Cummins Outlines Best Practices for Maintaining Natural Gas Commercial Engines
Natural gas engines offer lower operating costs and reduced emissions compared to diesel, but require strict adherence to maintenance intervals, especially tracking engine hours instead of miles.
- 250+ across US and Canada
- 1-2 times per year
What Happened
Natural gas engines offer significant advantages over diesel: lower operating costs, reduced emissions, and a maintenance-free exhaust system that eliminates filter changes. However, they are less forgiving when maintenance intervals are missed, particularly oil drains. Cummins recommends tracking engine hours instead of miles to ensure timely service, especially for vocational and transit applications with high idle time.
- Track engine hours, not just miles, especially for high-idle applications.
- Use genuine Cummins parts like spark plugs and oil to reduce issues.
- Drain low-pressure fuel filters regularly to catch compressor issues early.
- Check for the latest ECM calibration at every spark plug change.
- Follow recommended service intervals strictly—natural gas engines are less forgiving than diesel.
Service facilities for natural gas vehicles require specific safety measures like ventilation and methane detection. Experienced mechanics need only supplemental training, as natural gas engine maintenance closely resembles traditional vehicle maintenance. The joint venture between Cummins and Rush Enterprises provides a network of over 250 locations with certified technicians and comprehensive parts inventory across the US and Canada.
Why this matters
Proper maintenance ensures reliability and cost savings for fleets adopting natural gas, while avoiding engine damage from missed service intervals.
Terms in This Story
- DEF
- Diesel Exhaust Fluid, a fluid used in diesel engines to reduce NOx emissions.
- NOx
- Nitrogen oxides, harmful gases produced during combustion.
- ECM
- Engine Control Module, an electronic control unit that manages engine functions.
- Three-way catalyst
- An emissions control device that converts harmful exhaust gases into less harmful ones.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.