Often, when critical equipment fails on the plant or shop floor, that usually means one thing, production is halted. It becomes a sprint to fix the machine and get it back up and running before the losses begin accumulating. This is where reliability is usually built into the equipment through understanding and predicting failures, so there isn’t a loss of production. However, oil which is seen as a consumable is the easiest player to blame during these high tensions and if someone was not monitoring the health of that oil, the blame is absorbed.
Some basic field tests
While out in the field, it may be difficult to get an oil sample, wait for it to be processed by the lab and then act on the results. There are a few basic tests that can be done in the field to get quick results.
Presence of water – Water in your oil is not a good thing, it can lead to degradation of the oil, an increase in viscosity, rusting of your components and leeching of the additives in the oil. If you are in the field (and you have cleared this with your safety department), you can place some of the oil from the machine into a metal spoon, heat that spoon with the oil in it and listen carefully for the sound of popping. The pops or crackles would indicate that there is a significant amount of water present in your oil. You can also look for an emulsified (or milky looking) mixture or the water actually separating out from the oil. In all of these cases, there is water in your oil in varying degrees which should be removed.
Presence of fuel – Especially for diesel engines, it is important to know if there is fuel dilution in your oil. If the levels are high, then this can decrease the viscosity of the oil
causing wear on the inside of your engine. Simply use coffee filter paper and drop some oil on it and allow it to dry. When observing it, look for a fuel ring towards the end of the spot as it has spread. This means that there is fuel present in your oil.
Presence of metal (wear) – While this cannot confirm which of the metals are present in your oil, it can give you an indication that there is significant wear occurring in your component (more than likely engine). Collect a sample and place a magnet near to the sample. If you see metal start to attach to the magnet, then some wear is occurring inside your oil.
While those are some basic field tests, there are also monthly lab tests which can provide more information on the oil.
Basic lab tests
While the in-field tests may be convenient, we need actual numbers to trend the progress of degradation or ingress / decrease of contamination or wear. Some of these tests include Viscosity, TAN /TBN, Presence of water (Karl Fischer), Presence of wear metals and contaminants (Spectroscopy), and the presence of fuel (fuel dilution).
In essence to determine which is failing, first examine if you are monitoring your oil and its patterns of behaviour and preventing contamination before it enters the machine. Then you can decide if the oil is no longer protecting the equipment, causing the equipment to fail. We will cover these and much more at the Mainstream conference in the UK in October, 2026.
Sanya Mathura
CEO & Founder, Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd
