Engine Oil Analysis Kit Launched

Jet-Care International and its parent company Spectro Oil Analysis Co. Ltd. introduced a new engine oil analysis kit and service for the marine market that can save long delays and expensive repairs. "With proper monitoring of oil and fluid systems, marine operators can significantly reduce wear caused by contamination from sea water, fresh water, fuel dilution or the use of incorrect lubricants and save long delays and expensive repairs," says Spectro chief chemist Colin Stevens-Hoare. "In bigger vessels, oil sumps are so large the oil's never or rarely changed. Most operators try and clean the oil, but some are complacent, relying on their purification equipment to remove contaminants. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work too well." Designed for the workboat market, the Spectro Marine Kit contains 20 oil sample bottles with tubing, a pump to extract the oil and all the instructions and labels necessary for the preparation and the mailing of the sample back to either the Jet-Care or Spectro laboratories. On receipt of the oil samples, the following tests are carried out: wear metals, viscosity at 100o C, flash point, fuel content, insolubles, Total Base Number (TBN) and water content. Within 24 hours, the results are presented in an impartial report and sent back in the format chosen by the customer such as mail, e-mail, and fax or by Spectro ECHO? (Engine Condition Health Online) program. This software provides the ability to trend, graph and view the actual oil analysis results. It is user friendly and flags immediately those systems or engines that require further investigation. Alert levels set using engine manufacturer's specifications and from years of experience, take the guesswork out of troubleshooting and provide vital guidance in making judgment calls.