BOOT 2990976 - Caterpillar

SUBJECT:
Information that is Required to Understand and to Determine the Root Cause of a Piston Pin Joint Failure.
PROBLEM:
In the past not enough information has been collected in order to understand and determine the root cause of a piston pin joint failure.
SOLUTION:
The following is a list of information that should be collected for performing a piston pin joint failure analysis. This data is necessary so that the entire operating conditions are understood and considered. In general, the more information surrounding the failure that is provided, the more accurate a root cause determination will be.
General Information
Engine Type (3516B, 3512B HD)
Engine Model (E274, E448)
Engine Serial Number
Engine "Vintage" (New, Reman)
Application (Gen Set, 793C)
Machine Serial Number (If applicable)
Rating (Test spec)
Engine Hours
Component Hours (If different from engine hours)
Oil Type (Name and grade)
Oil Filter (Manufacturer and model)
Equipped with prelube? (Is the prelube being used)
Servicing Dealer
Location (Customer Name, Mine Name)
For Dealer Rebuilt Engines
What facility rebuilt the engine?
When was engine rebuilt?
What was break in cycle of rebuilt engine?
Part Numbers & Date Codes (New,Reman, or Dealer Reused)
Cylinder Pack
Crown As.
Skirt
Pin
Top Ring
Intermediate Ring
Oil Ring
Liner
Cooling Jet
Pin Retaining Clip
Maintenance History
S?O?S Data for current engine
Oil Change History / Maintenance Period
Location oil changes were performed (in the field or at the shop)
Valve Lash adjustment history
Air system pressure check history
Engine Repair Log for current engine
ECM/VIMS downloads
Operating/Environmental Conditions
Climate (Temperature)
Altitude (Within 1000 feet)
Type of mine (Pit, rolling terrain, material mined) - if machine
Type of loading (Uphill haul, pushing overburden)
General description of operating conditions (hours run per day, load factor)
Supplemental hardware (JW heaters, ether system, oil renewal)
Cycling (Number of engine starts per week)
Conditions Surrounding Failure
(Provide a general account of the type of operation prior to failure.)
How was the problem noticed?
What happened?
Was blowby measured recently? (What were the results?)
Summary of recent alarms and shutdowns, and the response to each alarm or shutdown.
When removing parts from an engine
Keep all parts from a given cylinder together.
Parts must not be cleaned or over handled.
Label cylinder number on crown, skirt, pin and liner.
Indicate which direction faces front with respect to the engine on crown, skirt, pin and liner.
If possible, provide 2-3 additional (unfailed) cylinder packs from the same engine (label in same manner).
Cooling jets should also be sent with cylinder pack (labeled). COPYRIGHT 2003 CATERPILLAR
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