North Eastern Truck & Equipment Claims, Inc.

How to cut open an engine oil filter and what to look for

2010-10-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

When a machine overturns while it is running, oil stops circulating very quickly due to the loss of oil pressure. The oil filter becomes a time capsule. Remove the filter from the engine and cut it open. It will reveal the condition of the engine immediately prior to the catastrophe that ensued. Sample the oil inside the filter for lab analysis.

filter element after a major bearing failure

Someone with sinister intent might change the oil to make the damage match their story, but they hardly ever think to change the filter. Someone with sinister intent that is mechanically savvy might change both, but he can't use new oil because he has to make it look used. Sample the oil inside the filter and take a second sample from the sump. See if the results match!

Chicken or Egg?

An engine will normally be disassembled for one of two reasons: when an engine has high hours or miles or when an engine has experienced a failure. When an engine owner experiences a failure, he might make a claim regardless of whether it has been established that a loss occurred. Insurance claims for mechanical damage to engines fall into three major categories: introduction of a contaminant by alleged vandalism, sudden volumetric loss of oil by alleged vandalism, and overturn by physical rollover of the vehicle during operation. The oil filter analysis I discussed above is an important component of failure analysis for all categories, and it is the easiest to accomplish because no engine disassembly is required. Often we need to determine which came first, the failure, or the "loss"?

The most probable causes of major engine failure are overheating, lubrication (lack of or contamination of), abrasive grit, detonation, and mis-assembly. We have worked claims on every category where we were able to prove the claim meritless through failure analysis that showed that the real source of damage was not a covered loss. In the majority of these claims, lack of lubrication or contaminated lubricant is the cause of damage.

Lack of lubrication damage refers to an insufficient film of oil between the crankshaft journal and bearing. Lack of lubrication can be caused by low oil level, wrong oil viscosity and other conditions that degrade engine oil such as the presence of water or anti-freeze, or oil contamination. Examine the bearings and crankshaft for indications of an irregular wear pattern. Polishing of a bearing occurs when the oil film between the bearing and crankshaft journal decreases for an instant. This is a normal condition that can occur during starts, high oil temperatures or extreme loading. Usually, bearing polishing is not serious because the oil film is restored after a very short period of time. Bearings damaged from debris will have either scratches or embedded debris, and in serious cases, can look like a lack of lubrication failure.

The first stage of lack of lubrication failure for a bearing is smearing. A smeared bearing will have some displacement of the lead-tin overlay, usually at the center of the bearing. A smeared bearing progresses very quickly to a scuffed bearing if the oil film is not restored. A scuffed bearing shows additional displacement of material, caused by extreme heat. A seized bearing is the final stage in the progression of damage caused by insufficient oil film.

Familiarize yourself with these images and know what you are looking at when it comes to bearing appearance. Don't buy repairs for engines that suffered a mechanical failure that is not a covered loss, or worse, where no damage occurred. The two images below are normal bearings:

Video

Below is a link to my YouTube Channel with a video of me cutting an oil filter open for analysis.

http://www.youtube.com/user/northeasternclaims?feature=mhum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v6_GWzMfrY

Tom Fergus
North Eastern Truck & Equipment Claims, Inc.
49 Center Street, PO Box 27
Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896
603/569-8910 FAX 569-8920

http://heavyequipmentadjuster.com/

http://heavyequipmentsalvage.net/

Why do so many log skidders burn?

2010-06-27T19:22:00.001-07:00

*you can click these photos to enlarge them (web page only)*

We see lots of burned log skidders.

The fire nearly always originates in the engine compartment, and the damages is so severe it is impossible to determine the cause.

Last week we had the opportunity to survey a skidder for a claim which necessitated viewing the bottom of the oil pan. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see what we found...

We removed the skid plate under the engine compartment....

What's this? Loaded with oil soaked wood chips and saw dust...

Clean much?

On thin ice?

2010-01-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Do you need this mess cleaned up?

click any photo to enlarge it

NETEC has the contacts, knowledge, and expertise to save you money on claims...and get them done fast!

Heavy Equipment - Truck/Trailer
Agricultural - Forestry

NY MA VT NH ME
New York Massachusetts Vermont New Hampshire Maine

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU HIRE ?

2009-10-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

The cheapest attorney doesn't appeal to you, does it? So why hire the cheapest adjuster/appraiser?

If you hadn't used the cheapest appraiser, you might not have needed an attorney.

MUD SEASON SPECIAL

2009-03-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

MUD SEASON SPECIAL

You already save lots of these on your claims when you hire us to do the adjustment/appraisal.

This month, you can take $100.00 off our service bill for claims assigned to us in the month of April.

Mud season is upon us here in northern New England. For those of you who reside outside the region, mud season is NOT an additional season, like baseball or football season. We still have four seasons here, but they are summer, fall, winter, and mud season. Mud season is what happens when all the snow melts but the ground frost doesn’t absorb the melting snow. Gravel and dirt roads (and we have lots of them) turn to mud. You know it’s coming when the maple trees start giving sap and the syrup makers fire up their sugar shacks. You know it’s here when the only trucks you hear are tow trucks, coming to retrieve the occasional fuel oil delivery wagon that got stuck in a customer’s driveway, or a fire truck that pulled off to the shoulder and sank in – you guessed it – mud.

If you’re wondering about spring, it’s typically one day in the month of May when it is 72 degrees with low humidity and a mild breeze. It’s the day before the black flies arrive.

In my line of work, mud season can be busy. Lots of people who operate trucks and heavy equipment work in the woods, or in and out of the woods as the case may be. All of them right now are racing to finish the job they are working on to get their equipment out of the woods while they still can, before the roads thaw up and turn to mud. All this rushing gives way to a few accidents. And there are a few that are wondering if they really want to drag that piece of @#$% that has been giving them hassle all winter long out of the woods at all – wouldn’t it be a shame if that one caught on fire.

So in celebration of mud season and customer appreciation, I’m firing up the old Dodge 4x4 pickup and offering a $100.00 off any claim you assign me for the whole month of April (actually Monday, March 30^th through April 30, 2009).

You’ll save $100.00 off my services and as usual, I’ll save you serious money on the claim.

You must mention the mud season special - write it on the fax cover or in the email subject - otherwise I can't track how my marketing efforts work.

Thank you!

Tom Fergus
North Eastern Truck & Equipment Claims, Inc.
49 Center Street, PO Box 27
Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896
603/569-8910 FAX 569-8920

http://heavyequipmentadjuster.com/

http://heavyequipmentadjuster.blogspot.com/

Fine Print: Not applicable to desk review claims.

ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT SAVING MONEY ON YOUR CLAIMS ?

2009-03-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

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Does your claims department have a "cap" on adjuster/appraiser expenses.

If so, what's your claims department's "cap" on over-paying claims?

When you want to save money on claims in New England, you need Tom Fergus, heavy equipment specialist.

Tom is an expert negotiator. Tom will save you money on claims, without sacrificing the quality of repairs or safety, and, you get cost-efficient service.