ATF Specifications
In this course, you are a distributor of automatic transmission fluids and are talking with the new manager of a local express oil change shop. She is considering cutting some ATF products in favor of higher turnover lines to cut costs and increase profits. To convince her to change her thinking you must explain why there are so many ATF products on the market and the benefits of stocking a wide range of fluids.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The impact of the latest trends in automatic transmission design and lubrication development
     • The differences between different categories and types of transmission fluid
     • The benefits of changing automatic transmission fluid regularly

Attributes of Diesel Engine Oil
In this course, you are in the middle of a visit with the maintenance manager for a mid-sized trucking company. As he shows you around the maintenance facility, he is concerned that his vehicle engines are receiving the proper lubricants and has questions about new oils he has been hearing about. You will handle his questions about HDD lubrication and recommend improvements he could make in his lubrication practices.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The difference between high ash and low ash oil
     • TBN and the impact it has on the performance of diesel oil
     • The benefits of oil analysis

ATVs: Two-Stroke vs. Four Stroke
In this course, you are visiting a small but busy general and agricultural store in a rural area. The woman who owns and manages the store with her husband is seeing more and more customers looking for a good engine oil for their ATVs, but doesn't know what to recommend to them. She is looking for your advice on how to meet her customers' needs. You will respond to this opportunity and help her find a product for her customers and answer her questions about ATV lubrication.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Trends in the ATV market and ATV engine design
     • The differences between two- and four-stroke engines
     • The stresses new ATV designs place on the lubricant

Base Oils for Industrial Applications
In this course, you are an experienced industrial lubricant distributor mentoring a less experienced sales distributor. Together, you pay a visit to a motor plant and speak to the maintenance manager who is concerned about the gear oil he is using on his stamping press. You recommend that he switch from an oil formulated with a Group I base oil to an oil formulated with a Group II base oil. You will explain to him why a Group II-based oil is better for severe operating conditions, and also answer questions about base oil performance from the less experienced distributor.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The potential impact of base oil on lubricant performance
     • The differences between the various API base oil categories

Basics of Base Oils
In this course, you are a salesperson for a regional lubricant marketer. You are visiting one of your major distributors. A sales person at that company complains that she has been losing sales to a competitor, who claims their products are formulated with superior base oil. You must help her understand base oils so she can better differentiate your lubrication products.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Methods of refining base oils
     • Categories of base oils
     • Performance and physical characteristics of base oils

Basics of Gear Operation
In this course, you are visiting the maintenance manager of a small paper mill. She is concerned about the condition of her machine's gear sets but doesn't recognize that the teeth are showing typical signs of distress. In your role as a distributor of industrial gear oils and other lubricants you must answer her questions to help her understand the lubrication-related reasons why the gear set is showing signs of distress.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How gears work
     • The duty cycle gears are subjected to
     • The stresses that gears place on the lubricant
     • The fundamentals of gear lubrication

Basics of Grease
In this course, you have just been promoted to regional manager of a mid-sized lubricant marketing company. You are meeting with a new account manager who will be taking over your customers. He is concerned because some of your customers need grease products and he has no previous experience selling grease. You will answer his questions and explain the fundamentals of grease compared to oils and how grease is used in lubrication.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Performance and physical characteristics of grease
     • Types of grease
     • Applications of grease

Basics of Lubricant Additives
In this course, you are a sales person for a regional lubricant marketer. You are visiting one of your major distributors to brief them about a new engine oil. Your main contact at the distributor's office has questions about the additive package in the new oil.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How additives enhance the performance of a lubricant
     • The function of antioxidant additives
     • The different roles of detergent and dispersant additives
     • The function of antiwear additives
     • The function of rust and corrosion inhibitors

Basics of Viscosity
In this course, you are a distributor of heavy-duty diesel fuels and lubricants. You are visiting the owner and manager of an independent truck stop during the cold winter. As the scenario opens, the manager is talking about the repairs he is making to a heavy-duty truck engine that came in the previous day. You will explain the concept of viscosity and answer his questions about viscosity grades and the impact of viscosity on engine performance.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The impact of viscosity on the performance of engine oil and other lubricants
     • The function of viscosity modifier and pour point depressant additives
     • What viscosity grades are and what they measure

Contamination Leads to Hydraulic Problems
In this course, you are a supplier of industrial fluids visiting a paper plant. The plant manager complains that he has been having problems with one of his papermaking machines and believes that the new hydraulic fluid may be the cause. You must assess the evidence and ask the right questions to determine if the lubricant is at fault.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Causes of hydraulic pump failure
     • The impact of pump failure on industrial equipment
     • Methods to protect against pump and equipment failure

EGR Engines
In this course, you are a distributor of diesel fuels and lubricants. You will interact with the maintenance department for a small trucking company. You will gain an understanding of the issues he faces as his company moves towards leasing a fleet of new trucks. You will then apply your knowledge of heavy-duty oils to answer his questions and find a solution that meets his needs.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • New diesel engine designs and their oil needs
     • The patterns of distress associated with new engine designs
     • How new oil formulations are tested

Euro 4 Impact on Lubricant Specifications/Performance
In this course, you assume the role of a European lubricant company salesperson. You are meeting with a fleet manager for a parcel delivery service who has recently purchased three new Euro 4 trucks but he lacks knowledge about lubrication requirements for Euro 4 vehicles. You will answer his questions and explain why he might purchase new oil for these vehicles.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The impact of Euro 4 emissions legislations on heavy duty and light duty vehicle designs
     • The impact of changing vehicle designs on oil formulations
     • The benefits of Euro 4 lubricants

Prerequisite: In an earlier discussion with this salesman, you explained the fundamentals of engine operation, based on gasoline engines. See Operations of a Gasoline Engine for more information.

Extended Oil Drain Intervals for Heavy Duty Diesel
You are a salesperson with Travers Oil, a local lubricant marketer. You have just begun a meeting with Adriaan Vanderveer, Engineering Manager for Robbens Transport, a mid-sized transport company based in Rotterdam. Robbens recently bought a rival Dutch haulage firm and Adriaan is under pressure to quickly integrate the MAN trucks from this firm with Robbens’s existing fleet of Volvo trucks. The new trucks are due to arrive in the depot in less than a week and Adriaan is busy getting the workshop ready for them. He is uncertain whether he can use his current engine oil, a mineral-based product that meets MAN 271 and VDS-2, in the new MAN trucks. Both the MAN and Volvo trucks have Euro 3 engines.

You must help Adriaan find an engine oil that meets the requirements of both his MAN and Volvo trucks and explain how he could extend the drain interval for his fleet.

To complete this scenario you need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How to identify customer needs through fleet surveys
     • The factors used by vehicle manufacturers to determine oil drain intervals for heavy duty diesel engines
     • Manufacturer approvals and heavy duty diesel engine oil specifications
     • The benefits of Super High Performance Diesel (SHPD) oil

Fluid Recommendations for Hydraulic Pumps
In this course, you are a supplier of hydraulic fluids. On your first visit to a new customer, a small machine and design shop, the owner and manager has asked you to look at the hydraulic systems and recommend improvements. You will apply your knowledge of hydraulic fluids to help him determine if he needs to make any changes to his operation or upgrade his fluids.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The difference between vane, piston and gear pumps
     • The appropriate fluid for each type of pump
     • The benefits of using a premium hydraulic fluid

Heavy Duty Manual Transmissions
You are a salesperson from a regional lubricant distributor, Lowrie Oil. You are in a meeting with Harry Skelton, Maintenance Manager for Central Freight, a mid-sized haulage company based in Nottingham. Six months ago Central bought 10 Euro 2 trucks second-hand from another trucking company. The trucks are all from the 1999 model year and have manual transmissions. Transmission oil is now beginning to leak from a number of these trucks, and some drivers have reported gear shifting problems. Harry is puzzled by these developments. He made sure his mechanics flushed the transmissions and added new API GL-4 oil when the new trucks first came into the depot. He has used the same GL-4 oil in his older trucks for many years and never seen any serious problems.

