All about oil

Prelubing

European Car magazine was one of the first to jump on prelubing as an answer to the problem of engine wear during start-up, when the oil is at its greatest disadvantage. Back in December 1987, we told you about the Preluber and Turboluber from Lubrication Research, we installed a Preluber on our Project: GTI, and we took another look at it in July 1989 in the Getting Technical column.

Prelubing is a great way to extend the life of your engine, as it starts working to prevent boundary lubrication before the starter begins to crank over.

Prelubing should not be viewed, however, as a way to get around using a lower viscosity oil during the winter: the installation of a preluber does not exempt you from the laws of physics.

When oil gets cold, it gets thick. And when it gets too cold, it gets too thick to lubricate. Even if a preluber could pump this cold, thick oil through your engine, the oil still would not be able to provide protection to the bearing surfaces until after it warmed up.

With a preluber or without, check your owners manual and use the weight of oil they recommend for your climate.