Heavy bearing wear

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by KittyKicker, Jul 8, 2018.

  1. KittyKicker

    KittyKicker Light Load Member

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    Hello again everyone. Ok, so I have a 12.7 series 60 with a little over 250,000 in my Fitzgerald 389. I installed an OPS bypass system on it just before 200,000. When I first installed the system the thing started using oil like crazy. About 3 gallons every 10,000. After a filter change and analysis it slowed on the consumption. First analysis at 25,000 and everything was hunky dory. Just did my second analysis with 50,000 on the oil, and it came back red flagged telling me I have excessive bearing wear. Lead was well over 300. What in the world is going on? Everyone swears by this system, but I seem to be having nothing but trouble. Any ideas?
     
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  3. KittyKicker

    KittyKicker Light Load Member

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  4. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    I'm puzzled too. I'll be watching to see if somebody has any good answers.
     
    cjb logistics Thanks this.
  5. windsmith

    windsmith Road Train Member

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    When I bought my truck, it came with one of those. I ran it for 15000 miles, and during that time the engine consumed 3 gallons of oil - which the previous owner said was normal for that truck.

    At the first service interval, I didn't want to shell out $500 for the bypass filters, sample bottles and shipping, so I turned off the supply valve to the system. Since then, oil consumption has gone down to 1 gallon every 15000. Puzzling to say the least.
     
    kranky1 and tommymonza Thank this.
  6. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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    To me oil is too affordable and an engine is to expensive to risk it's life and my livelihood on a extended oil change interval.
     
  7. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    If you're having a PM done, there are other things they do besides changing the oil, and pushing those things off is deadly to the truck! How much does somebody even save by doing extended changes?
     
  8. Heavyd

    Heavyd Road Train Member

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    I agree. Change oil, not engine.
     
  9. 24valve puller

    24valve puller Medium Load Member

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    Oil doesn't wear out it gets dirty and that's why you change it. If the oil stays clean and within spec based on the oil sample why change it? Was there any change in oil pressure or temp after shutting the system off?
     
  10. KittyKicker

    KittyKicker Light Load Member

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    Well guys, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that is seeing issues on these bypass systems. To be clear, I come from the old school mentality on maintenance. Before I installed the system I changed the oil every 10,000 miles. That was fine when I had 1 truck. Then I bought 2. Then I bought 2 more. Then 2 more. Now my trucks run anywhere from 130,000 to 150,000 every year. So on the low side each truck is getting its oil changed 13 times a year at $300 a pop. That's $23,400 a year in oil changes. All the research I did suggested it isn't uncommon for guys to go 150,000+ without changing their oil. So, if I could go from 13 oil changes to 1 per truck per year, that would have saved me a little over $21,000 per year. Not bad with an initial investment of just under $6,000. I looked into it for months, researched it and talked to guys that have them and never once heard a bad thing. Judging by the oil analysis, everything went from just fine to complete crap in 25,000 miles. So while I understand that it looks like the system isn't working and the oil is wore out, I'm asking if anyone has any other theories as to what would be causing those numbers, for the sake of argument I guess. Let's pretend it isn't the oil. I'm just trying to be thorough.
     
    tommymonza Thanks this.
  11. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    Just an FYI, the OPS bypass system has a flaw in it, it uses a heating element to burn off moisture and some contaminates. It will also use a lot of oil in doing so. I found this out when they were installed on trucks back in 2013, our oil consumption tripled on the newer trucks so we yanked them out and put on two different types, one is the spinner bypass system, which works well.
     
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