How to Take an Oil Sample - Valve Probe Method

1. Before taking the sample, you will need a waste oil bottle to clean the valve. Many technicians skip this step, however if you don’t flush the valve you will get a poor representation of the oil in your sample. You will then need a new sampling probe, and a new bottle that comes with both a solid cap and a cap with two holes.
2. The sampling valves are color-coded: Blue represents hydraulic oil, yellow for engine oil, green for coolant, and purple for transmission fluid. The blue oil valve will be the valve used for sampling the hydraulic oil on this excavator. This valve has a hole in the center in which you will insert the sampling probe in order to take the sample. Beside this valve is an excavator valve with a black cap used to measure pressure.
3. To begin flushing the valve, first remove the dust boot and clean the valve off with a lint-free rag. Then slip the probe-holder over the probe, and stick the probe into the valve and fill your waste-oil sampling bottle to half-full.
4. After taking the sample, this oil can be thrown away. You may reuse the probe and waste oil bottle because it was only used to clean the valve. Be sure to label your bottle as waste-oil, and label another for waste-coolant, as these should never mix.
5. Once your machine is warmed up, you may begin the procedure. To warm a machine up, you must get the engine oil up to temperature while working the implements to warm the hydraulic oil up. If your machine is equipped with a final drive, and in the case of the excavator a swing drive, you need to mix that oil by travel and swinging the machine. They must be mixed before you take your samples.
6. Next, take the new bottle and probe out of the bag and assemble it to take the oil sample. If you are in dusty or dirty conditions, assemble the bottle and probe while it’s still in the bag. To do this, poke your probe through the bag to take your sample without risking contamination. Inside of the bag, there is a solid cap, a cap with two holes, a bottle and a probe. We recommend keeping the solid cap in the bag so it doesn’t get contaminated.
7. Assemble the probe holder onto the probe to protect your fingers, as the probe can get hot when taking your sample. Stick the hose into the cap about 25 millimeters. Assemble the bottle onto the cap and probe assembly. Next, fill your new bottle until it is just above the line on the bottle. The sample must be filled to at least half-full because sometimes the lab needs to run the sample twice. Therefore, it is essential to provide enough oil to run the sample a second time if needed. With the machine properly warmed up and running, you will now take your sample to be sent to the lab for analysis.
8. After taking your sample, remove the cap. Take your solid cap out of the bag and label the cap as “Hydraulic oil.” The probe used to take the sample cannot be used again to prevent contamination of future samples. Wipe your valve off and replace the dust boot onto the valve.

*You must be a trained Caterpillar technician to perform these tasks.*

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Видео How to Take an Oil Sample - Valve Probe Method канала Gregory Poole Equipment Company