The CRISIS IN I.C. ENGINE LUBRICATION: Part Two “The Oil Side”

Part One of this article discussed the engine side of the crisis in i.c. engine lubrication. In this part, the author makes some suggestions that will be certain to instigate considerable discussion. He suggests that the darkening of normal petroleum i.c. engine oils is almost wholly due to the ageing of the oil itself and not to contamination with products of fuel combustion. The illustrations show a very clean engine after covering 12,000 miles without oil change and using a modern synthetic motor oil which, the author claims, was still transparent and free from carbon. Another suggestion concerns the modern lubrication system which the author suggests might be replaced with an oil mist lubricator in which the mist is produced external to the engine and therefore escapes its present ill effects of polymerisation in the crank case. Readers views upon these important matters will be welcomed.