|
|
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
Subject: TWL: RE: TWL Project - Quick Oil Drain System
Albin43Tr@XXX.XXX
Date: Sun Nov 17 2002 - 13:33:36 EST
'Lo All,
In a very nice private email, the following comment was made which seems
quite pertinent to my oil change.
<<A major problem in the whole issue of oil changes (even
for our automobiles) is that there are no real data on studies
concerning the usefulness of oil changes at specified intervals. The
result may be unnecessary waste of resources, necessity of disposal of
hazardous wastes, and costs incurred.>>
The last oil change on the Cummins engines and generator was in the spring of
1999. Since then we have put several hundred hours on the engines. Every six
months (even when there is little engine operation) or every 100 hrs - which
ever comes soonest, I take an oil sample from each engine and generator and
send it in for analysis. This last time, one element was a little out of spec
on both Cummins engines, and the analyst suggested an oil change. That is
what led me to installing the quick drain system. After 25 hours or so, I
will send in another sample to make sure that nothing is going wrong. Both
engines had almost the same readings, so I am quite confident that it was
just "fair wear and tear" through normal usage. The generator analysis
indicated all was fine, and no oil change was recommended, so I did not
change the generator oil in it.
For anyone wishing to try oil sampling, there are several ways of taking the
samples, but the one recommended to me is as follows:
1. Get a dipstick tube and vacuum pump. This is a little setup sold by
Caterpillar Tractors (and probably others, as well). It uses a 1/4" tube that
slips down the dipstick tube and creates a vacuum by pulling back the handle.
The hot oil sample is sucked up the tube and runs directly into the little
plastic bottle. No oil goes into the vacuum pump if it is used correctly, and
absolutely no mess is made - if done correctly.
2. Place a new vacuum tube alongside the dipstick so that the end is almost
at the end of the dipstick and put a piece of tape onto the vacuum tube at
the handle end of the dipstick to indicate how far to insert the vacuum tube
into the dipstick tube. The actual recommendation is to have the end of the
vacuum tube at about the middle of the oil. On Cummins 6BT5.9 engines, this
requires about 4' of 1/4" polyethylene tubing per engine. (NEVER USE THE SAME
VACUUM TUBING TWICE, as contaminates will remain that would be reflected in
subsequent samples. (This is from the oil sample analysis company.)) Have a
plastic bag or something such to put the oil vacuum tube into when you are
through, as it will still have residual oil in/on it.
3. Thoroughly warm up the engine(s). Insert the vacuum tube to the depth
indicated by the tape. Take the oil sample within 5 minutes of shutting down
the engine(s). Place the exposed end into the pump head so about 1/4-3/8"
pokes down into the bottle. Hold the bottle vertically as oil flows into it.
Withdraw oil until the level reaches the shoulder of the sample bottle. Push
the vacuum pump handle back in, which will partially push the oil still in
the tube back into the engine.
4. Now the "tricky" part: getting the HOT bottle off the pump without making
a mess. Place a paper towel or something under the pump to catch the
inevitable drip(s) from the tube. Hold the bottle vertically and carefully
unscrew it from the pump. (I wrap a folded paper towel around it.) Set it
down on a flat surface. Wipe the end of the vacuum tube to stop further
drips/runs. Lay the pump down, so that the end of the tube is up. Put the cap
on the sample bottle as soon as possible. Pull the vacuum tube out of the
dipstick tube, keeping an absorbent towel or something wrapped around it. If
you hold the tube and your mouth just right, most of the oil will drain back
into the engine - but not all. Hold the towel around the bottom end to absorb
the remaining oil and place the tube into the plastic bag. Hint: another
piece of tape comes in handy to keep the tube coiled. No, the tape won't
stick to the oily tube, just wrap it around and stick it to itself.
5. The oil analysis folks will need the brand, type and weight of the oil in
the sample (such as Chevron Delo 400 15W-40), plus the number of hours from
the last oil change. They also will want the engine make and model and serial
number. From the above, they can come up with a very good analysis. After the
first analysis, they will track the amount of each element they measure to
show wear patterns at each succeeding analysis.
The cost varies from company to company that you buy the oil sample kits
from, but it is usually $15-18 per sample kit (here anyway). Analysis is
prepaid when you buy the kits. On the east coast, anyway, most analysis is
actually performed by the same lab company, at their several addresses, but
have different middleman companies that sell the kits to the folks you buy
them from. It seems strange to send samples to different companies, but to
the exact same street address.
Take care and be safe.
Wayne
M/V Celestial
Albin 43 Sundeck
_______________________________________________
http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-list
|