Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-20
GREAT OIL MYSTERY
SOLUTION SOUGHT
Auto Engineers Would Bring
fabrication Up to
Par.
special DISPATCH to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DETROIT, September i9.-One Of
the main problems that automobile
engineers are trying to solve might be
appropriately entitled, "the great oil
mysterc'' They are striving to bring
fabrication up to par with other divi-
sions of motor car operation in which
scientific advances have been made.
Just what happens to oil when 1t
is called upon to ease friction between
metal surfaces in power contact al
WAYS has been puzzling question. The
oil seemed to do its Job well enough
as long as 1t lasted in an engine, but
the engineering fraternity has begun
the quest of cause and effect Of ex-
haustion and why It should eat up
the car owners cash.
vscosity Lost.
Ten years ago it was known that
oil brought into contact with metal, not
even under stress, lost certain some
thing, which with the spread of knowl-
edge, has come to be generally known
Laboratory workers Of that period
found It out by q simple experiment.
They poured oil into glass receptacle
filled with metal filings and allowed
it to stand overnight. Examination Of
the contents next day showed that the
oil had lost some Of its strength, not
much, but enough to stir scientific
curiosity.
other problems in connection with
cars were more pressing at that time.
however, and it Is not until now that
the technical men have got round to
the job of extracting 100 per cent value
from the oil that goes into engines full
bodied and strong but comes out black
and murly with its lubricating quality
gone.
AS q Department OF Commerce re-
port recently showed that automobiles
in America now consume oil at the
rate Of 50,0o0,000 gallons each year,
contributing tc an approximate total
Of s2,73O 900 900 spent by those who
operate cars for gasoline and lubricants
during an average 12-month period, the
value of fabrication research Is ap-
parent
On the power plant side, modern i'm
provements have brought filters, crank
case ventilation and water-cooling that
make oil last longer than it used to.
Research Extended.
Not to let progress stop, both the
automobile manufacturers and the oil
refining firms in the last year have ex-
tended research operations to determine
the different strengths of light, medium
and heavy oils that engines of varying
power required under differing condi-
tons. Progress has been made in grad
ing the oils and numbering them so
that owners can specify the kind an
engine needs for efficient operation.
General Motors has conducted long
test runs on its proving ground to
ascertain fabrication facts. So have
Standard Oil and other companies,
which have operated fleets of test cars
for long periods.
AS yet the results are being debated.
The technical men, with new data at
hand, are cropping for more light.
High speed, it has been found, con-
s'lmes oil much faster than slow oper-
alton. One experiment included runs
OF 1000 miles each at 80 miles an hour
ana runs at IS miles an hour on the
same oil. At 30 miles an hour the con-
sumption was one quart for the dis
lance, but at SIS miles an hour 1t In
creased to more than six quarts. At
the same time, 1t was noted that the
gasoline consumption at the higher
rate OF speed was approximately 20 per
cent more.
Leakage q Factor.
Leakage from engines also is factor
| to contend with. 1t has been pointed
out that as little as one teaspoonful LOST
/ Tor every mile will mean q total loss OF
one quart every 200 miles.
While engine Improvements nave
done much toward getting away from
the heavy waste of former years when
crankcases had to be refllled every oOQ
miles and often less, one belief Is that
even with the 1000 and 1000 mile re-
fills now possible, one-half to two-thiros
OF all the oil the car owner buys Is
thrown away.
1t is stated also that tests at top
speeds on some passenger car engines
nave consumed as much as one ganon
for each hour of running.
Under such conditions, owners are
advised to keep the oil level in the
engine at the full" mark instead OF
letting it get low. Burned out bearings
are blamed on total absence OF OIL,
rather than deficiency in the oil itself.
The effort to build up oil performance
also has developed q new gadget for the
modern car. This is dial on the In
struuent board that records the Wis
costly of the lubricant while car is in
operation. When the oil begins to thin
out after q long period Of driving q
| hand slides round from normal TO low
on the face Of the indicator and tells
the operator that change or replenish-
nent q needed.