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Date:         Thu, 15 Jul 2004 14:26:52 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: 85 Vanagon q's
Comments: To: "David J. Bohannan" <david.bohannan@VERIZON.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <000001c46a7f$0275ec50$6400a8c0@LIBERTY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

David, WELCOME!!

You will find the folk on this to be the best resource in the world for care our Vanagons. They have helped me enormously over the years.

I used to own an 85 GL with the 1.9L WBX engine , and now have an 88 GL with the 2.1L WBX engine.

The best oil filter - anecdotal - is the German Mahle or Mann filter. For twenty bucks you can get four of those. The list vendors like Ron Salmon at Bus Depot or Ken Wilford at Vanagain.Com both sell them by the box - which comes four to the box. Besure you also ask for the copper/asbestos crush gaskets for the drain plug as well when you order. I bought a little bag of 25 last time I ordered, cost was about a quarter each.

I take it you are a fairly new Van owner. If so, I recommend you change the fluids in your vehicle right away. Coolant should be a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. It would be best to use distilled water which will have no minerals in to settle out and plate the insides of your cooling system. or to parcipatate and cymply circulate in your cooling system reducing cooling performance. I have used for years Texaco Havoline Biodegradable Phosphate Free Orange Antifreeze. This was formulated specifically for vehicles of all kinds with aluminum engines and components. It does need to be changed at least every two years as the agents in it get used up and it becomes acidic.

For oil I would recommend you go to a Dinosaur oil - multigrade 20W50wt or one of the newer synthetic multigrade oils like Castrol Or Mobil One. I personally switched from Texaco 20W50 to 15W50 Mobil One Synthetic. The newer synthetics perform better over a wider range of conditions, load, temperature. They also have better shear qualities and adhesiveness to stay on gears and components. This is not to say that the Dino oils don't work, it's just that over the history of cars, oils and lubricants have evolved over time, each adding some new performance and protection qualities, only to be later superceded by a newer, better performing lubricant. The latest round is the synthetics. All other things being equal, the sythetics should aid in increasing the life of the engine.

There is a condition that occurs in Vanagons that usually scars the heck out of new Van owners the first time it occurs. All of a sudden, when starting cold, there will be the most awful clattering noise from engine. You for all the world think you have damaged a valve some how. Well, that is in all likelihood the infamous "Vanagon Lifter Syndrome". Sometimes when you park the van, if the position of everything in the valve train is just right, the lifters, being hydraulic, will lose thir prime, and the oil will run out leavig the lifters flat until they pump up again on the next startup. It usually takes twenty miles or twenty minues of running for them to pump back up. This is particularly prone to occur if 1) you are not running the right oil (should have at least 20W50 Dino oil) and 2) the oil filter doesn't have the optimum spring pressure on the internal pressure relief valve. (Mahle and Mann are known to have adequate spring pressure - that is why they come so highly recommended) . This noise is not fatal, but it is scarey if you don't know the cause. When parked, if the filter doesn't have enough spring pressure on the relief valve in the filter, it allows the oil to drain back down out of the oil galleries in the engine, and the lifters go flat. On next start up the lifters clatter until pumped back up. Simple as that. Easy fix - Mahle or Mann Filters, and 20W50 Dino or 15W50 Castrol or Mobil One Synthetic. Though I can't prove it, I suspect the synthetic does a little better at cleaning the lifters internally and thus helps reduce any tendency of the lifter to stick and not seat well, which would allow the oil to leak out on sitting for a while. This latter combined with the oil filter situation and voila ---lifter clatter.

If you have a manual transmission, I recommend you change over to Redline MT 90 as a tranny lube. Again, and only in my opinion but based on my experience with the manual trannies - the Redline MT 90 will give you superieor performance and enhance the smoothness of operation. It should also be changed every two years. Although there are those that will tell you you don't need to do this, fact is a tranny werars just like the inside of an engine. You change the oil do you not, because the oil wears out, picks up all kinds of metal particles and debris. Well, the tranny oil does the same thing. All that wear metal floating around in there doesn't do the tranny any good. Drain it once in a while and get rid of all those wear particles floating around in there. Every two years is sufficient.

So now you know.

Take care,

Regards,

John Rodgers 88 GL Driver

David J. Bohannan wrote:

>Hi All, > > > >I am new to the list and had a couple technical questions. > > > >First off, does anyone have the part number for the correct oil filter >for the 1.9? The guy at the VW dealership pulled out this really long >filter that didn't look like it would fit, and being 20 bucks, I figured >I would ask before buying it. > > > >Also, does anyone have a general idea about how much refrigerant came in >the AC in these things? I am wanting to recharge mine (and replace the >high side hose that split on the engine cab (hm, will have to put some >kind of guard on that.) > > > >One last thing.how about coolant type? What type of coolant should I use >in this? I have seen several different opinions, but don't have an >owners manual so am kind of lost. HELP! I don't want to have that head >gasket leak problem because of using the wrong coolant!!! > > > >Thanks in advance!!! > > > >Dave > >NEW (to me) 85 Vanagon GL > > >


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