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A Hot Issue
 Over a half century ago, while the Battle of Britain flamed in the
skies above London, the Royal Air Force drove their Spitfires
relentlessly; no time for maintenance, less time for overhaul.
Yet, the Rolls-Royce engines held up well and helped immortalize
the dashing Spitfire in aviation history. That epic battle
was only the beginning of the demands made on the Rolls-Royce
engines built for the war effort. Not only did Rolls-Royce engines
power the Spitfire but also the de Haviland Mosquito and Whirlwind
fighter bombers, as well as the heavier Avro-Lancaster and Armstrong-Whitley
bombers. The planes were being subjected to extended flights
across the English Channel and were constantly in the air over the
Continent. The 24-hour saturation bombing by the Americans
and the British took its toll against the enemy but it also took its
toll against the engines that powered those planes.
The war effort demanded maximum production capacity and many
of these engines were, in fact, produced by the Packard Motor
Company in Detroit, Michigan. During the latter half of the
War, when demand for replacement engines was great, a severe problem
existed at the Detroit Packard plant: a 22% reject rate. The Packard
people strived to increase engine production and tried everything
possible to eliminate the Green Run. This first performance run of
a new engine was the most severe it would endure and verified that
the engine met all specification standards. Results were consistently
disheartening: an average of 22% of the engines' valve stems were
scratched or pitted to the degree that they had to be rejected, removed
and replaced with new valves. The failure of the valve stem
was considered a lubrication problem.
Packard had contacted all the leading lubricant and petroleum
companies, and for months tested their products in the Green
Run performance test, studied results, and adjusted everything
from viscosity to quantity but the condition persisted. Packard technical
personnel were highly sensitive to the War's critical need for engines
and spirits were lowered by the recurring valve failure.
The Graphite Solution
Marc Markey, founder of KREX, Inc., told the story from his
retirement home in Florida, "That
is when the prototype of today's KREX® Graphite Engine Lubricant
appeared."
The graphite lubricant was presented to Packard for use in
the Rolls-Royce engines. Ultimately, the graphite lubricant solved
the Packard problem but the story of how the product was finally
accepted by the Packard executives is the classic romance of invention
meeting need when need loved someone else.
Markey explained, "It was shortly before that time that our
small group of little-known lubrication engineers had organized
a new company to produce and market graphite lubricant. We heard
rumors that Packard was having serious lubrication problems.
Excited at the prospects, we rushed over to the plant to offer
our services and samples of our new product. We were convinced
our product could withstand the exceptionally adverse conditions
of heat and engine demand." Markey clearly recalled Packard's response:
"No, Packard was not interested in wasting time testing a new
and as-yet-unknown product ... the best talent and lubrication expertise
available were already on the problem."
No doubt you can understand the disappointment these young
engineers experienced, but they knew this was the ultimate
test for their product. Undaunted, Markey's
team persisted. They pursued the attention of the Packard
Project Engineer for days and weeks; almost two months passed
while valves failed, were rejected and replaced and engine
production was held back. Increasing pressure to meet production demands
while unable to solve the lubrication problem took its toll on project
personnel; Packard relented and realized that they had nothing to
lose by trying the graphite lubricant and consented to a trial test.
Trial by Fire
At last, these lubrication engineers won a chance for the optimum
testing conditions for their product. The Project Engineer ordered
ten engines to be treated with the graphite lubricant prior to
final assembly and testing. For several days, Markey's team waited
anxiously for the results of the Green Run. When the Project
Engineer reported back to them, he was apologetic. "Sorry
boys. Just when you want a reliable sample for testing, everything
runs lucky and you can't get a
good reading. Only 2% of the valve stems were damaged." Even though
conditioned to a much higher failure rate, the Project Engineer
remained unconvinced that this new product was responsible for
the improvement but agreed to test again, this time using 25
engines. Several days later, the results were the same, only
2% failed the test. Nevertheless, the Project Engineer was still
skeptical. Markey recalls, "Naturally,
we were certain it was our graphite lubricant that was responsible.
We were jubilant! However the Project Engineer felt that too
much and too many lives depended on being accurate. He said,
'Let's
try one more time.' This time the Project Engineer
ordered 100 engines tested, all the valve stems were treated
with the graphite lubricant. When the third test validated the
earlier tests, and all our claims, he issued an order: all Rolls-Royce
engines produced from that day until the end of the War were
to be treated with our graphite lubricant. Under no circumstances
were we to let them run out of graphite lubricant and we were
on call day and night."
The Project Engineer told the Markey team that of all the items
purchased by him during the War, he felt the graphite lubricant
had benefited the program most. It was after the Packard operation
closed that Markey's team realized the value of their experiences
with Rolls-Royce engines. It was clear that the testing environment
and criteria had proven their graphite lubricant was far superior
to any lubricant which had been developed by any other company
producing lubri- cants. They also recognized the growing need
for graphite lubricant in the automotive marketplace. Since those
days when the 12 and 16 cylinder engines powering the aircraft of World
War II roamed the skies of Europe, KREX® Graphite Engine Lubricant
has been sold exclusively through new car dealers. For 50 years,
KREX Graphite Engine Lubricant remains the consummate preventive maintenance
product. |
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