Re: 1952 250 Mayfar 327 ci

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2008/8/10 21:55:00

This thread got me questioning my own ideas about oil. When did multigrade oils become available?

A Google search revealed the following dates:

England: "In 1951 the first multigrade oil, Price's "Energol",was developed at Battersea. Increasing demand for this highly successful product led BP to remove all the lubricating oil business to their oil refinery at Grangemouth in 1954 and rebrand it as their own products; this ended Price's hundred years of involvement with lubricating oils."

United States: " 1952: Jersey Standard introduces Uniflo motor oil, the first multigrade motor oil recommended for both summer and winter use."

France: "Before 1955 (the year of the first multigrade oil Mobiloil Special) car owners had to switch oil with the seasons."

So multigrade oils must have been generally available by the mid 50s which would square with Packard first mentioning them in their 1956 owner's manual.

"Premium" or "Heavy Duty" oils go back even farther. The first detergent oils may have been developed to protect engines with hydraulic lifters. These were first widely used in the 1936 Cadillac. I think they were in use by 1947 anyway.