You must help Harry figure out what is causing the oil leaks and shifting problems and offer some advice about the best fluid to use in his new manual transmissions.

To complete this scenario you need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Potential causes of manual transmission failure
     • The types of lubricants used to lubricate manual transmissions
     • The impact of changes in manual transmission design on lubrication requirements
     • How manual transmission fluid can affect the performance of a transmission

Hydraulic Fluid Compatibility
In this course, a purchasing director for a manufacturing company is seeking your advice on what type of fluid to use in a new injection molding machine. You will explain the benefits of using an HF-0 fluid and answer his questions about the compatibility of this fluid with his existing R&O and antiwear fluids.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The benefits of using a premium hydraulic fluid
     • The differences between antiwear hydraulic fluids and R&O oils
     • The potential consequences of mixing different hydraulic fluids

ILSAC GF-4 Specification
In this course, you will play the role of an experienced oil company salesperson for Averil Oils. You are meeting with Jennifer Kelly, a moderately experienced passenger car motor oil distributor. Jennifer has contacted you because she is unclear about the new ILSAC GF-4 specification and is concerned that the new specification might affect her ability to sell.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The differences between ILSAC GF-3 and ILSAC GF-4 oils
     • The performance benefits of using a ILSAC GF-4 oil
     • The trends that prompted the development of the ILSAC GF-4 specification

Off-highway Diesel Engines
In this course, you will visit a construction site. You are confronted with questions from the construction vehicle maintenance manager, who is dealing with serious engine problems on several vehicles. He is under pressure to get them back on site quickly and to keep them operating. You will help him determine if the lubricant he is using in the equipment is contributing to the engine problems and recommend an appropriate solution.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Off-road diesel engines
     • Patterns of distress associated with off-road diesel engines
     • The benefits of oil analysis

Operation of a Diesel Engine
In this course, you are distributor of passenger car motor oils and heavy-duty diesel engine oils. You are training a new sales person in your company. He has a visit scheduled with the maintenance manager for a municipal garage that services a wide variety of diesel engines. He is worried he won't be able to respond effectively to the maintenance manager's questions. He has come to you for advice. You will now help expand his understanding of engines by describing the main parts of diesel engines and how they differ from gasoline engines, while helping him understand their lubrication needs.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The combustion cycle in a four-stroke compression-ignited engine
     • The main components of a compression-ignited engine
     • The differences between compression-ignited and spark-ignited engines
     • The lubrication demands of a compression-ignited engine

Operation of a Gasoline Engine
In this course, you are distributor of passenger car motor oils and heavy-duty diesel engine oils. You are on a sales call to one of your long-time customers. You have brought along a new sales person you are training. His lack of basic understanding of car engines quickly becomes evident in his questions. You will need to explain the complexities of engines in basic terms while communicating where lubricants fit in and the role they play in engine operation.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How the basic components of an engine work
     • Engine lubrication fundamentals

Note: This course contains basic lubrication concepts that apply to both diesel and gasoline engines.

Operation of a Hydraulic System
In this course, you are an industrial fluids distributor who is advising the owner and manager of a heavy-duty service center that repairs trucks and other commercial vehicles. He is expanding his business with an emphasis on servicing hydraulic systems. You will explain to him and his staff how hydraulic systems work and answer questions about the types of fluids they require.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How hydraulic systems work
     • The major components of a hydraulic system
     • The importance of using the correct types of hydraulic fluids
     • The major causes of hydraulic oil deterioration and ways to prevent it

Operation of an Automatic Transmission
In this course, you are an experienced distributor of automatic transmission fluids. You are being called upon to help a fellow distributor learn about automatic transmissions. You will explain the workings of an automatic transmission and the role fluids play in its operation.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How an automatic transmission works, its key functions, and its main components
     • The role automatic transmission fluids play in making the components work together
     • Basic steps that should be taken as part of a preventive maintenance program

