Now it's better not to do that: why castor oil was poured into cars in the USSR

In times when shortages were commonplace, Soviet motorists had to look for non-standard solutions for caring for their vehicles. And although today these methods seem strange and sometimes dangerous, they were part of life at that time.

One such solution was the use of castor oil as an analog of regular motor oil. About the reasons for this and whether it is possible to use this lyfhak for modern cars, tells OBOZ.UA.

Many representatives of modern youth do not know what castor oil is and where it is used. However, a few decades ago, it was very popular and used in various spheres of life, from medicine to the auto industry.

Why castor oil was added to autos

Today, all brake fluids for cars are produced on the basis of glycol, but in the USSR until the 60-70s, all of them had castor oil in their composition.

For example, ASC is a mixture of castor oil and isopentanol, BSC - castor oil and butanol, and ESC - castor oil and ethanol. Therefore, some car owners, in order to save money and avoid queues for the right solution, took matters into their own hands and injected castor oil into their vehicles themselves.

Why it's better not to do that now

Today, using castor oil in automobile engines is considered an unreasonable risk. Modern motor oils are specially designed to effectively lubricate parts, protect against overheating and wear. They have undergone numerous tests and meet all safety and quality requirements. Castor oil, on the other hand, has many disadvantages that can lead to serious engine damage.

The reason for this is that castor oil begins to crystallize and harden even in light frosts and boils at 115 degrees. After the auto industry began to use disk brakes, these shortcomings and led to the rejection of the component.

Earlier OBOZ.UA told why in the USSR made canisters with three handles and why this design is still used.

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