Oil changes aren’t just another maintenance task; they are an essential part of the overall maintenance plan and critical to engine performance. Operators who follow best practices when conducting change-outs get the most out of their oil investment and their equipment life.

"It may be considered a routine procedure, but oil changes are extremely important to engine health,” says Terry Veenstra, Senior Technical Services Advisor of Petro-Canada Lubricants. “Administering oil changes incorrectly can cause a damaging ripple effect on budgets and productivity. That's why it is crucial to examine whether your regular procedure could use a tune-up."

An effective oil change starts with proactive monitoring. Regular oil analysis will flag certain critical issues starting to go wrong in your engine before they become a serious problem. It is a valuable diagnostic tool that can detect contaminants and prolong the life of your oil and engine. Just as your doctor can identify warning signs about your health through a blood test, you can determine a lot about the health of your oil and engine through regular monitoring. 

Regular oil analysis also allows engine operators to determine appropriate change-out intervals. This way, operators can be sure they are not spending unnecessary resources draining and prematurely replacing oil that is still performing at an acceptable level. Failing to conduct timely and proper oil changes can significantly impact cost of production due to increased maintenance downtime, more money spent on inventory, and less overall engine productivity

If an oil change is not done on time, contaminants will build up in the oil, leaving your engine vulnerable to premature wear. However, conducting oil changes in a timely manner is just the first step in proper engine maintenance. When performing an oil change, you need to ensure you’ve allotted enough time to do it properly.

In fact, Veenstra warns against rushed oil changes and the potential issues they can cause. Leftover oil is a common concern. “If you don’t remove all of the old oil from your reservoir, the fresh oil charge will be contaminated by acids along with oxidation and nitration products that built up over the previous oil’s life,” he says. “Instead of starting with all the proper levels of agents and additives that will protect your engine, your fresh oil will be contaminated and prematurely degraded.” This wastes budget and potentially causes premature engine damage.

The most effective oil changes follow a series of steps that starts with taking a used oil sample before shutting down the equipment. It’s important to obtain a sample when the unit is at operating temperature and pressure. Take the sample from an area after the circulating pump but before the oil filter to get the most accurate and representative information from a used oil analysis program. Keeping records is important; fill out the sample card thoroughly, including oil service hours and identifying when the oil was changed.  

When you’re ready to drain the oil, complete an appropriate lockout-tagout to ensure the equipment is safe to work on. The oil should be hot – at normal operating temperatures – for an effective drain.

Veenstra says engine temperature is critical. “You don’t want to drain from a cold engine. The oil won’t flow and you won’t get it all out.”

Open all drain points, which helps to drain the oil pumping connections as well. Give time for the oil to drain from the top of the engine down to the crankcase. A good practice is to remove the crankcase access door, if there is one available, to visually inspect for any remaining oil. A pump or vacuum may be necessary to remove any old oil. It’s important to remember that leftover oil means leftover contaminants, acids and oxidation by-products that will start to prematurely degrade fresh oil, shortening future drain intervals.