Two of our engineers have just returned to the workshop after carrying out W3 services on some MTU 396 Emergency Generators.
As part of the work scope, they came across this when looking at the secondary filters:
The filter was SO full of dirt that when the engine was trying to pull fuel through them, it had torn the elements from the housings, collapsing the metal housings themselves, causing the engine to be severely choked.
Considering there was this much damage after just 70 hours of running since the last service, and that it had only been run at around 1.2MW on test runs, it’s extremely unlikely this engine would last more than a couple of days without new filters in an emergency situation.
And if we’d left the dirty filters in place, the engine would not have been able to produce full power AT ALL.
So, what’s the reason for such damage occurring after only 70 hours running time since the last service?
Poor quality diesel being stored for a long period of time in the day tank.
Having found this issue, the operator has reacted by draining, inspecting, cleaning and refilling their day tank.
Another way to prevent this issue rearing its ugly head can be the installation of Separ pre-filters, which will not only provide the engine with additional defence against poor quality diesel but also bring these engines in-line with the others on site.
Of course, we replaced the secondary filters along with the seals in the housings and completed all three services.
