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In any group of petrol heads the conversation will invariably turn to engine oils, engine oil price and the inevitable question as to why use synthetic motor oil?
Let’s ignore engine oil price for a moment and examine the performance of full synthetic engine oil. To keep this article brief I’ll focus on full synthetic motor oil, API Group V, as opposed to semi synthetic oil.
Synthetic motor oil is specifically blended to meet the operating requirements of the ever evolving engine. The following properties are common in

We’ve all heard about the API classification of oils: But how is the classification of  lubricant base oils made? In order to fully understand the classification of lubricant base oils we also have to look at the evolution of lubricant base oils.

From the time that man first invented machines to reduce manual labour, lubricants have become an essential part of day to day industry. For decades crude oil derived lubricant base oils have been used to formulate lubricants for various applications. Today lubricant engineers classify these mineral lubricant base oils in Groups I & II.

The Second World War saw the development of a new breed of machine called a jet or turbine engine. Conditions prevailing inside this new machine were so extreme that a new lubricant had to be developed to ensure long term reliability. Fortunately both the Americans and Germans were already in the early stages of producing Synthetic lubricants. Manufactured by man in a laboratory by reacting long chain alcohols and acids, these lubricant base oils

How often do you re-pack bearings? Ever wondered whether you’re doing it right? Well here are four important considerations when deciding to lubricate a bearing:
• Lubricant selection
• Application method
• Volume of lubricant to be delivered
• Application Frequency.

There are many different ways to lubricate a bearing, and opinions vary concerning which approach is best. Therefore, the best approach may be to use several methods to develop a strategy that defines default values, which can then fine-tuned, based on feedback from visual inspections, operating temperature, ultrasonic instrumentation and other factors. Due to the variability of operating conditions and machine design, it could be impossible to be precise without introducing the condition-based component to the

Have you ever driven through a deep puddle of water only to have your hapless engine lock solid after ingesting a cylinder full? This is known as hydraulic lock and is an expensive illustration of hydraulic power which hydraulic oils convey.

In this article I’ll be focusing on hydraulic oils as opposed to brake fluids, which are a very specialised sub category.

Functions and properties
The primary function of hydraulic oils is to convey power. However, there are other important functions of modern hydraulic oils. These the major functions of hydraulic oil and the properties of the fluid that affect its ability to perform that function:

Hydraulic Performance properties
• Low compressibility (high bulk modulus)
• Fast air release