The lubrication problem, as related to cold starts, is the result of hot and, in turn, thinner engine oil draining off high-friction components at shutdown. Items like crankshafts, pistons and cylinder walls, camshafts, and valve guides all depend on a microscopic oil film to protect them against wear. The loss of that film, with overnight drainage, for example, forces these components to run unlubricated and in direct metal-to-metal contact, while the engine's oil pump works to provide enough volume to fill and pressurize all the engine's internal lubricating passages and gallies. Zero pressure to full operating psi can take as long as 10 seconds on the average, depending on the type of oil pump the engine uses. Given that most engines require anywhere from 1500 to 2000 rpm idle to cold start, that's a lot of time and load with little or no oil protection.

In the case of turbocharging, the problem is more the effect of the turbocharger turbine rotating at high speed for up to two minutes after the engine has been shut off. The problem here is two-fold. First, at shutdown, the turbine spins in an unrenewed oil supply. Hot, and no longer under pressure, the oil is forced off the turbine bearings, leaving these closely machined tolerances to run in a diminishing oil film. In short order, the turbo bearings wear themselves out, the turbine no longer fits its housing properly, and things begin to deteriorate rapidly.

Herein lies the reason most automotive manufacturers request that the engine be run at idle for two to three minutes before being shut down in an effort to help slow and cool the turbine and its bearings. The hidden enemy here is heatsoaked oil, which develops a condition referred to as "coking." Basically, coking is the effect of the oil burning, not unlike burnt pudding; it forms a sticky film that is scorched to the surface. And, though small in total volume, this oil's lubricating qualities are destroyed; then it mixes with the engine's principal oil supply, slowly contaminating it, resulting in the destruction of the engine's lubrication protection.

Both car manufacturers and oil companies have addressed this problem. The major oil companies have produced lubricants better able to deal with the temperature extremes in the turbine section, while some manufacturers have engineered a water-cooled turbine housing that uses a vapor-driven system. After shutdown, engine water flows through the hot bearing section, cooling it and preventing the coking problems. Chrysler Corporation, for example, uses the water-cooled turbo approach, and offers a five-year warranty on its systems -- unheard of a few years ago. These fixes for the heat generated in the turbo do not address the question of cold-engine startup, however, and a significant percentage of the wear on IC engines occurs in those critical moments when the engine is brought to life in a cold garage.

But, as with most complicated problems, somebody usually manages to think of a simple solution. Enter Lubrication Research Inc., developer of a product called the Preluber. Reduced to the simplest terms, the Preluber is an externally mounted, electrically driven pump that pulls oil from the engine's storage sump, forcing it, under pressure, to all the normal oil pump-feed locations, effectively bringing the engine's oil pressure to full operating range before it can be started.

To do this, Lubrication Research Inc. has developed an easy-to-install Preluber kit that can be fitted to any standard or turbocharged engine. The Preluber's 6-sec timer can be initiated a number of different ways, but the most common method is to wire the timer to the ignition key's accessory mode. Within the space of six seconds or less, the Preluber's 150-gal/hr pump has the engine up to 50 psi. Alternatively, a number of emergency crews have wired the Preluber into the interior dome light. As the door is opened, the Preluber is already running. By the time the safety belt is buckled, you can hit the key and go, with full engine oil pressure already established.

Applied to turbocharged engines, the Preluber is plumbed and wired to run cooling oil through the engine and turbo unit for up to three minutes after the ignition has been turned off. You can lock the car and walk away, while the Preluber continues to run on its timer. This operation can be applied to the non-turbo Preluber as well.

From race cars to farm equipment to all consortment of street cars, the Preluber is fast becoming the answer to a nagging problem. Some experts project that the use of this device might extend engine life by as much as 100 times. Not a bad investment for under $300.