> On Jul 16, 2014, at 5:38 PM, Curt Raymond via Mercedes > <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > Is the lack of analysis on stationary engines a factor of short run times?
Mostly. Because of the typical short cycle times, the oil is often contaminated by condensation in the engine. This is exacerbated by the engines rarely being run under load, and even then the load is fairly small. It's not uncommon to find the waxy white deposits in the bottom of the crankcase in these engines due to their not getting hot enough to boil off moisture in the crankcase. > Caterpillar has a super aggressive program of analysis that helps them keep > machines running for way longer than ever before and lowers maintenance costs > by allowing fluids to run longer. If I had an engine with a sump that held > 100 gallons you bet I'd want to get all I could out of that oil, changing it > early would be crazy talk compared to running a $20 analysis... Caterpillar does this themselves, but I can tell you from direct experience that very few of their standby power end users do it. The expense is often seen as something of an extravagance, and since the typical life of these units far exceeds their service life, most customers forego sampling. Customers who have fleet operations will do it as they have the programs in place already. Prime power users will do it due to cost. It's the ones who have one or two units onsite that balk at the expense. Understand that a typical oil analysis for an industrial engine from a certified lab can run into several hundred dollars by the time it's marked up by the service provider. Ask one of those Cat customers what an oil sample costs them. > I find it interesting that the "Mercedes Martha Stewart" doesn't care about > whats going on INSIDE the engine. My cars get the opposite treatment, I don't > really mind what they look like, they have to perform. Then again I drive > like 4x as much as you do. My cars perform, and perform well. If I found that my cam bearings were wearing, for example, I would dump the car. It's not that I don't care, as that would suggest that I don't maintain or follow MBs recommendations, and that's simply not true. I follow the service intervals religiously. With that in mind, my expectations are that the car(s) should last as long or longer than MB would predict. If fluid sampling was relevant or added value under normal operation, I would do it. Mercedes doesn't consider it necessary, nor does any other car manufacturer. Again, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. In my mind, it's overkill and the cost doesn't justify the expense, that's all. Dan > ________________________________ > From: Dan Penoff via Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > To: Mercedes List <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 5:28 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Mobil 1 $23 at Wally World > > > I am changing about every 5k-6k and I'm perfectly happy with that. If the > oil hasn't "broken in" (and I would like to see the citations for these > claims) by then it's not going to. > > For almost 25 years I worked with industrial diesels with 1000s of HP that > had sumps well beyond 100 gallons. Almost every one of them was changed on a > calendar basis, only a few were changed based on oil analysis. I'm not > saying there's anything wrong with oil analysis, in fact, when done properly > it can provide a wealth of information about the engine. In the stationary > engine business, about the only people who do oil analysis are those who have > an aggressive maintenance program that pays close attention to everything, > and/or those running engines in prime power (continuous) operation. Everyone > else does it every two years or so. > > Quite frankly, I don't care to do it and I don't want the additional hassle > and expense. I'll just change mine on the intervals I'm happy with and > continue on. And yes, we could argue that I would save money in the long > run, but I'm not that interested in doing so. I'm just more comfortable with > changing the oil and filter out at the mileage or time I think is appropriate. > > Dan > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those > individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has > no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
