Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 21:49:25 -0400
Reply-To: Bike Florida <bikeflorida@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bike Florida <bikeflorida@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Synthetic oils in the vanagon
In-Reply-To: <1651e4216534ef.16534ef1651e42@gci.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Cars warm up quick in Florida ;)
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mark Tuovinen
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 9:23 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Synthetic oils in the vanagon
John,
Re: "You simply DO NOT run an engine hard until it
is thoroughly warm, becasue to do so, would draw away the free warm oil,
leaving the hard cold lump oil remaining and it would starve your engine
of oil, and kill it. Can't tell you how manyu times I have seen some
jerk destroy an engine up north, just by behaving ignorantly and
stupidly in regards to winter matters.
I'm sure Mark Tuovinen has seen this happen."
I had someone do it to a V8 engine that I built! They then tried to blame me
for faulty assembly on an engine with 20,000 miles on it. Thankfully I knew
how he treated his vehicles, start them cold and rev the engine to make it
warm up faster, spins rod bearings nicely.
Mark in AK
----- Original Message -----
From: John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Date: Wednesday, June 2, 2004 3:39 pm
Subject: Re: Synthetic oils in the vanagon
> I guess my age is at a point where I might be considered an "Old
> Timer"and I truly can say that I have lived long enough to see a
> lot of
> changes in lubricants and the way vehicles are lubricated.
>
> In my early years I did a lot of aviation work. The air planes of old
> used a heavy weight staight grade oil . 40-50 Wt. Byt the time I
> saw the
> trans sition first to using synthetics and then the addition of oil
> filters to the flat opposed cylinder Aircraft engines. In the same
> period, recommended TBO's (time between overhauls) went from 1200
> hoursof perating time to 2000 hours of operating time. Granted,
> there were
> some improvements in metallurgy, but this particular change came about
> primarily through the reduced wear brought on by improved
> lubricants.
> As for the application of synthetic oil to my WBX, Mobil One had
> broughta decided change in the engine,. It is noticeably less
> noisy than when
> running Dino oil, oil consumption was reduced significantly by
> changingto the synthetic, and the famous Vanagon Lifter Syndrome
> exhibits itself
> only when it is time to change oil. That is, there is no clatter
> as with
> Dino oil, except at the end of the life of the oil, and I have one
> lifter sensitive enough to rattle and let me know it's time to change
> oil. Does it only at the end of the oil's useful life. It knows!!!
>
> As for oil in cold climes, it poses special challenges. The thing one
> must rember is that the engine has to run at the same temperature
> summeror winters. It is after all, a HEAT engine. Has to operate
> at design
> temperature for optimum function. 180 to 200 F I beleive. If the
> oil is
> stiff with cold \, the engine is hard to turn, and strains the parts.
> So, modern oils have a multi-viscosity to deal with the cold. However.
> that still is not good enough. The engine still has to run at the
> designtemperature. In the old days of my flying career in Alaska,
> airplanesused pretty much the same oil year round. Had to. Once
> going and warmed
> up, a thick oil became a thinner oil, and to deal with this the
> airplanes had gasoline injectors built into the oiling system. After
> landing on a cold day, before shutting down for the night, on the last
> flight of the day the pilot would consult a chart with
> temperatures on
> it, and if the temperature was expected to be be say -40F for the
> night,he would run the engine, and set the gasoline injection up
> to squirt
> gasoline into the system for so many minutes or seconds to thin
> the oil
> before shut down. It it was not done, that engine would not turn over
> until spring thaw. In the morning, the engine was started, and allowed
> to idle until engine heat drove the gasoline from the oil and to
> evaporation. Then and only then could it fly. To this day, auxillary
> heat for the engines in the cold is a priority with all kinds of means
> being used. Custom fitted insulated engine blankets are a favorite
> amongAlaska pilots. With them and a small catalytic heater that
> can be stuck
> inside the engine cowl, a pilot can stay overnight most anywhere and
> sitll get his engine started next day. Automobiles in the Far
> North are
> prepped for winter by adding block heaters, battery hot-plates,
> ensuringantifreeze is up to snuff. You simply DO NOT run an engine
> hard until it
> is thoroughly warm, becasue to do so, would draw away the free
> warm oil,
> leaving the hard cold lump oil remaining and it would starve your
> engineof oil, and kill it. Can't tell you how manyu times I have
> seen some
> jerk destroy an engine up north, just by behaving ignorantly and
> stupidly in regards to winter matters.
>
> I'm sure Mark Tuovinen has seen this happen.
>
> My $0.02!
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL driver
>
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