The service life of engine depends directly on engine oil. Engine oil lubricates the internal parts of an engine resulting reduced friction, lower engine temperature, and less wear. Delaying in oil replacement schedule could lead to excessive wear inside the engines which may result to engine breakdown before the maintenance schedule. Oil drain interval for gas generators may vary depending on engine capacity, model, lube oil sump size etc. However, generally oil life can be easily extended by following guidelines as below:

Check OEM Guideline:

Gas Generator manufacturers, or OEMs, around the world check how suitable different engine oils are for their engine types. Each OEM issues a separate approval for these engine oils, which undergo extensive testing. User should choose an engine oil which has OEM approval or recommendation.

Regular Oil Analysis:

Oil sample analysis is a great tool to improve oil drain interval. By analyzing the oil sample reports, predictive maintenance can be done, which result into better oil life.

Get Right Oil Grade: 

To meet the challenges of a wide range of gas-engines and applications, Shell has designed a portfolio of gas engine oils that enable you to choose a product to match your technical and operational needs.

Maintenance:

Staying on top of cooling system maintenance can save you money on oil changes. Continually check your engine oil level, low oil level accelerates degradation, topping off the system with oil can also slightly replenish the TBN that may have been depleted.

Avoid overfilling crankcase with oil:

Don’t overfill your engine crankcase with oil. It can rise into the crankshaft, where air bubbles will get churned into the oil. Overfilling can also foul your spark plugs.

Oil pan plug clean: 

If you do your oil changes, clean the drain plug and washer with rags before reinstalling your oil pan. Wipe the oil pan plug clean.

Engine Temperature Control:

High engine temperature will lead to lower engine oil life with increased oxidation. So, it is important to ensure proper cooling in engine and proper ventilation in engine hall.

Contamination Control:

Contamination control is a significant way to improve engine oil life. Contamination maybe in form of external dust particle, water contamination, internal wear & tear. Contamination can reduce engine oil life drastically. Also, contamination control can be achieved by proper engine operation and following SOP (Standard Operation Procedure) from OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

These checks can extend your engine oil life and keep it healthy and save you a lot of money in repairs/ replacement/ maintenance.