HOUSTON – Shell Lubricants has introduced the new Shell VideoCheck, a technological digital inspection service, as an integral component of its services for 2006. The Shell VideoCheck service will be offered to small and medium-sized diesel truck fleet customers throughout the country as a cost-effective alternative way of inspecting diesel engine components. While the Shell VideoCheck service originally was used in stationary gasoline engines and commercial aircraft turbines, Shell has adapted this technology for diesel engines as a high-tech, low-cost means of inspecting combustion chambers. Rather than dismantling an engine to identify problems related to the combustion chamber and/or lubrication, the Shell VideoCheck service uses a digital fiber optic method of inspecting the inside of a diesel engine. "During routine maintenance, it is virtually impossible to inspect the internal components of an engine in order to identify damage and prevent failures that can lead to greater expenses," says Don Lima, Western Region technical support specialist, for Shell Lubricants. "Shell has invested in the equipment and technical personnel necessary to make the Shell VideoCheck service a valuable tool to help identify potential engine problems and cut down the cost of diesel engine maintenance." The Shell VideoCheck service is a digital inspection that is conducted by using a videoscope that incorporates use of a miniature digital camera. The camera is fed into the diesel engine through the cylinder fuel injector port by means of a fiber optic cable, illuminating the engine’s insides and transmitting images to a high-resolution monitor. The Shell VideoCheck operator can inspect the piston crown, combustion chamber, cylinder wall, valve seats, and head. The video images are recorded and interpreted by the Shell VideoCheck operator, who then prepares a report for the customer, which includes all findings, diagnoses of possible problems and any necessary repair recommendations. The Shell VideoCheck service makes it possible to visually inspect difficult-to-access internal diesel engine components without dismantling the engine itself. The Shell VideoCheck service is available in all 50 states as part of the technical services available to Shell Lubricants customers.