"14" grader NN4 has an excess engine oil consumption

[Sameh]

Hello all, I have a problem with a new grader which consumes engine oil excessively. The oil level decreases continuously and I have to adjust it continuously. It costs me 12 litres during the 250 hours work to keep the level adjusted. No leaks, the blowby within range and the exhaust color is normal. Can anybody helps me with an advice?

 

[Nige]

How many litres of fuel are you burning in the same 250 hours.?

 

[Sameh]

How many litres of fuel are you burning in the same 250 hours.?

I can't remember friend. But be comfortable, I checked it and it was normal with the oil consumption.

 

[Nige]

I can't remember friend. But be comfortable, I checked it and it was normal with the oil consumption.

In that case your question regarding possible "abnormal" oil consumption is impossible to answer.

Oil consumption is always determined in terms of X litres of fuel burned to every 1 litre of oil added to the engine.

 

[Welder Dave]

12 litres in 250 hours does sound excessive. When the engine in my track loader was rebuilt it was using too much oil and had normal exhaust. Apparently the piston rings didn't seat. Thankfully the shop warranteed it. Initially they said to put 500 hours on it and see if it is still using excessive oil. You may just need to put some more hours on the grader and it will improve.
It may help the experts on here if you could list what oil and grade you are using and the temps. you are working in.

 

[Nige]

12 litres in 250 hours does sound excessive.

For a C13 engine, even a relatively new one, no it doesn't.
The only question that needs to be answered is how many litres of fuel the engine is burning in 250 hours.

 

[Welder Dave]

I remember a thread a while back concerning oil consumption. I should have worded it better that at first glance 12 litres in 250 hours seems excessive. I think in the earlier thread it was also suggested to put 500 or more hours on the machine and see if oil consumption improved. The 3204 in my 931B was using over a litre of oil in about 4 or 5 hours. It's only 65 HP with a 12 litre oil capacity.

 

[Nige]

I had to go looking for the info. It differs depending on engine model. In this particular case: -

1. Engine should have preferably run at least 1000 operating hours from new/rebuild.
2. Reasons for oil consumption should be investigated if the engine burns more than 1 litre of top-up oil for every 240 litres of fuel burned.

 

[Nige]

I have a problem with a new grader which consumes engine oil excessively.

I know you have ET. Download a Product Status Report and take a look at the % of time the machine spends not moving with the engine running and the park brake applied. During that time the 300 BHP engine is operating the alternator, air conditioner, and very little else.

EDIT: While you're in there, check on the overall engine Load Factor.

Maybe all it needs is to be worked harder a bit more often.?

 

[OzDozer]

Excessive idling sure is a recipe for high oil consumption. Keep the idling to a minimum, it only wastes fuel anyway.
It annoys the hell out of me to see huge diesels idling for hours, simply because an operator wants to sit in an air-conditioned cabin in the heat.

 

[Welder Dave]

Usually on a fresh diesel engine the consensus is to work them hard without lugging them too much. Maybe this particular grader was doing fairly easy work for the first 250 hours?

 

[Nige]

It annoys the hell out of me to see huge diesels idling for hours, simply because an operator wants to sit in an air-conditioned cabin in the heat.

I agree, but in Egypt in 40-50 degree temperatures I'd be wanting the aircon running if I was parked up. I would say that the amount of time the machines spends parked during working hours is down to the site supervision/organization rather than the operator.

Back to the fuel consumption. A 240:1 fuel/oil ratio works out to 2880 litres in 250 hours, or 11.5 litres/hr.

The engine in that machine consumes 60+ l/hr at 100% Load Factor. Even at a very pessimistic 30% LF it's consuming 19 l/hr. Unless there is some information we are not party to I don't see a problem.

 

[Welder Dave]

For this particular engine it sounds like it just needs some more hours to break it in. Maybe some harder loads with less idling would be the best option.

 

[Sameh]

Thanks all, I removed the fuel injectors and checked by borescope and found liners one and four have scratches.

 

[cuttin edge]

I know he found the problem, but I remember working for a company, and one of their D8Ns.... the operator would put a liter a day into it. He went off sick, and another fella ran it for 2 weeks. When he came back, he asked if he had been adding oil every day, and the guy said to tell the truth, I never checked the oil in it. Pulled the dip stick, and it was down exactly 1 liter in 2 weeks. My old man always said some engines always seem to run a bit low on the dipstick right from day one.

 

[Welder Dave]

Some engines set their own oil level that doesn't always match what the dipstick says it should be.

 

[OzDozer]

Any operator who doesn't check oil for two weeks would be out of a job in my operation, no matter how good an operator he might be.

 

[cuttin edge]

Any operator who doesn't check oil for two weeks would be out of a job in my operation, no matter how good an operator he might be.

I don't really pull the dipstick to check the oil level in a machine I am operating, and know. I am looking for coolant, fuel or metal in the oil. I ran a 730 champion that wouldn't take a drop of oil until it got close to service time. When I pulled the stick, I knew it would be full, I just wanted to see what it was full of. The operator in question was the owners son, and could care less. His answer was always "go ahead. What are they gonna do, fire me? "