Don’t Let “Cheap Parts” Ruin Your Forklift: The Dual Threat of Inferior Parts to Equipment & Personnel

Due to the fierce competition and low barriers to entry in the forklift repair industry, many repair personnel lack systematic training and relevant experience. Using only a simple toolbox, they overhaul critical components like engines and transmissions. The quality of these repairs varies widely! This is similar to the street market in the renovation industry. Homeowners and vehicle owners often neglect the quality of repairs, only to regret it later when they suffer losses. Stop buying those "universal" forklift filters!Three recent customer reports say using cheap replacements has clogged the oil line, costing five times the original cost.Today, we'll discuss the serious harm caused by inferior parts!  

If you want to know more about high-quality maintenance parts for forklift, you can click www.lifttops.com . 

Professional technicians will provide you with assistance.

The Dangers of Counterfeit and Substandard Engine Oil

Forklift Engine Oil

On the surface, counterfeit and genuine engine oil may appear similar, but counterfeit oil can cause premature oil burning in forklift engines. Why? This is because inferior oil fails to lubricate piston rings, cylinder liners, bearings, crankshafts, connecting rod bushings, and valves, and instead accelerates engine wear.

Counterfeit and substandard engine oils on the market typically include recycled waste oil, base oil blends, low-grade oil refills, and pure base oil. Among these, counterfeit oils that are filtered and refilled in their original packaging are the most harmful and the most difficult to identify.

Critically, counterfeit oil may not be noticeable for a short period of time. Problems and malfunctions can immediately appear after just six months or a year of use.

For example, it easily oxidizes and thickens, forming carbon deposits and sludge. This can clog the oil pump filter and engine oil passages, leading to wear and tear, thus reducing engine life. Furthermore, inferior oil cannot form an effective oil film, damaging the pistons, bearings, and other engine components. Although the appearance of counterfeit motor oil is not much different from the genuine product, there are still many consequences:

Shortened engine life; ignition problems, increased engine noise; and increased overall fuel consumption.

The Dangers of Counterfeit Oil Filters

While they may appear identical, the filter's cost lies primarily in the internal filter paper and structure. Counterfeit oil filters often use inferior filter paper, failing to filter impurities properly.

Generally speaking, the components within a forklift engine are lubricated by engine oil to function properly.

However, metal debris, dust, carbon deposits oxidized by high temperatures, and some moisture generated by these components continuously mix into the engine oil. Over time, this shortens the oil's lifespan and, in severe cases, affects engine operation.

This is where the oil filter's role becomes apparent. Simply put, the oil filter's primary function is to filter out most impurities from the oil, keeping it clean and extending its lifespan.

In addition, an oil filter should possess strong filtering capacity, low flow resistance, and a long service life.

Fake oil filters not only affect the oil pump's ability to properly lubricate the engine, but some counterfeit oil filters are also poorly made. The main oil gallery interface may be leaking, causing oil to escape through the oil filter. This can lead to oil leaks, poor engine cooling, and even, in severe cases, cylinder explosion.

Therefore, it's crucial to choose the right oil filter to ensure safety.

The Dangers of Counterfeit Diesel Filters

The diesel filter removes harmful impurities and moisture from the fuel system, protecting the engine from normal operation, reducing wear, preventing blockages, and extending engine life.

Like oil filters, low-quality filter paper cannot filter diesel impurities, leading to fuel injection system malfunctions. This can cause injector nozzle clogging, poor atomization, white or black smoke, reduced injection pump valve accuracy, accelerated pump wear, and insufficient injection pressure.

The quality of a diesel filter is closely linked to its filter element, but most diesel filter elements are invisible and can only be determined after disassembly.

Teardown of a low-quality diesel filter to see what it looks like after disassembly.

01. The filter element is simply dark; there are no fuel impurities, sludge, or other foreign matter on the surface

02. The pleats on the oil filter element are noticeably deformed, and the spacing between the pleats is uneven

03. The filter element joints on this diesel filter are not closed; they are left open, rendering the filter completely ineffective

The consequence of using a low-quality diesel filter is that unfiltered diesel fuel enters the engine and participates in combustion. Long-term use can lead to problems such as starting difficulties, increased fuel consumption, and black smoke from the exhaust.

Disassembly reveals the following major hazards of inferior diesel filters:

1. The filter element is not sealed, rendering it ineffective and unable to filter impurities from the fuel, potentially damaging the engine.

2. Poor workmanship can cause the adhesive to break off, allowing debris to enter the engine and damage the injectors.

3. The filter paper is shoddily made, lacking strength and easily deforming, reducing the filtration area.

2. The filter base lacks a rubber seal, leaving some fuel entering the engine unfiltered.

The Dangers of Counterfeit Air Filters

The filter paper in an air filter is crucial. Inferior filter paper fails to filter airborne dust, allowing large amounts of harmful dust to enter the engine's intake system, causing rapid wear of the piston rings, seizure, and cylinder scuffing.

How to distinguish between good and bad filter elements?

A good filter element has a reinforced outer shell and reinforced welds, giving it a firm, heavy feel and resisting deformation. Counterfeit products, however, have a thin, soft outer shell to save cost, making them easily deformed. Good filter element rubber pads are generally made of environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and odorless virgin washed rubber pads. Counterfeit products often use refurbished, reprocessed rubber, which can have a strong odor. After reading this article on accessories, I believe you now have a better understanding of how to maintain your forklift. Whether you choose low-cost repairs or a reputable, reputable brand agent, I believe you now have a better understanding. Any low-cost forklift repair service will inevitably result in inferior parts! As the saying goes, "There's no such thing as a wrong purchase." You get what you pay for. Don't skimp on the big picture, otherwise, your forklift will be the one that suffers the most.

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