Continue filter change interval on 6.7L Cummins genset?

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I've got a Cummins 6.7 stand by generator that I noticed has +250hrs written on the bottom of the oil filter by me. It's due for an oil change as it's been 6 months and another 136hrs. I could let it ride for another 6 months and not change the oil.
So it's got about 380hrs total on the filter.
Cut it or change the oil and run it for another 100 to 300hrs?
 
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standby generators get annual oil changes for me unless there is an extended outage (days, not hours). helps get rid of any moisture and associated sludge that comes with it.
 
standby generators get annual oil changes for me unless there is an extended outage (days, not hours). helps get rid of any moisture and associated sludge that comes with it.
That is why a spring change after the last frost of the year is the best time to change the oil, IMO
 
What is the specified hours for the usual oil and filter change? If you are well under, why not let it ride?
Change oil only if over 125hrs at 6 months, filter optional and supposed to change the oil and filter at 1 year. If it hits 250hrs drop what you're doing and change it. That clearly wasn't happening before. They were doing more like 500 to 900hrs maybe every 2 to 3 years.
I start seeing slug flecks collecting in the bottom of the oil filter around 300hrs on one oil change.
 
Because the crankcase is ultimately vented to atmosphere, your crankcase environment will follow ambient temp and humidity, albeit with some delay. In cold climates with very low dew points, the inside of the engine is as bone dry as the air is.

Are you following a monthly exercise? If so, that exercise at no load will generate a small amount of crankcase moisture with blowby (very minor). But the oil won't get hot enough (no load running) to burn off the moisture, but usually the moisture isn't a problem.

The locations that tend to have the most problems are those with high ambient humidity and temperature cycles that go below the dewpoint. Think somewhere like Charleston SC or Atlanta GA.

Your engine is a big chunk of cast iron and cools and warms very slowly compared to ambient air. That means that after sunset the air temperature is always dropping faster than the engine temp, so there is no possibility of condensation.

But in the morning with dew on the ground, the air temperature is rising faster than engine temperature. That means the engine temp can sometimes fall below the dew point and you can have moisture condensing inside the engine. This is the primary risk for corrosion and acidity in standby gen sets.

A monthly exercise helps manage some of this, but because exercises are almost always done without load, the actual heat into the engine isn't very high.

So oil analysis becomes critical to assess whether your generator is seeing moisture issues at your location in your usage. In coastal areas where the air humidity can have salt in it, I've seen rust INSIDE the engine (on the cams) on generators that sat inactive for awhile. I probably don't need to tell you how bad rust on a precision ground hardened surface can be.

The easy button is a heating system that is configured to always keep the engine above dew point temperature. Large data centers and others with critical gen sets do this. They use large industrial V16s and the water jackets are at 120F or hotter all the time. The oil is warm too and ready to go at all times. This is because they have to have their gen sets up and online in under 10 seconds, so there's no time to prelube or warm the engine at all.
 
Well the parts guys made the choice for me. They didn't have any filters.
So now it's +250 and +150 on the bottom of the filter now.
3 oil changes on 1 oil filter at 550hrs is a big improvement over how they were being taken care of. I'm guessing I'll get it again in about 6 or 7 months with another 120 to 150hrs.
 
Well the parts guys made the choice for me. They didn't have any filters.
So now it's +250 and +150 on the bottom of the filter now.
3 oil changes on 1 oil filter at 550hrs is a big improvement over how they were being taken care of. I'm guessing I'll get it again in about 6 or 7 months with another 120 to 150hrs.
That's not so bad. Honestly, with so little run time, draining the oil and keeping the filter makes a lot of sense.
 
Because the crankcase is ultimately vented to atmosphere, your crankcase environment will follow ambient temp and humidity, albeit with some delay. In cold climates with very low dew points, the inside of the engine is as bone dry as the air is.

Are you following a monthly exercise? If so, that exercise at no load will generate a small amount of crankcase moisture with blowby (very minor). But the oil won't get hot enough (no load running) to burn off the moisture, but usually the moisture isn't a problem.

The locations that tend to have the most problems are those with high ambient humidity and temperature cycles that go below the dewpoint. Think somewhere like Charleston SC or Atlanta GA.

Your engine is a big chunk of cast iron and cools and warms very slowly compared to ambient air. That means that after sunset the air temperature is always dropping faster than the engine temp, so there is no possibility of condensation.

But in the morning with dew on the ground, the air temperature is rising faster than engine temperature. That means the engine temp can sometimes fall below the dew point and you can have moisture condensing inside the engine. This is the primary risk for corrosion and acidity in standby gen sets.

A monthly exercise helps manage some of this, but because exercises are almost always done without load, the actual heat into the engine isn't very high.

So oil analysis becomes critical to assess whether your generator is seeing moisture issues at your location in your usage. In coastal areas where the air humidity can have salt in it, I've seen rust INSIDE the engine (on the cams) on generators that sat inactive for awhile. I probably don't need to tell you how bad rust on a precision ground hardened surface can be.

The easy button is a heating system that is configured to always keep the engine above dew point temperature. Large data centers and others with critical gen sets do this. They use large industrial V16s and the water jackets are at 120F or hotter all the time. The oil is warm too and ready to go at all times. This is because they have to have their gen sets up and online in under 10 seconds, so there's no time to prelube or warm the engine at all.
They won't pay for it.
I guess they figure 3 gallons of safetykleen and sometimes a filter is cheaper than testing.
 
That's not so bad. Honestly, with so little run time, draining the oil and keeping the filter makes a lot of sense.
It was right on the low mark so I topped it off with synthetic hydraulic fluid, ran it for 20 minutes dumped the oil and dumped the filter.
 
It was right on the low mark so I topped it off with synthetic hydraulic fluid...
WHAT?

Don't do that again. Find whoever taught you that "Trick", slap them, and demand an apology from them for leading you astray.

Engines get oils. Only oils. Not flushes, not treatments, not ATF, not hydraulic fluid, not whatever random stuff you is oily and available. This isn't your uncle's old Snapper mower. Someone is *depending* on that engine in a potential life altering situation. Power going out is not a minor thing and the backup failing to backup is absolutely a big deal.

A casual approach to the fluids for backup generators is entirely inappropriate.
 
WHAT?

Don't do that again. Find whoever taught you that "Trick", slap them, and demand an apology from them for leading you astray.

Engines get oils. Only oils. Not flushes, not treatments, not ATF, not hydraulic fluid, not whatever random stuff you is oily and available. This isn't your uncle's old Snapper mower. Someone is *depending* on that engine in a potential life altering situation. Power going out is not a minor thing and the backup failing to backup is absolutely a big deal.

A casual approach to the fluids for backup generators is entirely inappropriate.
Did you read the post? I filled it up ran it for 20min and drained it.
Didn't hurt anything.
 
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