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Diesel and Automotive Oil Analysis



When it comes to preventative maintenance conducting oil analysis is part of a professional maintenance program. Oil testing is used by many OTR trucking companies along with school districts and those that want the best data to make informed decisions about their maintenance schedules. Oil testing gives you the data to properly extend oil change intervals, or to inspect systems before damage becomes critical and the cost to repair increases.



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What goes into Automotive and Diesel Engine testing?



There are several metrics that are used as part of a standard oil analysis. The major metrics are Viscosity, Wear Metals and Contaminants, Glycol Contamination, and Fuel Contamination. There are other metrics that can be added if the question you need answered requires those additional data points. The additional data points include TAN\TBN, ISO 4406 Particle Analysis, PQ index, FTIR analysis for Oxidation and Nitration, and Ferrography. Each of these test add cost to a standard analysis buy can add value based on the criteria or answer you are looking for.



What the Basic Test Tell you



Additional testing is available upon request



Wear metals





All oil lubricated systems will have metal contamination after use. The best part about this is we can determine what metals and how much are present. The relationships of the different metals tell us where they are originating from and at what rate. Looking at the trend of this data over time lets you know if there is something in the engine that is not operating correctly. Caught early this can decrease the cost of maintenance significantly. See below for a standard table of these relationships.



Viscosity





All oils are blended to have a specific resistance to flow that is measured in a value called Centistokes. Each SAE grade of oil has a specific range that is necessary for that oil to be classified as a SAE weight of oil. As oils are used there are chemical and physical processes that will alter the oils viscosity. These include thermally loading the oil, fuel bypassing the pistons and entering the oil system (fuel dilution), or other physical processes. Each engine manufacturer specifies a specific grade of oil based on the physical needs of the motor. If the oil is below or above the needed viscosity you will see premature wear of the internal engine components. Below is a table of the SAE viscosity ranges.



FueL diluiton





Excessive fuel in the cylinder will create the conditions where the fuel is able to bypass the piston rings and enter the oil system. This has a net effect of diluting the oil and changing the lubrication characteristics of the oil. If left unchecked the engine will begin to increase the rate of wear metal production, and it can lead to premature failure of the motor.



Glycol Contamination





Glycol is a component of coolant and is present in all water-cooled engines. In the lab we are able to detect glycol at very low levels. Combined with wear metal data it is possible to detect not only the initiation of a coolant leak in the motor, but also isolate the location between the upper and lower cooling system. This is part of all oil analysis done on automotive and diesel engine oil samples.



Charts



Below are charts discussed above for viscosity and wear metals



Viscosity using ASTM D446



In all oil labs viscosity is measured at 100C and SAE values are indexed to that temperature. There are cases where 40C is necessary for standard analysis and the chart above captures both data sets. When needing a viscosity index the relationship between 40C and 100C is used to calculated the index.


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Standard Wear Metal Relationships



These are standard relationships that are used as the basis for interpretation. There are other custom applications where our knowledge about a specific system may point us in a different direction for inspection or service recomendations.


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LNC Laboratories



For infomation about starting an oil Analysis program
Contact Me at
Lnelson@lnclabs.com
or call 928-304-9848