Date:         Wed, 15 Mar 2006 22:38:30 EST
Reply-To:     FrankGRUN@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Vanagon Engine Temps & Oil Levels / Drama or Contribution /
              Technical Comment
Comments: To: roadguy@roadhaus.com, vanagon@yahoogroups.com,
          emaglott@buncombe.main.nc.us
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Larry and other interested parties,

A few technical comments. Edward Maglott (sp?) (a man with an excellent
memory added to a strong set of organizational skills) just posted from the
archives some of my observations on the issue of windage and oil levels on the I-4
engines I have examined. There are several other unfortunately lengthy
dissertations on my part in the archives about the importance of windage trays and
static oil levels.

Not to get into the current woefully unnecessary pissing contest, but I would
again suggest that the key to these pragmatic oil level and heating
observations is the windage based aeration of oil and effects derived therefrom. Many
of my serious VW and Porsche air cooled racing friends (several are and were
factory personnel) fit both their personal and competition engines with windage
trays. These were available for all the VW air-cooled engines including the
Type 4 and were fitted on most wet sump Porsche engines. Oil pan baffling
together with windage trays is the norm for all serious circle track US iron, even
though the baseline engine design has the deeper sumps and larger distances
from crank lobe to static oil level than does VW.

I have not studied the WBX engine, but I have always understood that it was
closely based on the Type 4. Enterprising WBx longevity aficionados could look
to modifying   a Type 4 windage tray for WBx use. For the others, synthetic
oil and a level just above the add mark with frequent checking would appear to
be very sage advice. I do not know if the Subaru boxer engines incorporate a
windage tray but I assume the WRX series does.

Frank Grunthaner