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Oil Analysis Pinpoints Engine Performance Issues
Drivability is a vehicle's response to general driving conditions—cold starts and stalls, rpm dips, idle response and launch hesitations. It is vital to optimum engine performance as it affects power output, fuel consumption and efficiency.
Oil analysis can optimize drivability by identifying performance problems in progress. As engine oil is pumped throughout different parts of the engine, it picks up vital trace elements of engine component wear and contamination.
A “rich” condition—too much fuel—is usually caused by a faulty injector or fuel pressure regulator and improper air to fuel ratios. Testing the engine oil for fuel dilution can help in identifying this condition. Fuel contamination thins the oil and dilutes the oil's additives reducing the oil's film thickness and increasing the risk of metal to metal contact.
A “lean” condition is evidence of a much higher concentration of air to fuel in the combustion chamber. Oil analysis will show increase in nitration (NOx). A change in the Air Intake System, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) operation and Cooling System failures can influence this condition.
Heat expansion and the amount of heat rejection required of the CACs (Charge Air Coolers) in today's EGR engines causes significant levels of stress on an air cooler's aluminum components. The connection between the CAC and the Turbo Charger is a close one in most applications in that a leak or blockage in the cooler could suffocate the engine without an alternative source of air to the cylinders. This can lead to excessive fuel consumption or loss of power. Increases in temperature increase oxidation and nitration and deplete the engine oil's TBN (Total Base Number). Using oil analysis, these changes in oil condition can be identified in their earliest stages. Oil analysis is an inexpensive, diagnostic tool that will optimize drivability, improve reliability and save time and money.
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