The crisis in internal combustion engine lubrication: “The Engine”

A STUDY of the published literature on I.C. engine lubrication during the last ten years leads one to the conclusion that we are in a state of crisis, with no final solution for many of the problems involved. One reason for this may be due to over specialisation. The automobile engineer, for example, knows little of the intricate problems involved in refining and blending lubricating oils. At a meeting in the U.S.A. recently, a well known technical expert, describing his tests, said that he first used a “Medium Refined Straight Mineral Oil”. This he later replaced by a “Highly Refined Straight Mineral Oil”. Next he selected a “High Viscosity Index Straight Mineral Oil” and ended by using a “Heavy Duty Oil”, apparently believing that he moved always in the direction of oils of higher quality.