Saturday, April 08, 2006
Interesting link - a Lucas oil test
You've seen it in auto parts stores. A plastic box of gears, with one side lubricated by normal oil and the other demonstrating Lucas Oil Stabilizer. The Lucas stuff apparently changes the surface tension of the oil, allowing it to climb up the gears and deliver more lubrication to the top gear. Bob the Oil Guy decided to put the Lucas oil to the test. He found that it does, indeed, help oil climb gears. Unfortunately, it has a potentially damaging side effect: It also causes the oil to foam and bubble at high speeds. This isn't too noticable in store displays, since you can't turn the crank as fast as your engine can turn. But foam and bubbles aren't too good for lubricating your engine. You can see the results at his Lucas Oil Test Page.
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Actually, Bobby, your differential and transfer case run at those temperatures at least part of the time, and that test was done under the same pressure that you would expect in a differential or gearbox. Gear oil isn't pressurized, at least not in any device where the gear-climbing ability of the Lucas oil stabilizer would help. The bubbles may disappear at high temperature... or they may just be gone before you can drain the oil and check its color.
I'm a big beliver in Lucas Oil Products in my antique military vehicles. If the oil truly did bubble up and not do what it's supposed to, there would be widespread evidence of catastrophic mechanical failure due to Lucas Oil Stabiliser usage reported around the world.
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