How Can Oil Analysis Help My Engine?
We have all experienced wasted time from a machine going down. That’s why we so strongly recommend preventive maintenance and and as part of that using oil analysis to help spot potential problems before they lead to expensive repairs and avoidable downtime.
What is Oil Analysis?
Spectrographic oil analysis allows you to monitor the condition of the engine and its oil without taking the engine out of service. In fact, you can take oil samples from any enclosed lube system including a transmission and submit them for a comprehensive physical and chemical analysis.
The lubricant sample is analyzed by lab technicians, who prepare a detailed report to indicate problems and suggested corrective action to head off small problems before they become big ones. With a regular oil analysis program, engine owners can manage their maintenance schedule instead of letting it manage them.
How Oil Analysis Works
Most oil analysis programs provide an inexpensive sample-extracting kit for each engine you want analyzed. The kit includes the instructions and accessories needed to obtain a proper sample and send it back to the lab for analysis. Oil should be taken from the engine while it is warm, within 10 to 15 minutes after shutdown. It is a good idea to sample engine oil just before each drain interval and transmission and hydraulic system oil every 400 to 600 hours.
The lab report will indicate the condition of the oil sample along with maintenance recommendations. It also provides a record which can help with future engine diagnostics should other issues arise. A well organized and detailed maintenance file should also help with engine resale value helping to eliminate concerns over how or if the engine was ever maintained.
Today, there are a number of nationally recognized oil analysis programs that usually perform three types of diagnostic tests:
- Wear Analysis – measuring metal particles (aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, lead and molybdenum) in the used oil, which reveal any wear that is taking place, what components are wearing, and how fast.
- Chemical & Physical Tests – these tests check for water, fuel, and antifreeze in the oil…all of which lower oil’s lubricating ability and cause corrosion.
- Oil Condition Analysis – this measures contaminants like soot, sulfur, and the products of oxidation and nitration. When these get out of hand, they plug filters and coat engine parts.
If you are considering oil analysis, but don’t know where to go, give our team a call at 866-821-2454 or e-mail us at info@foleyengines.com. Whatever the results of the test, the final decision of what to do with the information is yours; we think it is better to make that decision with the best information.
