Who changes your engine filters? I imagine that one of your engineers will do it during routine maintenance, but what about when an engine overhaul is being carried out? Once the overhaul is completed, do you know that the filters have been changed properly?The reason I ask is that two of our engineers have just returned from carrying out a 2-yearly service on a standby generator and they had a serious concern with the lub oil filtration.The...

Last week our engineers were out on a variety of projects including some routine servicing on this MTU 4000 standby generator engine, which provides emergency power for a data centre with another 4 sets.Whilst carrying out the service routine, we came across an unusual problem getting the engine onto the control board. The engine started okay, but when we attempted to put it onto the backup system, the control panel wouldn’t let this...

How to analyse your oil leaks. A vessel operator called us the other day, with some worrying news… Their bilge was filling with oil and their propulsion engine was down on power.   The good news was that they were due in port soon, so we made sure we were there as soon as they arrived. Initially, our plan was to inspect the following common leak areas: (As it turned out, it wasn’t one of these issues, but we’ll get to...

If you haven’t been part of an audit, you may have missed out on being involved with systems that can help reduce problems. Last week we were audited by an external organisation – UDVB – a requirement for the main utility companies in the UK, and there were two procedures they were particularly interested in. I have seen these commonly neglected by many operators & managers, despite them being vital in maintaining...

Last week, I was part of a UK Trade Mission in Brazil, in temperatures up to 40°C. And as I write this, I’m in distinctly damp, colder, Essex. Oh well! I was in Rio, and as part of the UK trade mission, reviewed some opportunities for engine support for this expanding market. As you’d expect, there were plenty of presentations and meetings, lots of people to see and business cards swapped. But in amongst...

I’ve shared details of starting problems in the past, but following a recent site attendance, I just thought I’d share another check which can help diagnose any start problems you may be having. The application on site was a standby generator and on start-up, the starter motors struggled to get enough speed to start the engine. Because the pinions of the starters were turning (though not with enough power), the initial site...