Prevent Failure with Correct Gear Oil Selection
In this course, you are the supplier of industrial fluids to a manufacturer of components for the auto industry. The plant manager has asked you to come in because he has been experiencing problems with one of his stamping presses and suspects the gear oil may be at fault. You will use your knowledge of gear oils to establish the cause of the problem and recommend a solution.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Common causes of gear wear and failure
     • The impact of viscosity on gear oil performance
     • The benefits of preventive maintenance

Proper Grease Application
In this course, you are a distributor of greases and industrial fluids visiting a steel mill. The plant manager complains of an increase in failed bearings in his rolling mill and suspects that the extreme temperatures of the operating environment may be the cause. You must consider the evidence and question him to determine if the extreme temperatures are at fault.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Causes of failed bearings
     • The impact of wear on industrial equipment
     • Methods to protect against wear on industrial equipment

Selecting a Metalworking Fluid for New Equipment
You are a sales representative for Eski Oil. You have just begun a visit with Dylan Mills, owner and manager of LDN Metals, an independent machine shop with a variety of CNC machines, and other specialized metalworking equipment. Dylan currently uses four different metalworking fluids: two straight oils for heavy-duty operations, such as form grinding, and two soluble oils for the CNC machines. Your company supplies the straight oils, but Dylan gets the soluble oils from another vendor. Dylan is just about to acquire a new, high performance machining center. He wants to know whether he can use one of his existing fluids in the machine. You will help Dylan select a suitable metalworking fluid for his new CNC machine.

To complete this scenario you need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Factors that can affect the performance of a metalworking fluid
     • The performance characteristics of different categories of metalworking fluid
     • The benefits of selecting the proper metalworking fluid

Stationary Gas Engine Oils
In this course, you are a natural gas engine oil distributor. You are visiting the maintenance supervisor of one of the larger natural gas compression companies in your sales area. The maintenance supervisor informs you that he has been seeing some performance problems with his current lubricant after he increased gas production. You must try to determine why the problem is occurring and what can be done to remedy it.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Potential causes of failure in natural gas engines
     • Impact of physical properties such as nitration and oxidation on oil performance
     • The differences between old and new natural gas engine oil technologies
     • Role of oil analysis in determining the drain interval

Synthetic Oils for Passenger Cars
In this course, you are in the middle of a visit to a mid-sized auto parts store. The store manager wants to make some space on her overcrowded shelves. In your role as a distributor of passenger car motor oils, you are faced with the possibility that this customer may reduce the number of synthetic oils she carries. By discussing the benefits of synthetic oils with the store manager, you must convince her of their value to her customers and persuade her to keep them in stock.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • The impact of the base stock on lubricant performance
     • The difference between synthetic and conventional oils
     • The performance advantages of using a synthetic oil

Troubleshooting Metal Working Problems
You are a metalworking fluids salesperson working for Hilger Oil. You have just begun a meeting with Peter Van Halm, Production Manager for Freder Aviation, an aircraft manufacturing company. Freder Aviation operates a variety of metalworking machines and is one of your largest customers. Peter has been seeing reduced tool life in his tapping machines and thinks the heavy duty water soluble metalworking fluid he is currently using in those machines may be to blame. He tells you that he is using titanium nitride coated taps and running 316 stainless steel through the machines. You must determine what is causing the reduced tool life and offer a solution.

To complete this scenario you need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • Potential causes of reduced tool life in tapping applications
     • Performance and physical characteristics of metalworking fluids
     • Role of analysis in determining metalworking fluid problems

Used Oil Analysis
In this course, you are a distributor of heavy-duty diesel fuels and oils. You are on a sales call to a medium-sized, open pit mine, which runs a large fleet of diesel engine vehicles. When you arrive, the maintenance manager is having trouble reading his oil analysis report. He turns to you for advice. You must identify the key things he should look for in an oil analysis report, point out the benefits of doing oil analysis, and answer his questions.

To complete this scenario you will need to demonstrate your understanding of:
     • How to interpret an oil analysis report
     • The significance of abnormal readings for various chemical elements