Date:         Mon, 23 Dec 2002 11:16:22 -0500
Reply-To:     80 Westy Pokey <pokey@VANAGON.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         80 Westy Pokey <pokey@VANAGON.ORG>
Subject:      Summer Oil pressure drop + higher temperatures with oil error
              (Was: Is 20w50 Oil OK in the winter?)
Comments: To: The_Bug_Pack@yahoogroups.com, type2@type2.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

This new learning amazes me.

Here is something interesting. Last summer I brought Pokey in
for an oil change (yes I know I should be doing it myself but
oil changes are cheap and I find myself too busy sometimes)
and they inadvertently used 10w30. All of a sudden I saw a
drop in oil pressure (maybe to 20 psi on the highway), and
much higher operating themperatures. Hence I went out and
bought an auxillary oil cooler (as yet to be installed).

The season was ending, it got colder out and my temperatures
fell back into acceptable levels. The pressure did not come
back and I was going to look into this over the witer. I was
going to get the oil changed again (hence my original
question - If you did not read my previous post, I was
wondering about using 20w50 in the winter as that is what I
normally run.).

Now forgive me, my mechanical incompetance is surely
showing... but could the change in oil from 20w50 to 10w30
account for this drop in pressure and higher temperatures?

Thanks,
Chris

---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 15:20:06 -0500
>From: 80 Westy Pokey <pokey@vanagon.org>
>Subject: Is 20w50 Oil OK in the winter
>To: The_Bug_Pack@yahoogroups.com, vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com,
type2@type2.com
>
>Is 20w5 Oil OK in Winter? I drive my van almost exclusively
>in the summer and have always used Castrol GTX 20w50 Oil.
>Now it is December, temperature is just below freezing, but
>the roads in Toronto are free of snow and salt. I was
>thinking of using the van to help in my move. I have to
>change the oil nyway so I was wondering what weight I should
>use in the winter months. In my Chevy I always use 10w30 in
>summer and 5w30 in Winter.
>
>Thanks,
>Chris