Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/923471
42 commercial carrier journal | january 2018 Consider engine model, oil analysis, PMs, application BY JASON CANNON W ith engine oil and filter changes running up- ward of $300 at some shops, extending drain intervals can be a big money-saver. However, fleets that don't wade into these waters carefully can destroy an engine and literally grind their opera- tions to a halt. Shawn Whitacre, senior staff engi- neer at Chevron, says when evaluating whether a fleet is a candidate for ex- tended oil drain intervals, it's important to ensure current OEM recommenda- tions already are being met. He says smaller fleets tend to be more conser- vative with existing drain intervals, while larger fleets typically are the ones pushing the limits of oil life. "A lot of times, I find that fleets don't even realize that the recommenda- tion is actually much longer than their common practice," Whitacre says. "In a lot of cases, they can comfortably, and with OEM endorsement, extend drain intervals without any special action." Stede Granger, OEM technical ser- vices manager for Shell Lubricants, also believes many fleets play it conservative when it comes to drain intervals. "Maybe they just weren't aware of what the new recommendations are," he says. "e first place I would start if I was a fleet is just making sure what the recommendations are for that particular engine, and making sure I'm running that according to the fuel economy I'm getting." Whitacre says it's also important to understand what determines the OEM recommendation and the roles that a fleet's application and idle time play in setting interval limits. "at drives the fact that sometimes an engine may not be accumulating miles or hours but is still aging the oil to some extent," Whitacre says. Granger says fleets should work with their OEM and oil supplier when iden- tifying a new mileage target, especially if the engine remains under warranty. "Most OEMs do agree there is room to extend an oil drain, but they want it done correctly, which includes looking at the oil analysis," he says. Brand specifics John Moore, Volvo Trucks North America's powertrain product man- ager, says fleets that wish to exceed the OEM's recommended 60,000-mile drain intervals using Volvo-branded VDS4.5 should begin by submitting a request to Volvo Powertrain. If conditions are met, an extension would be allowed following a required oil sample analysis with the extension's length determined by Volvo fluids experts. Moore says exceeding the oil change interval without consent from Volvo constitutes a violation of the war- ranty agreement. Detroit offers a new "Efficient Long- Haul" interval for its DD13 and DD15 engines that applies only to over-the- road duty cycles that exceed 7 mpg. For the DD13, this means that a tractor can travel up to 65,000 miles between oil EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS STORY IS PART 1 OF A THREE-PART SERIES ON "OUT-OF-WARRANTY TRUCKS." FEBRUARY'S INSTALLMENT WILL FOCUS ON DIAGNOSTICS. MARCH'S STORY WILL ADDRESS AFTERMARKET WARRANTIES. Fleets that don't do their homework before extending oil drain intervals can damage an engine and void a warranty.