Date:         Sat, 10 Aug 2002 08:55:09 -0600
Reply-To:     Gary Shea <shea@GTSDESIGN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Shea <shea@GTSDESIGN.COM>
Subject:      Re: 3 blocks w. no oil in the van
Comments: To: Paul Gilland <pgilland@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20020810042239.37057.qmail@web20706.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

[2002-08-09 21:22 -0700] Paul Gilland (pgilland@YAHOO.COM) wrote:

> The oil drain plug fell out of my car, and the end
> result is that I drove 3 blocks with no oil in the engine.
>
> It never seized; I was able to walk back 3 blocks and see where my
> oil lay on the earth.  After 5 minutes of idling with new oil (and
> drain plug) in the engine, the oil pump primed and the oil light
> finally turned off, and all has been well since that time with the
> engine in regards to performance and oil consumption.
>
> My question is:  Do you think I seriously shortend the life of this
> 1.9l waterboxer?  ...I was using Castrol Syntec synethetic oil, and if
> you recall, the original Syntec TV adds show an engine running a full
> hour without any oil, damage-free...
>
> I was hopeing to drive the westie down to Mexico from Seattle this
> coming winter, and I wonder if the van will make the rerturn voyage.
> What do you think, am I lucky or screwed?
>
> regards,
> Paul

Scary!  I had an experience that should reassure you, though.  When I
got done rebuilding my '81 air-cooled van's engine, I changed the oil
twice in a row after the initial break-in process.  A friend was in the
garage during one of the oil changes, we're talking, and I forgot to put
in the drain plug.  I put in the four quarts of oil, which flowed
directly out the open drain plug and into the oil-recycling bucket.
Started it up.  Took me between 15 and 30 seconds to realize what I'd
done.  Ran for the key and shut it down with a sinking feeling... I'd
spent a couple months on the rebuild.

It still runs, six years and probably 50+ K later.  It developed some
rod knock on startup a few years ago, probably because I am lazy about
oil changes when it's cold and wet outside.

        Gary