TECHNICAL

BULLETIN

Wärtsilä low-speed engines RT-96

Services 2-stroke Issue 1, 23.09.2010

Exhaust valve spindle lubrication For immediate attention

Concerned products
Wärtsilä RT-flex96C-B, RT-flex84T-D,
RT-flex82C and RT-flex82T engines with
Information to all Owners and Operators of Pulse Lubricating System. It is
Wärtsilä RT-flex96C-B, RT-flex84T-D, RT-flex82C and irrespective, if the Pulse Lubricating
RT-flex82T engines System was initially installed or if it is a
retrofit version.

Current Situation
Wärtsilä received reports about air
leakages in the air spring of the exhaust
valve drive.

Problem
Insufficient lubrication of the exhaust valve
stem and rod joint ring lead to higher wear
rates.

Solution
When the engine is in operation, the
exhaust valve stem and guide bush shall
be permanently lubricated through the
cylinder oil feed connection.

Wärtsilä recommends distributing this

document immediately to all installations
which have the Pulse Lubricating System
installed.

Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. Tel (24h): +41 52 262 80 10

PO Box 414 Fax: +41 52 262 07 31
CH-8401 Winterthur technicalsupport.chts@wartsila.com
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RT-96
Issue 1, Page 2 / 6

Contents
Page
Introduction 2
Lubrication of exhaust valve spindle and guide bush 2
Check of the air spring pressure 3

Introduction
Wärtsilä received reports about engines equipped with the Pulse Lubricating
System, mentioning air leakages in the air spring through the valve spindle rod
joint ring. Due to insufficient lubrication on the valve stem and rod joint ring, the
wear rate on the valve stem and rod joint ring might be higher.
As a result, the moving function becomes insufficient and this might affect the
closing time of the exhaust valve.

Lubrication of exhaust valve spindle and guide bush

We recommend that the cylinder oil feed to the valve guide bush is left open over
all load ranges as a precautionary measure. That means the stop valve (1) has to
be opened, see Figure 1.
This recommendation is over-ruling the remarks as given in the Operation
Manuals, to close the stop valve after approximately 24 operating hours.

Note:
Prior to opening the stop valve (1), the orifice of size 0.5 mm (2) has to be
checked if blocked or not. In addition, the non-return valve (3) and the entire pipe
(4) must be checked for free passage, see Figure 1.

Stop valve (drawn for RT-flex96C-B)

4 1

1. Stop valve, 2. Orifice, 3. Non-return valve, 4. Oil pipe

Fig. 1

Depending on the execution of your mounted Pulse Lubricating System, the

arrangement and location of its components and the lubricating pump may look
slightly different.
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RT-96
Issue 1, Page 3 / 6

In order to ensure the lubrication is working, you have to check the entire
lubricating oil pipe (4) up to the exhaust valve cage inlet bore, Figure 2. This is
done by disconnecting the screw-in union (5) at the exhaust valve inlet
connection. Having the stop valve (1) in the open position and with the lubricating
pump working, oil should flow through the complete lubricating system. With this
test you also ensure that the system is vented and at the same time priming of
the lubricating system is done.

Connection of oil pipe to exhaust valve cage (drawn for RT-flex96C-B)

4. Oil pipe, 5. Screw-in union

Fig. 2

Check of the air spring pressure

The below checking procedure should be made in case of exhaust valve
difficulties such as disturbed closing time for example, shown by increased air
consumption or air spring leakages. The checking procedure shall be made
during engine standstill, preferably during a port stay.
One indication of a higher air leakage through the air spring might be the
increased running hours of the air compressor.
The procedure described below should help to find out an air leakage at the air
spring that could influence the engine operation.

Note:
To check the condition of the rod joint ring means checking the pressure drop in
the air spring.

Preparation:
To perform the air leakage check a special connecting device has to be made
beforehand which consist of a shut-off valve, a pressure gauge and an air
pressure connection. The pressure gauge must cover a range from 0 to 10 bar.
Depending on the engine type, the special connecting device differs as shown in
Figure 3 and Figure 4.
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RT-96
Issue 1, Page 4 / 6

Shut-off valve with pressure gauge (drawn for RT-flex96C-B)

4x ø15
3

= 56 =
1 2 (Dimensions in mm)
86

1. Shut-off valve with pressure gauge, 2. Air pressure connection, 3. Connection

flange
Fig. 3

Shut-off valve with pressure gauge (for RT-flex84T-D, RT-flex82C, RT-flex82T)

3
4

1. Shut-off valve, 2. Pressure gauge, 3. Air pressure connection – size ¾ Inch,

4. Air pressure connection – size depending on engine room facilities
Fig. 4

Air spring pressure check:

1. Close the air spring supply at the control air supply unit and at first monitor the
opening of the exhaust valve in the flexView. Consult also the Control
Diagram in the Operation Manual Group 4, Chapter 4003.
2. Disconnect and remove the air supply pipe from the exhaust valve cage.
3. Mount the special connecting device with the pressure gauge and shut-off
valve to the exhaust valve cage (1) at position (2) as indicated in Figure 5.
4. Connect a compressed air supply piping to the special connecting device.
5. Open the shut-off valve on the special connecting device and pressurise the
air spring to a level of 5 to 7 bar.
6. Close the shut-off valve on the special connecting device.
7. Monitor the pressure drop and the holding time of the air spring.
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RT-96
Issue 1, Page 5 / 6

Attention:
If the pressure drop is higher than 2.0 bar within 15 minutes, then Wärtsilä
recommends overhauling the exhaust valve at the next convenient
opportunity.

8. Remove the special connecting device and re-connect the air supply pipe to
the exhaust valve cage.

On the removed exhaust valve, the rod joint ring (4) has to be replaced and the
exhaust valve stem has to be measured to determine the wear. The maximum
allowable wear of the exhaust valve stem is listed in the Maintenance Manual
Group 0, Chapter 0330.
When an exhaust valve is overhauled, the oil bores of the valve cage (5) and
guide bush (6) have to be checked for free passage. Details about exhaust valve
overhaul are given in the Maintenance Manual Group 2, Chapter 2751.

Air supply connection to exhaust valve cage (drawn for RT-flex96C-B)

4 3

5 1 2

1. Exhaust valve cage, 2. Mounting position for connecting device, 3. Exhaust

valve spindle, 4. Rod joint ring, 5. Oil bore in valve cage, 6. Oil bore in guide bush
Fig. 5

For questions about the content of this Technical Bulletin or if you need Wärtsilä
assistance, services, spare parts and/or tools, please contact your nearest
Wärtsilä representative or send your enquiry to:
technicalsupport.chts@wartsila.com
or phone 24hrs Support: +41 52 262 80 10.
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RT-96
Issue 1, Page 6 / 6

© 2010 Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. – All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
graphic, photocopying, recording, taping or other information retrieval systems) without the prior written
permission of the copyright holder. Wärtsilä Corporation makes no representation, warranty (express or implied)
in this publication and assumes no responsibility for the correctness, errors or omissions for information
contained herein. Information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
Unless otherwise expressly set forth, no recommendation contained in this document is to be construed as
provided due to a defect in the engine, but merely as an improvement of the engine and/or the maintenance
procedures relating thereto. Any actions by the owner/operator as a result of the recommendations are not
covered under any warranty provided by Wärtsilä and such actions will thus be at the owners/operators own
cost and expense.
NO LIABILITY WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, IS
ASSUMED WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. THIS PUBLICATION IS
CONFIDENTIAL AND INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY.