Preventive Maintenance
Regular maintenance is the best way of ensuring your engine lasts as long as possible. There are regular checks that you should carry out in line with the recommended schedules to do this.
Maintaining your Perkins engine is the key to its optimum performance. Slight changes in performance can easily go un-noticed; often a drop of 20% in performance can happen before the operator notices.
Missing service intervals can lead to reduction in performance, let alone the worst case of a vital part failing.
Each engine we supply comes with a detailed list of checks for you to carry out at set intervals. The performance checks required will vary by engine type and operating conditions, so it is wise to ensure the checks and frequency are right for your engine.
The regular checks that you need to carry out fall into daily and weekly categories, along with regular servicing and specified intervals. They all have the same aim of ensuring that your engine runs as long as possible at the maximum efficiency. No two schedules are the same, so you should always check the schedule for your particular engine.
Remember, the daily checks are just as important as the regular servicing.
Daily checks:
- Cooling system coolant level
- Driven equipment
- The engine air cleaner service
- Engine air pre-cleaner, cleaning it if necessary
- Engine oil level
- Fuel system primary filter/water separator
- V-belts
- Walk-around inspection
Every 50 service hours or weekly checks include:
Fuel tank, water and sediment, draining if necessary
Filtration:
All filters have the same primary purpose – to keep unwanted debris and other material out of the working parts of the engine. Any material not caught by a filter can potentially damage the engine and, at the very least, compromise its efficiency.
Within your engine, there are three important filters designed to prevent debris from entering the engine along with the media that needs to go into it.
In many cases, filters are small and inexpensive but, in common with anything to do with regular maintenance, servicing them is vital. Each engine will come with its own schedule of how often they need to be changed; they are based on either running hours or the length of time since the last change.
Filters fit into three broad categories:
- Air filters keep the air entering the piston as clean as possible. This is important in the combustion process because you need to gain the maximum power output from every compression cycle, and especially important where dust and grit is in the atmosphere, such as quarries and enclosed spaces
- Fuel filters work in a similar way. They ensure that the diesel fuel coming into the engine is free of contaminants. This is especially important when your machinery is operating remotely in sites where it cannot meet forecourt standards of cleanliness
- Oil filters work within a closed circuit of the oil in your engine. They trap any unwanted particles in a fine mesh that still has enough space to allow the rest of the oil to flow unimpeded.
Cooling Systems:
There is an optimum temperature at which your Perkins engine needs to maximize its efficiency and prolong its life.
Every engine needs some form of cooling system to prevent it from overheating and breaking down. The term cooling system in a water-cooled engine generally refers to a combination of the radiator, fan, thermostat, and the water pump, which connect to passages in the engine, and they are all designed to work in harmony to remove the very high levels of heat generated as part of the combustion process.
Water Pumps:
The role of the water pump in an engine is primarily to regulate its temperature and to prevent the engine from overheating. It pumps water and coolant through the engine block and cylinder head (the main body of the engine) via a series of pipes, drawing out the heat generated, before going into a radiator. Remember, the coolant itself should not exceed 110°C, to prevent damage to the engine internals.
Signs that your water pump is beginning to fail may be the appearance of small dots of coolant on the casing and an increase in the noise made by your water pump in operation. If that happens, it is wise to replace the water pump as soon as possible.
The advantage of using genuine Perkins water pumps:
- Correct coolant flow and pressure matched to the specific requirements of your engine – ensuring that its performance is not compromised
- High quality ceramic cartridge seals and sealed bearings – improving the service life of the component – ceramic seals resist wear for longer and reliable life
- The latest specification components which help to guarantee that your engine will operate at its optimum efficiency
Oil Pumps:
Perkins oil pumps are essential for lubricating your engine. They are driven by the crankshaft and distribute precisely the right amount of oil to all the moving components of your engine, among them the pistons, rings, springs and valve stems.
A poorly performing pump can cause localized damage due to the pump being unable to reach the required pressure. This reduction in pressure can mean that areas of the engine are inadequately lubricated, leading to a local increase in wear.
The advantage of using genuine Perkins Oil pumps:
- Efficient lubrication reduces engine wear.
- The oil pump plays a key role in cooling your engine.
- Filters catch any debris in the oil.
- Full set of gaskets & seals included in every oil pump replacement kit.
Thermostat:
All Perkins engines are designed to run at an optimum temperature for power output and for fuel economy.
The role of the thermostat is to regulate the flow of coolant around the engine to keep it at that ideal temperature.
Our thermostats are specifically built to work with your Perkins engine and are designed to control the flow of the coolant.
If the engine temperature increases, the thermostat closes the bypass hole and allows the coolant to flow into the engine channels and cool the engine.
Conversely, if the engine temperature is too low, the thermostat will cause the coolant to bypass the cooling system and prevent it from entering until the engine temperature is hot enough to warrant its introduction.
Electrics:
The effectiveness of your engine’s starting and charging system is critical to the dependability of your engine and application. Only by purchasing genuine Perkins electrics can you have the confidence that the product is to the correct specification, and will deliver the power you need.
Your engine may be one of the most sophisticated available on the market, but without being able to start up, all the power output that it has counts for nothing. Every engine needs a properly functioning, reliable electrical system to provide that initial impetus and then ensure it runs at its optimum level.
The electrical range from Perkins comprises of:
- Starter motors
- Alternators
- Switches
- Sensors
- Gauges
- Control panels
The starter motor provides the power needed to begin the compression sequence in the diesel engine. It takes its charge from the electrical system and is constantly recharged while the engine is in operation.
The alternator is just as integral a part of your engine’s electrical system. It continually recharges the battery while the engine is running; ensuring that it never loses power. The alternator also regulates the power going back into the battery so that it does not become overcharged and damage the rest of the electrical set-up.
Gasket and Seal Kits:
Gaskets and seals are an essential part of any engine repair. They keep the gases, fuel and coolant where they should be and as single use items, must be replaced each time they are removed from an engine.
The challenge with any major repair is that you need many gaskets and seals. The parts can be very small and it can be hard to identify everything you need before you start your repairs.
That’s why we have produced gasket and seal kits. These kits have everything you need in a single package. Easier to order and less expensive than buying individual parts, these kits contain all metal gaskets, O-rings and seals that will be needed. We also include additional parts such as replacement clips, single use bolts and dust caps.
The advantage of using genuine Gaskets:
- Seal against exhaust and cylinder temperatures up to 750°C
- Seal against oil, water and coolant up to 130°C
- Withstand ambient temperatures as low as -40°C
- Seal against gases up to 2,250 psi
- Withstand the movement of the components adjacent to the gasket.