Section III: CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES, REQUIREMENTS, AND PROCEDURES

NAVAIR 17-15-50.1

TM 38-301-1

T.O. 33-1-37-1

CGTO 33-1-37-1

SECTION III

CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES, REQUIREMENTS, AND PROCEDURES

Importance of Oil Analysis at Customer Level. The stated purpose of the oil analysis program is to detect

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changes in the condition of used oil and other fluids, to detect unusual wear and to predict impending equipment

failures. At the customer level this can be translated into improved equipment operational safety and reliability

and increased maintenance effectiveness through performance of the right maintenance, at the right time at the

lowest maintenance level consistent with good maintenance practices. An effective oil analysis program can also

enhance maintenance workload planning by early identification of unscheduled maintenance requirements,

improve the quality of maintenance and equipment operating practices, and result in improved maintenance

procedures and equipment design as a result of oil analysis feedback information. Feedback is an extremely

important element of the oil analysis program. Feedback is that information passed between all activities involved

in the oil analysis program concerning conditions that may affect or influence either the oil analysis sample

evaluation process and/or the resulting recommendation for maintenance action. Feedback may result in

engineering change decisions that affect the safety, reliability or maintainability of operating equipment. Feedback

from the oil analysis process also provides the basis for improved troubleshooting assistance from the supporting

laboratory as data are compiled relating sample results to a particular component that may be generating

abnormal wear metals. The refinement of this process on some equipment has resulted in the ability to correct

problems by component replacement at the organizational level rather than removal of the equipment for

overhaul. Feedback concerning increasing contamination trends on a specific item of equipment has also

assisted in improved operational planning, for example, restricting an aircraft from cross country flights to avoid

the possibility of an engine change at a remote site, until the problem causing the increasing trend is identified

and corrected. Feedback also creates a dynamic evolution of the criteria used to evaluate oil samples. This

process ensures that the criteria applied to detected oil condition changes are more accurately related to actual

equipment condition, thus reducing the possibility of premature, unwarranted equipment removals from service,

while ensuring that criteria levels are low enough to ensure equipment operating safety. Probably the most

important element of the feedback system to the customer is the laboratory recommendation for maintenance

action following analysis of the customer's oil sample. Oil analysis laboratory recommendations are the result of

careful trending and in-depth analysis of equipment history and should normally be followed. However, it is

ultimately the customer's responsibility to decide what action to take in regard to any recommendation from the

JOAP laboratory. A customer representative must work closely with the supporting oil analysis laboratory to

ensure adequate maintenance procedures are implemented which will result in reduced maintenance costs and

increased operational and personnel safety. See Appendix A for descriptions of all laboratory recommendation

codes.

Customer's Responsibilities. Customer responsibilities are as follows:

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a. Establish a system of internal accounting/record keeping to ensure that all samples for equipment

entered in the oil analysis program are taken correctly and on time in accordance with applicable directives, to

ensure that all samples are correctly identified, with accompanying paperwork correctly completed, and to ensure

that all samples are expeditiously forwarded to the supporting oil analysis laboratory.

b. Ensure that all personnel involved with the oil analysis program are properly trained in their duties and

thoroughly aware of the importance of, and the benefits to be obtained by, an effective oil analysis program.

c. Ensure that timely response is made to laboratory requests for samples or laboratory recommendations

for maintenance actions and that prompt and complete feedback is provided to the laboratory concerning any

condition or maintenance action that may affect the condition of the equipments' oil system. Customer feedback

includes any internally generated maintenance action as well as those maintenance actions performed as a result

of laboratory analysis reports or recommendations.

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