Machinery Lubrication

Machinery Lubrication May June 2016

Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation

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re you one of those people who checks your car's oil level before departing on a long road trip? Have you ever asked yourself why it is so critical to maintain the oil level within the hash marks on that dipstick? Of course, the primary reason is to prevent engine failure, but what happens when the engine is low one or two quarts of oil? Can the engine continue to operate in this state without damaging the components and the oil? This principle of maintaining precise oil levels applies to all types of equip - ment. I've seen instances where the correct oil level was critical. For example, I was once responsible for maintaining two 1,100-horsepower gearboxes. When these gearboxes arrived onsite, I noticed immediately that the upper and lower oil level limits were within one-half inch of each other on the dipstick. Both gear - boxes were on a circulating system. This was a simple system that contained a pump, filter, oil cooler and oil piping to the gears inside the box. At first I didn't understand why the oil level had to be so precise on a force-fed system. Later, when looking at the blueprint of the gearbox, I discovered why it was so important. These gearboxes had input bearings that didn't receive oil from the circulating system. The only oil intro - duced to these bearings was the oil that was maintained in the sump. Letting the oil level drop below the specified mark on the dipstick would allow the oil to fall below the input bearing housing and cause the bearings to run dry. Automobiles Most people jump into their cars every day and commute to work, school or other locations. It has become a convenience to schedule an appoint- ment to have a local dealership, mechanic or service station maintain your vehicle for you. They tell you when your next oil change should be, make necessary repairs and even keep service records for you. Why are these inspections so important for lubricated components? In addition to changing your automobile's fluids at specified mileage intervals, tech- nicians are also looking for leaks that could cause different components to fail due to a lack of lubrication. A car has many components that require some sort of lubricant. The expensive ones are the drivetrain, engine, transmission and differential. If one of these fails, you're looking at major repair bills. Take the engine, for example. The manufacturer specifies how much oil the engine should hold. For instance, my car takes 6.5 quarts. While this may seem like a lot, the engine oil performs different functions besides just lubricating the crank, cam and other components. One of its jobs is to cool the frictional surfaces A 54 | May - June 2016 | www.machinerylubrication.com Why You Should Maintain in SUMPS and RESERVOIRS PRECISE OIL LEVELS BACK PAGE BASICS M a i n t e n a n c e a n d R e l i a b i l i t y g a rre t t Ba pp | Nori a Corpor at ioN

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