The Importance of Timely Engine Oil Replacement for Excavator Engines
Why should excavator engines replace engine oil on time?
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Engine oil has a shelf life, and over time, its performance deteriorates, leading to accelerated wear of mechanical components.
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Engine oil undergoes physical and chemical changes during high-temperature operation inside the engine, which also affects its mechanical properties.
- As the engine runs for an extended period, impurities in the engine oil increase, which can accelerate the wear of mechanical components.
The Importance of Timely Engine Oil Replacement for Excavator Engines
Why should engine oil be replaced on time for excavator engines?
- Engine oil has a shelf life, and if not replaced on time, it can lead to low oil pressure faults. Low oil pressure can cause semi-dry or dry friction between various mating components, resulting in noticeable engine noise and, in severe cases, bearing burning.
Bearing burning
Not replacing engine oil on time can cause the following problems that lead to decreased oil pressure:
- Insufficient oil storage, causing the lubrication system to have no oil or insufficient oil.
- Dirty or viscous oil prevents the oil pump from effectively drawing in and pumping out oil.
- Oil thinning due to high engine temperatures or degradation, leading to oil leakage from various friction pairs in the engine.
- Not replacing engine oil on time can also lead to high oil pressure issues. High oil pressure can cause premature damage to the gasoline filter and faults such as carbon buildup inside the engine cylinders. It can also reduce the engine's lifespan.
Carbon buildup
Not replacing engine oil on time can cause the following problems that lead to increased oil pressure:
- Oil viscosity is too high (e.g., using winter oil without timely switching to summer oil).
- Oil degradation and gelation reduce oil flowability.
- Filter element or oil passage blockage.
- Not replacing engine oil on time can also result in excessive sludge. Sludge is typically formed when high-pressure unburned gases, acids, water, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides from the combustion chamber enter the engine oil through the gap between the piston rings and cylinder walls. The accumulated sludge, mixed with metal powder generated from component wear, gradually forms sludge.
Excessive sludge
Not replacing engine oil on time can lead to increased sludge accumulation, which can clog the filter and oil passages, causing difficulty in engine lubrication and exacerbating engine wear.
- Not replacing engine oil on time can result in severe wear of various engine components, such as pistons and cylinder liners. Once problems occur with these components, the machine will require major repairs, which every equipment owner dreads.
Severe cylinder liner wear
Lack of oil, excessive sludge in the oil, and decreased oil performance can all lead to severe wear of cylinder liners and pistons. If engine oil is not replaced promptly, these problems are likely to occur. Therefore, timely oil replacement is essential.
- Not replacing engine oil on time can cause overheating of the coolant. As mentioned earlier, not replacing engine oil on time can result in insufficient oil storage, causing various engine components to experience semi-dry or dry friction.
Semi-dry or dry friction generates a large amount of heat, leading to a rapid increase in coolant temperature.
High coolant temperature
High coolant temperature can cause deformation or damage to the cylinder head and cylinder block. If such faults occur, major repairs are not far off.
Additional Notes:
- When replacing engine oil, always replace the oil filter simultaneously. Never neglect to replace the oil filter for the sake of convenience or cost-saving. Why is this important?
Because dirt in the old filter can degrade the quality of the new engine oil, thereby reducing the lifespan of the new engine oil.
- Remember to switch to winter oil in autumn and summer oil in spring unless your engine oil is all-season oil.
Winter oil should be slightly thinner, and if used in summer, it will become even thinner, which is not conducive to the formation of an oil film and will exacerbate mechanical wear.
In contrast, summer oil will become thicker in winter, which is not conducive to oil flow, leading to excessive carbon buildup in the engine cylinders and exacerbating mechanical wear.
Summary:
Timely engine oil replacement is crucial. Failure to do so can accelerate component wear, reduce lifespan, and even lead to major repairs. Moreover, sudden problems such as cylinder pulling during operation can result in safety accidents. Therefore, regularly checking the engine oil and replacing it promptly is essential.
