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Date:         Sun, 24 Jun 2001 02:30:44 -0500
Reply-To:     Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Subject:      Re: Oil Level Again
Comments: To: Kenneth D Lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
Comments: cc: Chuck Hill <hilltech@netins.net>,
          Darrell Boehler <Midwesty@midwest.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I was unwittingly involved in a direct experiment indicating that higher oil levels create higher engine temperatures.

Two weeks ago I was towing (with a towbar) an 86 Syncro behind my original 86 Syncro at 55-60 mph. I was heading home (750 miles) from Listee guru Darrell Boehler's, who had been most generous in assisting with some repairs on both vehicles. The first day I covered 300 miles with no significant problems.

In the morning, thinking I was burning some oil, I added a bit. Now, I mistakenly had the oil in the Syncro a bit overfull, about 1/4 inch over the full mark. The oil was fresh Mobil 1 (full synthetic) 15w-50 with a Mahle filter. All was fine while cruising, but the oil warning buzzer would go off when I climbed small hills in 4th gear, causing the engine to drop to under 3000 rpm. Downshifting to 3rd and getting the rpms up over 3400 would stop the buzzer. My recently installed oil pressure gauge showed 15-20 psi while cruising, but would drop to as low as 5 psi while going uphill, causing the buzzer to sound. My digitool showed engine temperature readings from .12 to .16, which agreed with my temp gauge, which was almost up to the overheat line.

When this problem became more acute, as I was heading into a 20-30 mph headwind, I stopped to figure out a solution. With the able help of fellow Listee Chuck Hill, who was driving convoy duty, we decided to remove the oil filter to drain some excess oil. (For those of you who are gramatical purists, we then reinstalled the same filter, sans the oil that it had contained.) This brought the level down to the bottom third of the space between the dipstick marks. After that, I had no further problems. I continued driving at 60 mph, the a/c was on, and the headwind had not abated. My digitool now showed temp readings of .15 to .19, which is in the normal range.

I know that I was pushing the 2.1 engine pretty hard, and further realize that it is tired, having 192k with no repairs except new heads, with excessive wear beginning on the main bearings. (I will get a rebuild pretty soon.) But the point here is that EXCESSIVE OIL LEVELS RESULT IN A HOTTER RUNNING ENGINE. I remember from some years back that there was a List thread on this same point. I am now in full agreement with the concept of filling the oil level only to 1/3 the way over the minimum mark on the dipstick.

Budd Premack 86 Syncro (and a host of others) Minneapolis, MN (Land of Sky-Blue Waters)


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