I'm NOT testing MY oil!!!

[_RaT_]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

<font color="blue">Also, many who purchase a tractor for home or farm-ranch use keep them until they die and pass them on to their heirs. </font>

With the exception of a handful here, folks are putting on very few hours on their tractors. We did a check and the average seem to be less then 50 hours a year. I am always suprised to see folks who purchased their tractor well before my current one asking about a 50 hour, 100 hour oil change. I put about 200 hours on a year. My first year was an exception with about 275 hours. Nonetheless, I do baby the oil changes on it more then the autos. My first two oil changes were with Redline synthetic 15W40. Now it's Delo 15W40

 

[SkyPup]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( Don't forget, Diesels normally get alot more hours on them than gasoline automobiles. )</font>

And?????The oil does not care.


</font><font color="blueclass=small">( Also, many who purchase a tractor for home or farm-ranch use keep them until they die and pass them on to their heirs. )</font>

Yup…Again, the oil does not care. Still the HUGE, amazingly high-cost of the oil test, $15, is priceless to find out the real true story on any motor.
)</font>


What I meant to imply that you missed is that it pays to take better care of your diesels than it does a stinkin' petrol automobile. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gsxr1100]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Mike, I've been following this thread with great interest and it has raised a question that perhaps only demonstrates my ignorance: I think that I understand the potential value of oil testing from the point of view of determining whether, at a particular point, the oil still has retained its lubricating properties so that changing is not yet needed. What I do not understand is how valuable an oil test is from the point of preventive maintenance (recognizing developing problems at an early stage) to a non-knowledgeable person like me.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do oil testing results just tell you what trace metals are found in the oil in what proportions, and do you then have to know what parts of the engine those trace metals come from, whether their proportions are beyond what is normal, and what the significance of that is??? or do the oil test results contain this information? )</font>

The oil test does both. It has what is in the oil and on the test will have the areas on where these elements come from. It is two-fold.

The proportions can be either on what you do when compared to another test you did or by using some oil education. IE, if you have iron about 40 ppm, you better have a look. You just get to have a feel from some #’s. Like Si in oil should be low. TBN should be high, TAN low, fuel <1%, Water <.1% , OXD and NOX should be as low as can be (up to 100 is acceptable)

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( A test result that just told me things like "you have .2ppm nickel in your oil" would, I confess, be meaningless to me unless I then took it to an engineer and paid another $??? to tell me what it meant. )</font>

0.2ppm of Ni you are fine. 0.2 is very low. Even 2.0 would be fine. 20.0ppm would be some concern and so on.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You are obviously pretty about oil test reports and the significance of what they show. Would they be as informative to an automotive ignoramus like me?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>
I am not knowledgeable but learning day by day.

 

[gsxr1100]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( What I meant to imply that you missed is that it pays to take better care of your diesels than it does a stinkin' petrol automobile. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )</font>

Never EVER imply anything, always spell it out. But I disagree, since both need to be care for 100%. Both need to have things done. Diesel's are just a little harder on oil thus; these oils have a better additive package.

Edited for crappy spelling on my part. Trying to leave work fast!

 

[JASTN70D]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

Henro
It appears the real deciding factor of weather you test the oil or not may come down to how much of a hobby oil is in your life.

These are maintenance issues. there are some people that take it much further than others. I am not sure you could ever do to much maintenance. But if there is limited time in your life maybe that should be the deciding factor.

I find that in my experience engine failure is by far the most least likely scenario to put a vehicle out of commission and in to the junk heap.

Given this experience up to this point when I consider to test or just do recommended maintenance recommended maintenance wins out by a mile.

And it is just not a cost issue it is about when is it a reasonable amount of effort considering the risk involved. I mean you could take this further and consider replacing parts that are known to wear like well for example a set of rings (every 500 hours) lets say in order to avoid other problems in the future but I suspect this may be to much for most. But maybe some would take it further than that. To each his own to feel good and secure.

Of course what normally puts me out of commission are things like that screw that fell out that held your clamp for the fuel return line and you start sucking air and for the life of you can not figure out why the thing is running so bad for days. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif All the maintenance in the world may not catch this.
Yes I know tighten every nut and bolt to spec weekly!!!!

 

[_RaT_]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

"I find that in my experience engine failure is by far the most least likely scenario to put a vehicle out of commission and in to the junk heap."

I can't think of a family member (7 sisters and 2 brothers) that has ever lost or parted with a car as a result of engine failure and that includes my brother who is bad, really, really bad.

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

<font color="red"> oil testing is not just to see if oil is still protecting. It is also for preventive maintance </font>

<font color="red">Next it kills me when people complain and whine about a cheap and simple $15 oil test that could/would save you time and money down the road. Also changing the oil at 50 hours for example, is proven to do nothing. Show me an oil test with 50 hours and then 100 and let’s see the results. I bet the delta is very small if you use a good oil.People will not oil test but drain soon and then refill.
</font>

Hey Mike we finally agree!!! I think your 100% right on the money with your comments. We have had a $12 oil test save us a several thousand dollar engine catastrophe more than once.

 

[EastTexFrank]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> you test the oil or not may come down to how much of a hobby oil is in your life </font> )</font>

I think you nailed it right there. I think you could make a science out of picking your nose if you wanted to. Personally I'll just keep changing the oil and filter at the recommended intervals. Let's see now, one of the farm tractors is over 40 years old and the other is over 30 years old and both are working just fine thank you. I think I'll just treat the new tractor the same way and hope to be around to see how long it lasts.

As for my B2400, I don't think the cost difference between an oil analysis and an oil change will save you enough money to get you a cup of coffee at the end of the year.

Just my honest opinion.

 

[_RaT_]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

<font color="blue"> I think you could make a science out of picking your nose if you wanted to. </font>

Or you could just pick fly poop out of the pepper /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[JASTN70D]

Re: I\'m NOT testing MY oil!!!

So is testing then more a diagnostic tool to find pending failure with an engine or an oil type and change measuring issue?
I guess it appears to be both. I know it could be a long answer but could you elaborate on the issue where it saved potential failure?

I guess as a diagnostic tool to ID potential failure once a year might be reasonable?

Maybe the answer depends on how you use your equipment I.E. mowing the 3 acre lawn or 100 acres of hay.

I have never heard of any mechanics using it to diagnose a problem but to find a cause of a known engine failure is quite common on AG equipment. I actually always thought they did this to be sure you had not missed some required maintenance. Just the skeptic in me I guess