Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 08:55:54 EDT
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: confession of a speeder Redux was safe RPM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 10/10/2004 7:52:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
Frank you go next you just got back from your world tour what was the =
top speed and for how long
Yes, world tour "not" but North American "yes" ! Anyways, as I stated
in my final trip report which included some stats, there were many days of
driving on the intestates at a steady all day long 120 km/hr which is 4200 on my
tach. Some of those days were in 100 degree weather and all day means 6 ~ 8
hours duration or at least between gas stops. Short bursts to 140 km/hr
were not uncommon on those long straight stretches of intestates out west. The
engine is a new Big Valve engine built by Bob and has 30,609 km on it
presently running 15w50 Mobil 1 after 5000 km break in using 10w30 dino oil. Oil
pressure readings at operating temperatures are presently 5 psi @ idle, 15 ~20
psi @ 2000 rpm, and 35 ~40 psi @ 4000 rpm. After hours of 4200 rpm driving
in the 100 degree weather oil pressures readings were 2 psi @ idle, 10 ~15
psi @ 2000 rpm and 25 ~30 psi @ 4000 rpm.
Now this still does not tell us anything about longevity does it ? What
we really need is info from those who have had more than one engine in their
van and what the one that came out looked like and the conditions that got
it there. I can tell you for fact that my original engine, OEM one, had
413,468 km on it when it was removed due to a cracked head. When the engine was
opened by Bob he found that most of the bearings had been worn to the bronze.
That engine at operating temperature still had 30 pounds of oil pressure at
4200 rpm and 2 ~ 4 pounds at idle. That engine was driven, from the time I
took possession of it at 209,828 km, at usually 120 km/hr on open roads.
Occasionally there were sustained periods of driving at 140 km/hr. Oil was
always 20w50 dino with some 10w30 dino in winter months changed at 3000 ~ 5000 km
and then synthetic 5w50 from 345,700 km on since I've owned it. Previous
maintenance records do not specify the weight of oil at oil changes but VW part
number only. I do see "some" records of 10w30 oil on bills from private
garages. The vast majority of previous maintenance records are from authorised
VW dealerships.
Not a big sampling but a start. I am of the "opinion" the waterboxer
engine properly built and cared for can withstand 4200 rpm driving all day long
and have a good long, 300,000 ~ 400,000 km, life.
More test pilots please step up !
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
'87 Westy, '90 Carat & Lionel Trains
Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_
(http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/) & _CCVWC_
(http://www.ccvwc.ca/)
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
or http://frankcondelli.com
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