Total-loss oiling system

On steamships that ran their engines for days at a time, some crew members would be "oilers", whose primary duty was to continuously monitor and maintain oil boxes.

These devices comprised a large oil tank with a multiple-outlet pump that fed the engine's bearings through a pipe system.

The first recirculating systems used a collection sump, but no pumped circulation, merely 'splash' lubrication, where the connecting rod dipped into the oil surface and splashed it around.

As engines became faster and more powerful, the amount of oil required became so great that a total loss system would have been impractical, both technically and for cost.

A more sophisticated form of splash lubrication, long used for rotating motor shafts rather than reciprocating engines, was the ring oiler.

In order to reduce exhaust smoke, the Kawasaki H2 750 cc (46 cu in) 2-stroke triple motorcycle had a scavenge pump with a spring-loaded ball-valve under each crankcase to return surplus oil to the tank for reuse.

Castor oil was often used because it lubricates well at the high temperatures found in air-cooled engines, and its tendency to gum is of little consequence in a total loss system, since it is constantly being replenished.