marv h.

Can someone tell me how to get set up on an oil sampling program?

big jimmy

1)a repeatable way to draw a sample without it being contaminated

2)do a baseline sample- change oil, run for x miles without any engine/gasket work done, draw sample. This is your benchmark and for a good engine will evolve into a trend wear line average that you can refer to for any signs of trouble, or to extend drain intervals etc.

3)a repeatable way to draw a sample without it being contaminated. (this repeat is not a mistake)

Depending on your usage/service duty will tell you how often to do a sample. I pull a 10,000gvw some of the time, not always fully loaded, rest of the time daily driver etc and once a year is enough for me. I have a by-pass system so change oil less than twice a year, mostly to tell me about my drain intervals. (every 15k)

To get things going you may want to do three samples over the first year, (say you drive 20k), then tailor the frequency on your style. Once you know your engine its easy to feel confident about intervals.

Big Jimmy

HaulinBut

Marv,

First, where is the "cold part of Colorado"? I am west of Denver in the hills, and this is just about cold enuff for me.
On to the oil sampling. I sent my sample in to Monitor, which I believe is a service of Cummins Fleetguard division. They furnish instructions along with the sample containers, and then send a very in-depth analysis back to you. Reads in ppm on every imaginable element and informs you if any are out of the acceptable range. You can check them out at www.fleetguard.com

infidel

If you plan on testing your oil to see if it's still good to go you don't want to drain it.
This is way I do it. Plans may have to change if you are using the filter port for a bypass filter.

All from the hardware store. Buy an 1/8" NPT X 1/4" compression valve
(these are common for ice makers and swamp coolers), a 1/8"X3" nipple and
3' of 1/4"plastic tubing. With the engine off but warmed up connect this setup to the plugged 1/8" port on top of your oil filter housing, hand tight no Teflon tape. Start the warmed upped engine, open the valve and run oil though the tubing into your oil fill spout to flush it out for awhile. You can now take a sample with great control with the
sample being the only loss of oil. Shut down the engine, open the 1/8
valve to let oil in the tubing drain back then remove it and replace the
plug. If you like leave the valve in place and just remove the tubing.

Oil taken from the drain plug during an oil change for a sample should be midway though the drain if you want any degree of accuracy. Sort of defeats the purpose of
extended drains if you have to drain half your oil.

marv h.

Well, Haullinbut, generally "the cold part of Colorado" is in or around Gunnison. I'm a little north of town.
Thanks for the info on fleetgaurd sampling. How much did it cost to get set up with them?
Thank you Bill for the idea for drawing a clean sample. That sounds a lot like the way we get samples from our Caterpillar equipment at work. They are "live samples", set up to get a clean sample each time fast & easy.
I am mainly interested in seeing what an oil sample says is going on inside my engine. Hopefully all is well, but I would like to be sure.

marv h.

Sorry Haulinbut, I didn't mean to misspell.