Metal
|
Associated wear area
|
Typical alarm level
|
| Iron |
Ring, bore, cam tappet or camshaft. |
Sudden increase of 50 ppm requires investigation. Maximum value about 100ppm |
| Chromium |
Piston rings, plated bores or roller bearings |
Normal working maximum 30ppm |
| Aluminium |
Piston or bearing wear |
Alarm above 20ppm |
| Copper |
Brass/bronze bushes bearings Copper /lead bearings, thrust washers, clutch packs, oil coolers |
Alarm above 50ppm |
| Lead |
Journal bearings, bushings, thrust washers grease, lead tin bearings (white metal) or copper/lead main and bid end bearings |
Alarm above 50ppm |
| Tin |
From lead/ tin or aluminium/tin bearings |
Alarm above 25 ppm |
| Nickel |
Found as an alloy in steel will be seen rising as a rise in iron is observed. Also roller bearings, camshafts and followers, thrust washers, valve stem/ guides |
|
| Silicon |
Indicates dust entry derived from sand/clay. Other possible sources are antifoam additives or silicone sealant |
Check air intake filter over 20ppm |
| Sodium |
Possible water ingress into oil. Caused by faulty head gasket, liner seals or perforated liner |
Levels above 100pp common in problem situations |
| Boron |
Used either as an additive in anti-freeze also as an extreme pressure additive |
Levels over 50ppm if caused by antifreeze indicate a problem |
| vanadium |
Found in surface coatings, turbine impeller blades, valves. Trace element from base oil and/or fuel |
|
| Molydenum |
Piston rings additives |
|
| silver |
Silver solder, journal bearings (rare) |
|
| Barium |
Additives used by oil companies |
|
| Calcium |
Additives used by oil companies |
|
| Phosphorus |
Additives used by oil companies |
|
| Magnesium |
Additives used by oil companies |
|
| TAN |
Total acid number indicates the amount of additives in oil and trends the depletion of the additives |
|
| TBN |
Total base number Indicates the amount of base in the oil and is a measure of the remaining base reserve |
|
| Viscosity |
Measured at 40°C and 100°C |
Alarm level 20% diff from std |
