Oil Sampling?

[Steve Frazier]

How many here have an oil sampling program in effect? How does it work for you?

salesrep, does your company offer this service?

[salesrep]

Yes we do offer sampling program. Most companies ( as do we) provide a postage paid cannnister that you send in.
We offer two different programs. One for web-based results and one with hard copies.
An oil analysis program can be very beneficial if you are going to extend drains and as a tool to head off any problems before they cause major damage. Another reason companies use them is if they are getting premature failure in an application or premature rebuilds.

[Steve Frazier]

salesrep, does your analysis include a laymans interpretation of the results instead of just listing particulate levels? I've had a sample done locally in the past, but after reading the results knew no more than before the test about the vehicle. The numbers listed meant nothing to me.

[salesrep]

Yes. I think our reports are very easy to understand. They give you the ranges of ppm (parts per million) for all the metals noraml,abnormal etc. As well as wear meatal sources suck as Iron- cylinderss,gears bearings etc copper- bushings clutches etc. Also visc and iso ranges. Definitions of contaminant sources plus feedback from the chemist if "red flags" come up.
We offer 3 free samples with every drum of oil. Oh yea free shipping too.

[kamerad47]

Steve he is a ?? for you. If you found out your machine was starting to show a problem what would you do??? Take out of service to find out whats wrong $$$$ Sell it, or nurse it along for a while?? Big Co's do alot of this because they have the $$$ to do the repairs!!! & they probably would sell 1st!

[2004F550]

HO Penn SOS kept flagging our D8L for like 6 years, they send you the paper and it says stop machine right now to avoid engine faliure yadadada, and we just kept running it....well we went on a hunch and it went for 6 yrs before it blew up........

[Steve Frazier]

My reason for analysis has more to do with the service life of my oil, am I changing oil frequently enough? If an oil report showed impending failure of the engine, I'd probably trade the machine if it were an expensive repair.

[PSDF350]

Steve I have talked to several about oil sampling and the concensus is it is a waste of money. I think if it is started from day one of the machines life it might be better. but to start on machine that has been in service for awhile is a waste of time and money.

[salesrep]

Steve I have talked to several about oil sampling and the concensus is it is a waste of money. I think if it is started from day one of the machines life it might be better. but to start on machine that has been in service for awhile is a waste of time and money.

Respectfully, I strongly disagree, the price is minimal compared to the cost of downtime, machine life and lubricant costs.

[PSDF350]

well salesrep I wont argue with you. but from most I have talked to that have done the sampling. find it a waste of time and money, becuase problms aren't detected as ofton as you are lead to believe. especially when started on a machine that has been in service for sometime before it is begun. thats why I say if you start from day one of machines life it is probably worth it. but I have no personal experiance with it. so this is just second hand. one had motor blow that was supposedly fine. others had other problms that also weren't detected.

[salesrep]

psdf350
No. hey. sure don't want to get into a pi**ing contest with you.
Oil samples are not the be all to end all. They will not pick- up everything. But a good lab will catch a lot.
One of the biggest mistakes guys do is to do 1 or 2 samples and expect miraculous findings. Trends must be established to determine a machines's characteristics and tendencies.

[Steve Frazier]

Everything I've read in trade magazines suggest there are benefits to oil sampling if done on a regular basis as salesrep suggests. The most significant would be bearing condition, an oil analysis can determine the need for bearing replacement before a crankshaft is wiped out or a rod exits through the block. In other words, the oil analysis allows an opportunity to make repairs before catastrophic failure.

Again, my interest here is to determine if my oil change intervals are sufficient, something I believe an oil analysis can positively determine.

[Steve Frazier]

Another thought has come to mind. Can an oil sample be taken with a clean inert container and held until a sample kit is available?

[kamerad47]

How much $$ can a contractor with a couple of machines save on extending oil changes?? To me you should always change on the safe side & you can never gease them too much!!!!

[salesrep]

Steve. Yes.

Cost savings depends how many hours/miles a machine runs, gallons needed, filter costs, and labor costs.
As an example a otr semi that goes 100k plus per year will save approx $500 per year by extending intervals.
Guys extend intervals to not only save money, but also because of the premium oil that they run they will pick-up fuel economy and extend engine life.
Another added benefit is time. Go fishing, chase women, play with the kids versus changing oil as often.

[kamerad47]

you name 3 things that will cost you more then $500!!!!!

[salesrep]

"you name 3 things that will cost you more then $500!!!!!"

I don't understand what you are trying to say.

[Cat420]

I think he means the "women, fishing, and kids" will cost you more than the $500 that you save :beatsme

[salesrep]

:Banghead duh. lol.

[glsahl]

i've used oil sampling for years,via machine,and petroleum distributors.it's only as good as the people taking,and reading the samples.
cat's system is what i trained on,and it's the one i'm most familiar with.the others i've seen are more or less copies.chevron's is good,kawasaki's leaves alot to be desired.
"parts per million" is for reference only.your base oil can change these numbers as fast as topping a compartment off from a dirty container.sampling from drain plugs is a waste of a sample container.
without a sample of you base oil,you no good way begin your trending.
samples are best for adjusting change periods when you pay attention to soot ,and sulfur levels.they indicate air filter plugging,and operators that are "lugging"machines.
my major use of them,is in watching for fuel and coolant contamination.leaking transfer pumps,liners,etc.,can be spotted this way,before they might be noticed by an operator.