Hi, I'm a student working on a project concerning oil. I was just curious if any of the heavy equipment you use has any sort of oil condition sensor? Such as when to change the oil based on actual condition of the oil or contaminants found in the oil. I was also curious, if you didn't have an oil condition sensor if it made you feel a bit uneasy about when to change the oil? Furthermore, would you find it useful to have a sensor to tell you the condition of the oil rather than just changing the oil on a regular basis? Would you find it useful to know what contaminants are found in the oil such as what metal flakes are present? And finally would you find it useful to be able to monitor the condition of the engine oil in real time so that you can see how different conditions have affected the oil and its life span? Any responses would really be appreciated. Thank you
As a mechanic doing a service is not only about changing the oil. For me its an opertunity to inspect the machine, generate work for the workshop and inform the customer of any potential problems. Our service intervals are 250hr which is ample time for the operator to break something Being able to monitor the oil is great but how long does one leave the service with rest of the machine not being looked at? If we are unsure about the quality of the oil we take an oil sample for analysis. I suppose as with most things it comes down to cost, most customers look at the cost now as apposed to the future cost. What sort of parameters would you set in the system that monitors the oil? I'm sure each manufacturer has their own limits. Keep us informed though of what your findings are and if you have a working system, would be interesting to see how is analysed in the machine.
KJaeger19, Hitachi has "contamination sensors" in the pump case drain ports (hydraulic excavators and shovels). I believe they are magnetic sensors that trip when pump is starting to fail and sending contaminants back to tank. As far as oil condition sensors I know of nothing other than regular oil sample analysis.