Preoiler on Frequently Started Diesel Engine

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Hi, I have a Wood-Mizer sawmill with a 42hp Kubota turbo diesel (V1505-T) and end up starting and stopping the engine at least once per hour while sawing. Would an application like this benefit from a pre and/or post-oiler.

The mill will be used upwards of 2000 hours per year, which yields at least 1000 hours on the engine. Given that the mill itself will still be useful in a decade (it's a '98, but only 2700 hours), I want to make the engine last as long as possible. I also recognize that the reduced engine wear would yield a small but significant savings in fuel.

I currently run Amsoil HDD 5w-30 oil as well as their bypass filter (dual mount, EAO26 and EABP110), although I just added it so I don't have any oil analysis to back up this decision (saved a sample of the conventional oil to send in as well).

In addition to making this engine last a long time, I'm also considering any of these modifications for a 55hp Cat powered sawmill that I will be purchasing soon and quite possibly using for the next 30 years, which is part of my incentive to test this all on a less-expensive motor. I'd already installed a bypass filter on a 28hp Kohler gas sawmill without issue, but also too soon for analysis (250 hours on oil).

Thank you for your advice and input,
Jay Clarke
 
With at least 6 or 7 stop/starts a day id sayit couldn't hurt. A bigger boon would be a coolant/ oil preheater to lower wear and fuel, but most wear happens at start up so yeah
 
Run time and temperatures?
A run of an hour would be OK, but not so good if it then sits for two hours in cold weather

I would imagine a pre-oiler might help. As would a longer run time between shut offs
 
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Touched on a while ago...one of my favourite SAE papers in the day.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1238081/Re:_Pre-oiler#Post1238081

An accusump would be easy to wire into the start circuit.

Here in Oz, there are a range of Castrol Magnatec diesel engine oils that I think would be good for this.
 
It is typically run for about a half hour at a time, however long it takes to cut a log, but sometimes I'll only run it 15 minutes. I don't have a temp gauge so I can't say more than that the oil filter feels like it's at operating temps whenever I shut the engine off. I give it 2 minutes of idling before cutting and before shut off.

I'll consider the oil heater especially for when I run it in the winter, but this is only viable for the 42hp mill which is run stationary. The others are run portably, although the new one will likely by run a lot longer with fewer shut offs so it'll stay warm.

And Shannow, I haven't seen the SAE paper, but I did see that post. With replacement engines costing $8k-9k for the diesels, I figure $1k isn't too bad an investment if I also retain horsepower and fuel economy and reduce down time.

With the accusump system, would use as a pre and post oiler require two tanks, one fitted with a valve for the preoiler and the other without a valve just bleeding pressure once the oil pump stops? I've seen others (like the turbosafe tep-3000) that use a single accumulator that partially empties on shut down.

Thanks again for the information.
 
Are you more interested in turbo oiling or whole motor oiling? The problem with post-op bleed-down is, where is the pressure going to come from for the next start? I am familiar with Accusump but, while it's easy for me to have missed something, I have never seen one set up for the post-op condition you describe.

The Turbosafes(s), on the other hand, seem tailor made for your application as you describe it. Are they hideously expensive and you're looking for a less expensive answer?
 
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I have thought about the preluber. Seems it would make you feel better and in the whole cost of operation it seems insignificant.
 
The turbosafe is upwards of $800, whereas the accusump is closer to $600 (both estimates excluding fittings) with higher capacity and potential for adjustment, at least how I imagine I'd set it up.

What I'm thinking of doing is using a remote oil pressure regulator to allow partial emptying of the tank and have a valve in parallel to dump the remaining pressure on startup.

Also, how exactly is the excess volume from the post-oiler contained in the sump? Is it a small fraction of the total sump capacity (about 6qt in my case) or do I run the motor low by half a quart.
 
I think you would be well served by discussing this first with Turbosafe as they seem the sort amenable to custom answers. Then with the Accusump (Canton?) types to see what they recommend. The possibility may exist for two discrete Accusump systems, one large for the engine, one small for the turbo that may still tally to about $1000-1200.

Whatever quantity bleeds down from the post oiler, hopefully one half to one quart, is going to be forced back to the reservoir quickly as pressure rises at startup. The less the better of course so the crank would see as little additional drag at cold start as possible. Use of the appropriate synthetic for the engine is a given to minimize coking on the turbo shaft. Back of napkin session ends.
wink.gif
 
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I have a pre-luber on a van for many years. I bought it because the van would sit for weeks at a time and I thought it would help. For an engine that is started everyday, and several times during the day I don't think there would be much of an advantage to it. During long trips in very hot weather, post oiling aids in cooling the engine down, and might have some benefits for you as well.
 
My understanding is that the pre-oiling aids in developing hydrodynamic lubrication by forcing pressurized oil in immediately during startup, as compared to relying on a thin film of oil that allows some contact between asperities. Considering how often I'm starting the engine, the issue is that the small amount of wear adds up. Also, given that I want to run the oil as long as possible, would the anti-wear additives be used up during these "dry" starts?

For the record, I'm extending OCIs on the basis that Amsoil is good for 3x OEM, so 450 hours on the stock 6 quarts. With a system capacity of 9 quarts because of the bypass filter, I increased it to 675 hours, at which point I'll do oil analysis.

Regarding the post-oiler, it would end up delivering oil to the entire engine because I don't feel like teeing into a steel line. However, the primary intention is to prevent heating of the oil in the turbo due to heat soak, avoiding excessive oxidation of the oil and sludge formation within the bearings. Cooling the rest of the engine is a secondary benefit, although it would be ideal to divert more oil flow to the turbo so I wouldn't need as large an accumulator or as much overfilling of the sump. And thank you DeepFriar for your insight into the "solution" being just don't overfill it too much. I'll be careful as I realize forcing oil into a diesel engine from filling it way too much would be really bad!

And the Turbosafe would be the ideal solution if I just wanted to lubricate the turbo, but I'm likely going with the Accusump because it has a much higher capacity, ends up costing less, and would be highly tuneable (air pressure, regulator pressure, and the option to adjust accumulator sizes) so I could tack the same setup on other equipment if I get bored. Honestly, equipment maintenance is one of my hobbies beyond just being part of the job.
 
And just a quick realization I had on the system configuration. The oil pressure regulator would be placed between the accumulator and valve as it allows unrestricted flow through itself and only dumps excess pressure out the bypass port, which could be plumbed directly into the turbo oil feed or tee'd back in on the other side of the valve.
 
I have only ever heard of using pre oilers on stationary backup equipment that is designed to start and instantly produce rated horse power.

I don't see how one could make a noticible difference on you saw Mill.
 
Bluejay27And the Turbosafe would be the ideal solution if I just wanted to lubricate the turbo said:
You keep this up and your grandson will be using this engine as well. Good for you, OC like the rest of us. I put a good deal of effort into preventive maintenance but, like you, I honestly enjoy doing so. We all have our individual weirdnesses.
 
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