During the overhaul of an Iveco engine (which is part of a swing set programme), we came across a number of issues highlighting why the right maintenance routine is so important on standby units.
If your engine is used in a standby application – like an emergency generator, or fire pump – you’ll want to know it is going to start-up and deliver if ever called upon, so carrying out the right type of maintenance is key.
Most maintenance routines are focused on “hours run”, which are based on engines in regular operation, but if your engine is unlikely to ever reach 1,000 hours, it doesn’t mean the maintenance is not needed, as we saw on the Iveco engine.
You’ll see that although the engine had only been run for a few hundred hours over the past 20 years, there was some significant internal damage including:
• Pitted bearings
• Scoring marks on the crankshaft journals
• Engine sump bolts missing
• Cracks around the centre of the damper
• Scored main bearings
If the maintenance routine was being carried out based on “hours run”, none of these issues would have been identified, and the engine would still be in service with the risk of a catastrophic engine failure when really needed.
There would then have been a lack of the critical back-up, possibly shutting the site, as well as an expensive repair bill, or replacement engine.
