Precious childhood memories can be challenged. Simple things we thought were true maybe aren’t. We discover that, just like beer there are a multitude of oils. This reminds me of the invention of the wobbly walled radial tyre, yet another marvel of technology.
How do we distinguish and make informed choices? Well for a start I won’t be ingesting any oils as a lab rat.
Exploring is a fruitful exercise-good for the soul. It allows us to dispel myths like the Easter bunny and confront mysteries like the resurrection. I mean we know that certain thing are possibly not true but we are both believers and learners too.
Did you know that in the distant past oils had only one viscosity, Like 40? Made from mineral oil (think fossil source). It would swish around inside a motor and achieve the task of not blowing up. In those days motors were quite relaxed and didn’t exert themselves as they do today. A model -T Ford motor would have disintegrated if 2000 r.p.m.’s was exceeded. These were the days when a thick, sticky lubricant was sufficient to needs. Motor build tolerances were much less exact also.
It was Henry Ford and a few other people who established the SAE rating system in about 1905. You will, of course, now that this means Society of Engineers and refers to the viscosity of oils at specific temperatures. This would have been particularly handy across oil brands to set standards for general use in a universal sense.
So SAE 40 would be a mineral oil, mono-grade, with a viscosity of 40. The higher the number the thicker the oil. Naturally a viscometer measures this flow factor but I don’t think it’s something you should attempt do at home.
This “thickness’ factor would steadily decrease with increased temperature and we know how hot a motor can get. Personally I find this quite disturbing, particularly from the motor’s point of view. But these were different times and a long way off a moon landing.
Perspective
There was a time when people would fearlessly drive around with no seatbelts, no dual circuit or anti-lock brakes, no airbags and a safety rating of .25 stars. Fortunately ignorance is bliss. Those were the days…
Race-car driving would not have been for the faint-hearted and people like me.
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