Cummins Offers New Drain Intervals, More Mobile Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Engine maker Cummins Inc. introduced a handful of new diagnostic and service-related options for customers, including extended drain intervals through a free oil-sampling program, a real-time engine-monitoring service, remote software updates and a mobile app that provides access to information on fault codes.
For example, its new OilGuard program uses engine oil analysis by the company together with engine performance data to extend oil drain intervals up to 80,000 miles, the company said in a presentation during the Technology & Maintenance Council's annual meeting here. TMC is a division of American Trucking Associations.
The option is available to customers using its 2017 X15 efficiency series or X15 performance series engines and a Cummins-approved CK-4 or FA-4 engine oil, according to Cummins.
The new drain interval is about twice as long as was recommended for a 2016 ISX engine, the company said.
The basic level of service will tell you the fault code associated with a specific event but not the recommended repair procedure.
“You could give that to your service provider and say ‘Cummins is telling me I have this’ and then that certified service can plug that in and say ‘based on that information we think this is a three-hour repair,’ ” said Chad Pruitt, service engineering director at Cummins.
Upon successful completion of the testing phase, Cummins will approve an optimized drain interval for all 2017 and newer X15 engines in a fleet with the same duty cycle. This new interval will become part of the new extended required maintenance plan for warranty coverage, it said.
Separately, its Connected Advisor service isolates and interprets key engine and aftertreatment issues and prepares a once-daily summary — creating a prioritized list, including recommended actions, the company said.
Plus, it launched a mobile app that takes some of the most useful capabilities within the company’s diagnostic Guidanz service — including fault codes and other key engine information — and makes them available to smartphone and tablet users.
Guidanz is connected to Cummins' global database, which constantly updates service histories from similar equipment being used around the world, it said. This service data allows the company to quickly and accurately diagnose engine problems and know exactly how to fix the issues, it said.
Also, its new Connected Software Updates service is a telematics-enabled technology that makes it possible to perform engine software updates on a single vehicle or an entire fleet — while they are on the road — with as little as five minutes of equipment downtime, it said.
