration is key to preventing engine wear.

But do you understand the degree to which "superior" filtration is distinguished from "ordinary" filtration?  This difference is often underestimated.

Removal of contaminants ranging in size from 2 to 22 microns (μ) is key to ensuring maximum filtration protection.  A recent AMSOIL technical bulletin is now available Download TSB_oil_filter_particle_size.pdf that provides the details that help to better understand why the investment in superior filtration pays off for equipment owners.

Why Should I Begin an Oil Analysis for My Fleet?

You pay BIG BUCKS for your expensive equipment.  You also spend a lot on maintenance and repairs over the life of the equipment.  Everyone knows this.

No more than you'd play "Russian Roulette" with your personal health, by failing to see an MD every so often, should you avoid the "Health Checkup" on the oil that your equipment depends upon as its "life blood."  Make Sense?

Oil analysis for each piece of major fleet equipment taken every 450 hours of operation under the AMSOIL-3X program saves you BIG MONEY!

• The oil analysis program checks for abnormal engine wear, oil condition including oxidation and Total Base Number and provides indicators of other mechanical problems.

Fleets That Run AMSOIL Lubricants Report No Oil Problems - But that's just part of the story...
Download FST-Refuse_haulers_off-road_equipment.pdf

• Oil analysis primarily uncovers problems with oil breakdown. Due to superior product quality the problem of oil breakdown does not materialize.
• Instead, the following mechanical problems were uncovered before leading to costly repair and downtime:
  • Fuel dilution
  • Coolant leaks
  • Excessive fuel soot

Thus, the Oil Analysis program does much more than help you evaluate the properties of your oil, it also helps you identify and resolve other "symptoms" occurring in your equipment and enable you to address these BEFORE THEY BECOME EXPENSIVE BREAKDOWNS !

Oil Analysis 101 - Article

Orbit did a great piece on the fundamentals of Oil Analysis.

You can read it by clicking here

Enjoy

How to Analyze Oil Analysis

This article under the "Prevention Illustrated" section of Construction Equipment magazine

How to Analyze Oil Analysis

You have the report, but it's what you do with the information that keeps the machines operating

January 1, 2006

By G.C. Skipper, Contributing Editor

 

Quick Tips Review highest severity reports first. If maintenance action is recommended, consider all other diagnostic information. Then decide whether to act on the recommendation or order more testing. If a lubricant change is recommended, do it immediately to ensure fluid integrity. If resampling is recommended, send a second sample in immediately or at half normal sample intervals to verify results. Review cautionary reports. As more data are acquired, trends will become easier to identify. Once identified, act on them. Borderline results should be flagged. Review normal reports. Understand normal, or benchmark, levels for each unit. Trends are much easier to recognize.

In this story: Equipment and sample information

Reader Response: Letter to the editor

Tables: Severity Status Lab Report Test Report

 

It has been said that oil analysis is 85 percent science and 15 percent art. The science part applies to such things as viscosity, the property in fluid that causes it to resist flow. Laboratory tests identify the viscosity index number, and that number is a common measure of changes in viscosity with temperature.

The art lies in the analysis of lab data and the interpretation of what it means.

Oil analysis is like a blood test. A blood test can tell what's wrong with you before the symptoms occur. Oil analysis can show you what's wrong with your equipment before the problem shuts it down. Yet there is one major difference. When the medical lab returns its results, the report goes to an intermediary — the doctor — who interprets the data and passes the information along to you.

Not so with oil analysis. Those reports come straight to the fleet manager, and he has to read them for himself.

It is at this point that many managers are overwhelmed by what they see — an array of codes and numbers, some of which are underlined by strange markings that look like rows of inverted "Vs."

Even laboratory professionals admit that the uninitiated often find such reports impossible to read. But understanding the fundamentals for interpreting laboratory results and recommendations will convert the task from a confusing chore to a cost-saving management tool that has a direct impact on the bottom line.

To unravel the knots of reading oil analysis reports, Construction Equipment examined the format used by Polaris Laboratories, which has four basic sections.

For the complete article click here