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Hours vs Time
The owner’s manual states that the fuel/oil filters should be changed after so many hours or months. However, many posts here talk only about number of hours.
What do most of you do: hours or time or both?
Also, on a Kohler 20kw, where is the fuel shut off for changing the fuel filter?
ps – My earlier post I forgot the title and could not edit the post. Something we need the IT guru to address.
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7 Replies
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I think we all tend to change fuel filters too often. We tend to be programmed to include them with other scheduled maintenance. The reality is we can pass a lot of fuel through them before they need changing unless we get or have bad fuel with dirt or algae. In that case you cannot change them too often and typically we end up changing them just to keep the coach running.
The difference between hours and miles is how we are able to measure use. I suspect if we really wanted to be most correct the best unit of measurement is the amount of fuel that has flowed through the engine. That reflects not only the hours or miles of operation, it shows the amount of horspower used. The less horsepower used the less fuel will flow and that means in the case of oils the engine stresses are less. Run at high horsepower settings such as at higher speeds or under greater loads and the oils are subject to higher temps and stresses. Intervals will be more or less depending on how hard we run the engines regardless of hours or miles.
This is not scientific, but when I look at the average speeds I drive in all my vehicles it seems to be between 40 and 45. That suggests if our generator oil changes are called for at 100 hours as an example that might be the equivalent of 4000 to 4500 miles. Conversely if the engine had an hour meter and we did a routine service at 200 hours we might find that is in the 8000 to 9000 mile range.
I seriously doubt any of our filters are anywhere near being plugged at the recommended change intervals, but the object is not to use up their life, but to have them to protect the engine when needed.
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Mine doesn’t have a shut off Tim.
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With our diesel power boat with 2… DD 6V92 nearly all maintenance was based on hour run time. I know there are exceptions to this rule and owners justify when they feel it should be changed.
Reading recommended oil change intervals posted by the DD manufacture. Referring to running a diesel engine in harsh conditions. Example, severe dust, severe rain, high engine start and stop. These would be taken into account to extend or increase change intervals.
I have always gone by hours running in service to manage changing fluids. Going by mileage sometimes is not the best reason.
I normally do not turn off the engine in a rest area while stopping for a meal.
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Just curious as to why you let it idle?
Apart from the waste of fuel I don’t think our engines benefit from idling. At least that is what I have read about working a diesel engine instead of operating under low or no loads.
If you are doing that to use the OTR, you are not exercising the generator which on our coaches really needs to be used more often.
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OTR air stays on during rest breaks is the reason.
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Like Al, when I had OTR, a lunch break would be at high idle with OTR running.
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I guess I just want to exercise my generator. I have OTR, but I start the generator as I pull into the rest area and start several AC units.
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