C7 and C9 On-highway Engines Caterpillar

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Hot oil and hot components can cause personal injury. Do not allow hot oil or hot components to contact the skin.

Do not drain the oil when the engine is cold. As the oil cools, suspended waste particles settle on the bottom of the oil pan. The waste particles are not removed with the draining cold oil. Drain the crankcase with the engine stopped. Drain the crankcase while the oil is warm. This draining method will allow the waste particles that are suspended in the oil to be properly drained.

Failure to follow this recommended procedure will cause the waste particles to be recirculated through the engine lubrication system with the new engine oil.

Drain the Engine Oil

After the engine has been run at the normal operating temperature, stop the engine. Attach a "DO NOT OPERATE" or a similar warning tag to the ignition keyswitch before the engine is serviced. Catch the oil in a suitable container. Recycle the used oil, or dispose of the used oil properly.

1. Remove the oil drain plug in order to allow the oil to drain.

2. After the oil has drained, the oil drain plug should be cleaned and installed.

   Tighten the oil drain plug to the following torque: ... 70 ± 15 N·m (50 ± 11 lb ft)

Replace the Oil Filter

1. Remove the oil filter with a 185-3630 Chain Wrench.
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   Illustration 1	g00588944
   Element with debris

2. Cut the oil filter open with a 175-7546 Oil Filter Cutter. Break apart the pleats and inspect the oil filter for metal debris. An excessive amount of metal debris in the oil filter may indicate early wear or a pending failure.

   Use a magnet to differentiate between the ferrous metals and the nonferrous metals that are found in the oil filter element. Ferrous metals may indicate wear on the steel and cast iron parts of the engine.

   Nonferrous metals may indicate wear on the aluminum parts, brass parts, or bronze parts of the engine. Parts that may be affected include the following items: main bearings, rod bearings, turbocharger bearings and cylinder heads.

   Due to normal wear and friction, small amounts of debris may be found in the oil filter. Consult your Cat dealer in order to arrange for a further analysis if an excessive amount of debris is found in the oil filter.

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   Illustration 2	g00103713
   Typical filter mounting base and filter gasket

3. Clean the sealing surface of the filter mounting base. Ensure that all of the old oil filter gasket is removed.

4. Apply clean engine oil to the new oil filter gasket.
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   NOTICE
   Do not fill the oil filters with oil before installing them. This oil would not be filtered and could be contaminated. Contaminated oil can cause accelerated wear to engine components.

5. Install the oil filter. Tighten the oil filter until the oil filter gasket contacts the base. Tighten the oil filter by hand according to the instructions that are shown on the oil filter. Do not overtighten the oil filter.

Fill the Engine Crankcase

1. Remove the oil filler cap. Refer to the Operation and Maintenance Manual, "Refill Capacities and Recommendations" topic or to the Operation and Maintenance Manual, "Fluid Recommendations" for more information about selecting the correct engine oil and finding the correct refill capacity for your engine. Fill the crankcase with the proper amount of oil.
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   NOTICE
   If equipped with an auxiliary oil filter or system, extra oil must be added when filling the crankcase. Follow the OEM or filter manufacturer's recommendations. If the extra oil is not added, the engine may starve for oil.

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   NOTICE
   To help prevent crankshaft or bearing damage, crank engine to fill all filters before starting. Do not crank engine for more than 30 seconds.

2. Start the engine and run the engine at "LOW IDLE" for 2 minutes. Perform this procedure in order to ensure that the lubrication system has oil and that the oil filters are filled. Inspect the oil filter for oil leaks.

3. Stop the engine and allow the oil to drain back to the sump for a minimum of 10 minutes.

4. Remove the oil level gauge in order to check the oil level. Maintain the oil level between the "ADD" and "FULL" marks on the "ENGINE STOPPED" side of the oil level gauge.

5. Remove the "DO NOT OPERATE" tag from the ignition keyswitch.

Adjustments to the Oil Change Intervals

Many conditions affect the selection of an oil change interval. Proper oil change intervals are important for maintaining engine service life and engine performance and fully utilizing the lubricant. The engine oil must be able to control the following items: corrosion, oxidation, soot and wear metals. The engine oil must be able to control the conditions during the time between oil changes.

In some severe service applications, reducing the oil change interval may be necessary in order to maintain the integrity of the engine lubricant. Refer to this Operation and Maintenance Manual, "Severe Service Application" or consult with your Cat dealer in order to determine whether your engine is operating under severe service conditions.

Fuel consumption and oil consumption are the most important factors that are used in order to calculate an oil change interval. All engines do not consume fuel and oil at the same rate due to several factors: manufacturing tolerances, maintenance variations and engine application.

Extended Oil Change Intervals

Note: The following requirements must be met in order to use table 1. :

• CatDEO-ULS is used or an oil that meets the requirements of the Caterpillar ECF-3 (Engine Crankcase Fluid specification-3) specification is used.

• S·O·S Services oil analysis is performed at 16,100 km (10,000 mile) intervals and all oil change intervals. The S·O·S Services lab must be notified of the extended oil change interval. The use of an extended oil change interval makes a difference in the interpretation of the data.

• A Cat Advanced Efficiency oil filter is used.

• A Cat Advanced Efficiency 4 micron(c) absolute or less fuel filter is used.

• Fuel with 0.015% (15 ppm) or less sulfur is used.

Note: Caterpillar cannot guarantee the performance of lubricants or filters that are not sold by Caterpillar. The performance guarantee of any commercially available lubricant is the responsibility of that oil company. The performance guarantee of any commercially available filter is the responsibility of the filter manufacturer.

Table for Extended Oil Change Intervals

In order to understand the tables for maximum permissible oil change intervals, use the following procedures.

1. Determine your type of vehicle application. Locate the column which lists your type of vehicle application.

2. Determine your available oil in liters or quarts. The oil quantity equals the sum of the capacities of the oil sump and the oil filter. Locate the row which lists your available oil.

3. The intersection of the column and the row lists the maximum permissible number of kilometers or miles between oil change intervals.

For more information on optimizing oil change intervals, see your Cat dealer.