Date:         Mon, 6 Nov 2000 21:26:02 -0500
Reply-To:     Tom and Dana Cates <dcates1@HOME.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tom and Dana Cates <dcates1@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: winter oil
Comments: To: Bradley Flubacher <flubach@HOME.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bradley Flubacher" <flubach@HOME.COM>

> I think I saw a 15W-50 mobile 1 product.  That sound pretty ideal to me..

I have used Mobil 1 15W-50 since I originally installed my AVP engine 15,000
miles ago. I now know why it is not recommended to break in an engine on
synthetic. It took 5,000 miles for the rings to *begin* to seat. They did
not fully seat until 10,000 miles. Now that they have seated I don't burn a
drop of oil. My crazed belief (hope) is that since it took so long to break
in all of the internal components, they are effectively 'micro polished' and
will give a stupendous service life. My oil even looked clean after the last
change.

Oddly, I think that this is the best possible oil for service in an
air-cooled engine. It has extraordinary heat resistance to cope with the
stratospheric head temperatures, a wider 'natural' viscosity spread, and
phenomenal low temperature pumpability. I have read on this list cautions
about this oil, specifically that it does not absorb heat as well as regular
oil. No one has ever submitted what the specific heat of this oil is in
comparison to regular oil (parrafinic or napthenic), however. I suspect that
synthetic is probably similar, but since this oil was designed for
water-cooled engines this may not have been an issue for the
designers/blenders/formulators. Maybe someone here really knows?

Now that I have discontinued the use of the Mann oil filters that are NOT
equipped with a drainback valve, in favor of an American brand that is so
equipped, the oil light is usually off before the engine catches. You can
easily tell a filter that is equipped with a drainback valve, just exhale
through the center hole; if you can breathe out, it is not equipped.

Ever since I installed my engine, it has only gotten stronger over time.

Tom and Dana Cates
Asheville, NC
83 Air-cooled Westfalia, 'Hammurabi'
http://www.fullmoonbusclub.com/
A.I.R.S.