Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club

Thanks to Nick Stratta, an IVVCC member, for this information. (Article added 10:15 17th December 2010)

Beware miracle additives —and especially chlorinated paraffins

The article below was written by John Rowland, Derby (industrial chemist).

Dave Pittuck came across the publicity for a lubricant additive named Bitron, for which some wonderful claims were being made, and he asked me whether it was likely to of benefit to Morgan owners. I told him not to touch it with a bargepole. At about the same time I was contacted by a French acquaintance who had put the additive Mecacyl in the gearbox of his Citroen tintop and subsequently discovered a great deal of internal corrosion.

Both these products are based on chemicals known as chlorinated paraffins. We oil industry types knew all about chlorinated paraffins seventy years ago, and so did the motor industry. Bitron—in common with many other ‘miracle’ additives—is based upon this1930s technology. Chlorinated paraffins have powerful anti-seize properties, so they were used in the early ‘hypoid’ axle oils until less corrosive compounds were synthesised. In the laboratory they give spectacular results in seizure-test machines which look very impressive, but they now only feature in the cutting oils used for the heavy machining of tough steels; there are no automotive applications for them. In particular, they severely corrode copper-based alloys. Those early hypoid gear lubricants which contained chlorinated paraffins could only be used on totally copper-free devices, hence warnings about using them on the bronze wormwheels of Morgans. Chlorinated compounds can also attack iron and steel at high temperatures. (Easily reached around piston rings, for example.)

As EP (extreme pressure) anti-seize agents their mechanism of action is as follows: When two steel surfaces (such as gear teeth) come into contact at high pressure, tiny areas literally weld themselves together. The welded contacts are ripped off the teeth as they move apart; the common name for this process is ‘wear’! Chlorinated compounds decompose due to high temperatures at points of high-pressure contact, generating layers of soft ferric chloride, which prevent welding. The trouble is that ferric chloride in the presence of even tiny amounts of moisture breaks down to produce hydrochloric acid, which eats into the steel to produce more ferric chloride, which . . . etc etc! The stuff attacks copper alloys at a ferocious rate, and the resulting copper salts act as oxidation catalysts which accelerate oil breakdown. Two vicious circles foe the price of one! (Note that the electronics industry uses ferric chloride solution to dissolve copper from printed circuits. Metallurgists use it to etch stainless steel.)

Since around 1960, therefore, the EP agents in gear oils have been safe and non-corrosive sulphur/phosphorus compounds. Chlorinated paraffins have never been used by any responsible manufacturer in engine oils.

The chlorinated paraffins used in industrial cutting oils are fairly stable, and they are always used with an anti-corrosion additive, but they are never used to cut copper alloys, and they are only necessary for difficult jobs. The Health and Safety warnings we have to issue are rather severe, and there are moves to get rid of these compounds altogether. Oddly enough, the correct warnings never appear on ‘magic additives’, and the distributors, when asked if their products contain chlorinated compounds, say ‘no’ or ‘eh?’. One simple way to find out is to pour a drop into water; if is sinks, it’s chlorinated. (Some of the hydrogen atoms in paraffin are replaced by heavy chlorine atoms, so the density almost doubles.) This doesn’t always work if the stuff is diluted with solvents, so try this one: (Perfectly safe for Morgan drivers, skilled in all dark arts, but watch out if you are a muggle.) Heat a bit of thick, clean copper wire to red heat in a gas flame. Contrary to popular belief, the flame will not turn green! Dip it in the suspect fluid, then heat it up again. If chlorine is present, the flame will turn green, due to the formation of copper chloride. (Much cheaper than our infra-red spectrophotometer!)

Incidentally, chlorinated paraffins are also cheap—around £1 per kg in bulk—which means that the purveyors of miracle lubricants are selling the stuff at a mark-up of at least 1000%. The marketers often don’t know what is in the bottle! They are at the bottom of a ‘pyramid’ sales scam, and they can only repeat the nonsense they have been told. Their publicity implies ‘secret’ knowledge that the bona fide lubricants industry is unaware of. Well! What a nerve!

Click here to open full document on Government website:

The IVVCC has examined these regulations and we are satisfied that there is no apparent change in the law governing the importation of older vehicles, although the identification of each vehicle and its importer will now be better verified. The new regulations enable the checking of imported vehicles to be carried out by an approved private business (the NCT contractor) instead of by Revenue. NCT test centres have suitable facilities for examining vehicles. There is a charge for the examination by the NCT, but we understand that this is credited against the VRT due on the imported vehicle. The IVVCC would be very interested to hear from individuals who have experienced problems importing pre-1985 vehicles under the new arrangement (email jflarkin@eircom.net ). Below is a summary of how the new regulations affect the private individual as interpreted by the IVVCC webmaster (in other words, not an official legal interpretation).

The importing person must make an appointment for a pre-registration examination with an NCT office not later than 7 days after the arrival in the State of the vehicle, and must register the vehicle to the satisfaction of the Commissioners not later than 30 days after its arrival in the State.

Where the vehicle is being presented by a person other than the person in whose name the vehicle is to be registered, a document is required authorising the importer to register the vehicle on behalf of the other person, and must be signed by that other person, and provide such other particulars relating to that person as the Revenue Commissioners consider necessary for the proper administration of the tax. In respect of the person in whose name the vehicle is to be registered the details required are:- the name of that person as it appears on that person’s passport, driving licence or such other document establishing that person's identity as the Commissioners may specify; the address of that person as it appears on a recent bank statement, utility bill or such other document establishing that person’s address as the Commissioners may specify; the PPSN (personal public service number) of that person.

For the purposes of the registration of a vehicle the NCT office shall require the person presenting the vehicle for registration to sign a document confirming the vehicle details, and such document shall be retained by the NCT office.

In respect of the vehicle the following details are required:- The vehicle identification number; the make, model and variant; the number of doors, seats and windows; the level of CO2 emissions; the vehicle category by reference to the relevant EC type-approval certificate or EC certificate of conformity; or any other documentation specified by the Commissioners for the purposes of confirming the categorisation of vehicles for the purposes of Chapter IV of Part II of the Finance Act 1992, and such other particulars, if any, relating to vehicles as the Commissioners consider necessary for the proper administration of the tax.

News

You are visitor number since 16 November 2010

Updated 10:28 02 January 2012

Article added 28 Sep 2010.

New regulations came into force on the 1st of September 2010 concerning the importation and registration of vehicles.

S.I. No. 400/2010 — Vehicle Registration and Taxation (Amendment) Regulations 2010.

Click here to open full document on Government website: