SOURCE | MAGNIFIC
Reliability
A lubricant can carry the right viscosity grade and still be wrong for the machine. Lubezine’s recent webinar with WearCheck Technical Manager Steven Lumley examined the misconceptions and counterfeit risks surrounding lubrication.
Speaking during Lubezine Magazine’s “It’s More Than Just Oil” webinar, Lumley challenged the tendency to treat lubricants as commodities rather than engineered products central to machine reliability. Selecting a lubricant, she argued, is not simply about matching a viscosity grade. It is about selecting the right chemistry for the right application.
Oil analysis can reveal the health of the machine, lubricant condition and contamination. Lumley noted that WearCheck processes more than 900,000 oil samples annually, creating a dataset capable of revealing patterns across machines and applications.
Oil is an asset, not a consumable. Count the cost of lubrication, not the cost of the oil.
Steven Lumley - Technical Manager, WearCheck
One case involved a 15W-40 lubricant whose viscosity fell by 20% within its first 100 hours in a particular engine configuration. Analysis identified shearing of the viscosity-index-improver additive. In another, a 90% reduction in boron was detected in an OEM-branded gear oil across multiple trucks. The chemical change coincided with increased gear wear.
The Wrong Oil Can Look Right
Lubricant identity cannot always be taken for granted. Lumley said 18% of samples analysed were mixtures of different oils or products different from what customers believed was in their machines.
Two case studies illustrated the stakes. In South Africa, a citrus farmer selected a cheaper lubricant of a similar grade for three tractors. Within seven weeks, all three engines suffered catastrophic failure. Analysis revealed severely depleted additives, critically high wear metals and very low TBN. Investigation linked the product to counterfeit oil containing canola oil.
In Liberia, 90% of sampled differentials and final drives from articulated dump trucks contained lubricant that did not meet the required LS 85W-140 specification. Inadequate extreme-pressure protection was accompanied by severe wear, resulting in the loss of eight assemblies.
The cases expose a critical misconception: same viscosity does not mean same lubricant. Base oil, additives, application, operating environment and OEM specifications matter.
From Consumable to Asset
For Africa’s industries, lubricant procurement cannot be reduced to price per litre. Lumley recommended sampling incoming oils, verifying products against technical documentation and using QR-based traceability against counterfeiting. Engineers and lubrication specialists should have a voice in procurement.
The question is not “How much does the oil cost?” but “What will it cost if lubrication fails?”
It is more than just oil. It is a reliability decision with operational and financial consequences. .