As the owner or operator of heavy duty machinery, it’s one of your responsibilities to ensure your equipment isn’t negatively affected by fluid contamination. Unfortunately, taking action against contaminants isn’t always easy.
In an effort to assist their customers Caterpillar recently released a series of recommendations on the topic of contamination control.
Remember: Caterpillar’s OEM wrote these recommendations, so this isn’t just Chevron boasting about the effectiveness of their products. Here’s what you should know in regards to ISOCLEAN:
1. Contaminants can cause damage even if the particles aren’t visible to the naked eye. Caterpillar notes that “the critical size for wear particles in a modern diesel engine fuel system is 4 microns.”
2. Contaminants of all types can be controlled. Caterpillar recommends that all owners and operators “follow contamination control practices” and use “appropriate filtration.”
3. Current machine systems are designed with close tolerances and operate at high pressures for enhanced performance. These design improvements aren’t just for aesthetics, they require “higher performing fluids, enhanced fluid filtration, and greatly improved fuel cleanliness levels.”
You might think that these best practices and tips only apply to new equipment, but that isn’t the case.
In fact, Caterpillar states that “although older technology machines may not be able to maintain the recommended cleanliness targets of advanced models, the same contamination control intervention measures such as filtration and subsequent procedures should be used.”
Are you doing enough to ensure all of your equipment is meeting the factory defined fluid cleanliness levels? It might seem like a lot of extra work, but doing so can help prevent downtime and will help cut down on maintenance costs over the lifetime of your equipment. In addition, maintaining fluid cleanliness levels will help keep your machinery’s components and fluid systems working at full capacity for years to come.
Have questions about how you can implement these practices on your own machinery? Need advice on what solutions will best meet your needs? Get in touch with the team here at Greg’s Petroleum Service .
Servicing the Bakersfield, Fresno and Ventura areas, we pride ourselves in supplying the best oils, lubes, fuel and service. We look forward to serving you!