More Than Just Mileage:
New Fluid Diagnosis Kits Tell Operators — and Customers — What Fluid Service Intervals Should Really Be

By Garrett McKinnon and Jessica Odom
NOLN Staff Writers

Are manufacturer-recommended service intervals enough? We hear the message preached all the time: The only surefire way to avoid charges of overselling is to carefully follow automaker-recommended intervals.

The problem with that attitude is that strictly doing so can be disingenuous to your customers. After all, how many of them really get under the hood to inspect the condition of their power steering fluid or brake fluid or transmission fluid? And, let’s face it, not all miles driven are equal. I know plenty of little old ladies who probably don’t tax their cars’ fluids very much, but having been a teenage boy once upon a time, I also know that some of us are prone to driving our cars harder than they were ever designed to be driven, something that can have a deleterious impact on fluid life.

The problem, then, lies in how to tell at a glance what a fluid’s condition is. There’s the “sniff test,” but the problem with that approach is that by the time a fluid smells burned, significant damage may have already been done to the particular system associated with that fluid. There’s also the “color test,” but put virgin motor oil in an older engine and run it for even a day or two and see if you can really discern much difference.

	A technician takes a sample of brake fluid for testing. In many cases, radial planar chromatographic tests can quickly and easily tell if a lubricant or fluid needs to be replaced.

Yet 63 percent of operators and managers polled in a recent online survey said that while following manufacturer drain intervals is important, you have to monitor the individual condition of the fluids, as well.

Which is where a new generation of fluid diagnostic tools comes in. And we’re not talking about having a fluid diagnosed in a laboratory or using an expensive machine, either. These days, it’s as simple as applying a small fluid sample to a piece of paper.

“The radial planar chromatographic — RPC — analysis process has been used by chemists and lubricant engineers for many years to monitor the condition of in-service lubricants and to determine if the fluids are acceptable or should be condemned,” said Ron McElroy, co-founder and chief technical officer of Fluid Rx, a manufacturer of instant lubricant diagnostics kits. “RPC results provide a unique and permanent record of the condition of the lubricant.”

According to McElroy, railroads developed the RPC process in the 1930s to monitor and set fluid service intervals for locomotive engines. Automakers even used the RPC technology from the 1950s through the 1990s to monitor oxidation, cycling and wear test results on ATF.

“All modern lubricants contain additives that inhibit breakdown. As these additives are depleted, sludge is formed. (The RPC) analysis tool provides a measure of additive depletion and the level of sludge or debris in a lubricant, indicating whether the fluid is in good condition, needs to be changed or is overdue for replacement,” McElroy said.

The process is simple. When a sample of lubricant is placed on a special filter paper, or substrate, the lubricant will begin to percolate through the substrate, leaving any sludge or debris behind. The presence of a significant amount of sludge or debris, generally visible as a dark ring on the substrate, gives technicians and consumers a clear indication of whether the fluid has reached or passed its useful life.

The differences between this process and the old “color test” that attempted to ascertain fluid condition based solely on color are many.

“This is not a color test. It’s an objective scientific analysis that is repeatable and verifiable. You can’t fool the substrate,” McElroy said.

In fact, McElroy had Canada’s Department of National Defence test the system. Fluids were tested both with the RPC process and with laboratory analysis. In 93 of 97 tests, the samples correlated exactly with each other in determining fluid condition.

Operators with long memories of color test strips and the hassles — up to and including potential legal issues — that went with them may be reluctant to use RPC technology, which is why McElroy said the industry has gone to great lengths to get RPC fluid analysis products approved. The Fluid Rx system has been tested not only by Canada’s DND, but also Herguth Laboratories and the Noria Corporation. The RPC process meets several ASTM standards for testing fluids, and has been approved for use by the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association/Motorist Assurance Program (AMRA/MAP), the California Automotive Business Coalition, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair and even OEMs like Ford, Fleetgard, Detroit Diesel, Hyundai and Kia. In fact, Ford dealerships use the RPC instant fluid diagnosis kits in many of their service departments.

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