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Service schedules for diesels that sit: follow the book or go by actual use?
I work on a fleet of diesel box trucks that often park for long stretches between runs. The factory guide says to change oil and filters on a set mileage or time schedule, but these rigs might only drive a hundred miles in a month. I've cracked open engines that stuck to the book and found watery oil from condensation because they never got hot enough to burn it off. Other guys in the shop say skipping scheduled service is asking for trouble, pointing to warranty claims and sensor errors from old fluid. But I've also dumped perfectly clean oil from a truck that hit its time interval without any real work. It seems crazy to waste parts and hours on a machine that isn't being used hard. Where do you draw the line between what the manual says and what the engine actually needs? I'm curious how other shops handle this.
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tarar381mo ago
Ugh, time intervals are pointless for parked diesels. That condensation buildup is the real killer and fresh oil won't fix it. Just check the oil condition yourself and change it when it looks or smells off.
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jackson.max1mo agoMost Upvoted
My 2005 diesel's engine rusted from condensation, so @tarar38's smell test beats my old schedule any day.
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waderamirez1mo ago
Man, I learned this the hard way too. My old diesel sat for months and the oil looked fine, but it smelled like a swamp. @tarar38 is right, that sour smell means trouble. Now I just pop the dipstick and take a whiff every few weeks to catch it early.
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xenam8413d ago
My grandpa always said you can't trust a calendar with machines. He ran a farm and his old tractor would sit all winter, and he'd check the oil by smell every single time before starting it up. That sour smell @tarar38 talks about is basically the engine telling you it's sick, and a date on a sticker won't warn you. I see this everywhere now, people blindly following schedules for their car, their house, even their own health. You gotta actually check the thing itself, not just the timer.
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