July 2018 | VehicleServicePros.com 21
VehicleServicePros.com/10122067
restriction gauge. “It’s a smart, low-cost investment
that gives you an accurate representation
of air fi lter performance,” he says.
Hussein also says during the fi lter replacement
process, it is important to always clean the air
intake housing and gasket sealing surfaces aft er
the used fi lter is removed and before installing
the new fi lter.
“Dirt left in the air cleaner
housing can damage your
engine, and an improper
gasket seal is one of the most
common causes of engine
contamination,” he adds.
Monitoring systems for
filtration performance
When it comes to consistent
monitoring of fi lters, a number
of companies have introduced
products to help continuously
monitor diff erent fi ltration
systems. Cummins Filtration
off ers the FleetguardFIT
(Filtration Intelligence Technology)
to closely track engine
oil fi lters, and WIX Filters
off ers the Senzit for air intake
fi ltration monitoring.
“FleetguardFIT works
through integrated sensors,
a control module and engine
parameters that use existing
telematics to transmit
real-time information about
how your fi lters and engine
are performing,” Cummins
Filtration’s Gwin explains.
Th is information is available
for the fl eet to access
at any time. Th e monitoring
system can provide status
alerts with recommended
actions, and advise fl eets on
the next suggested service
interval that coincides with
other needed service to
optimize vehicle uptime.
Th is approach also allows
the customer to pinpoint
system failure mechanisms
and potentially prevent catastrophic
engine damage.
When it comes to air intake
fi lters, vacuum gauges have
been the norm for monitoring
performance and status on
when to change the fi lter. WIX
Filters recently introduced a
smartphone app providing
fl eets and drivers the ability
to monitor the air fi lter in realtime.
Th is product is not able
to be integrated into maintenance
management programs
at this time.
“Currently, Senzit does not
integrate with in-shop soft -
ware. However, in addition to
the mobile app, the Senzit web
portal enables quick and easy viewing of all Senzit
devices within an entire fl eet. With this format,
fl eet managers can view maintenance status,
predict order schedules, etc.,” explains Chilton.
Conclusion
Whether using continuous monitoring devices, or
implementing comprehensive PM scheduling to
monitor fi lter performance, fl eets should consider
fl uid analysis programs and up-and-coming
trends in the industry to optimize the selection
and service of the variety of fi ltration systems
on a vehicle.
“Simply put, improved fi ltration can lead to
longer sustained engine performance and life,”
says Cummins Filtration’s Gwin.
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