Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:22:27 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Motor Oil (Synthetic)
In-Reply-To: <31833959.299.1263305586436.JavaMail.mcneely4@127.0.0.1>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
When I lived in AK - particularly Fairbanks - two main types of heaters
were used -1) block heaters - screwed into the engine block where there
was an ice plug. The ice plug was removed and the heater installed. with
the element directly into the coolant in the block. Convective currents
moved the heated coolant through the engine, thus warming both engine
and oil, and 2) circulating hot water heaters - mounted in the coolant
hose system. This would heat the coolant, and again - convective
currents would circulate the heated coolant thus warming the engine. Oil
dipstick heaters were used as were oil pan heaters on pancake engines
like VW - but these were not nearly as effective as the block heaters
and circulating heaters. Most used the former.
Additionally - Batteries often had battery hot plates installed under
them.Batteries too work far better when warmer than when cold.
Often, if a vehicle had been allowed to sit for a few days or longer in
the cold, without being run - the hood would be covered with a blanket,
and a big blower type space heater turned on and allowed to blow
underneath the engine to warm it up for start up.
Diesels were never allowed to be turned off. If it happened, the diesel
wouldn't start until spring!!!
For tires - not much you could do. The would get so cold and stiff that
when you started down the road the flat side next to the ground would
remain flat. So your had four tires with flat spots going whumpity.
wheumpity, whumpity, whumpity down the road, shaking your teeth out
until friction warmed the tire sufficiently to make the tire flexible.
A favorite thing in winter as the days got longer, was to warm the
vehicle, then drive over from College (Fairbanks) to Skinny Dick's
Halfway Inn for a winter repast. Like many of the historical features of
the country - Skinny has passed, and the Inn is no longer the same.
Interesting times
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
Dave Mcneely wrote:
> When I lived in a much colder climate than here, and had to park my
> Toyota Corolla outdoors overnight, I installed a block heater. Of
> course, it was not in the oil, but I assume that some heat flowed to the
> oil due to conduction through the metals. At any rate, after I
> installed it, the engine fired right up, every time, regardless of
> temperature. I'm sure one would work for a vanagon, too. The heater
> was actually fitted into a coolant line, and circulated coolant whenever
> the temperature dropped below a set point. I've also seen heaters that
> are simply an oil dipstick that inserts into the dipstick tube. I don't
> know how well those work. I'm also sure the guys from Alaska can tell
> us all about sump heaters, block heaters, and every other way to keep an
> engine ready to go in the cold.
>
> When I moved back to Texas with my Corolla, folks there would see the
> electrical plug for the heater in the radiator compartment, and find it
> passing strange.
>
> David
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 9:41 PM, Courtney Hook wrote:
>
>> Heheh, that's why you need a Canadian oil sump heater to keep your bus
>> oil
>> thinned out. :-) Tough to find, but oh so worth it. Most cold climate
>> dealers sold them. Look around, you'll be glad you did.
>> Courtney
>>
>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> Always be yourself, because the people that matter don't mind,
>> and the ones who mind, don't matter.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "craig cowan" To: Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 6:13 PM
>> Subject: Re: Motor Oil (Synthetic)
>>
>>
>>> My comment regarding cold temperatures dealt specifically with an
>>> occurance
>>> last year when the temperatures in my region were consistantly below
>>> zero
>>> for over a week. On the coldest morning of the lot, early, I tried to
>>> start
>>> my bus to no avail. My battery and all systems were in great shape,
>>> but
>>> the
>>> motor oil had turned so thick that the engine would BARELY turn. The
>>> solution involved draining the motor oil and replacing it for the
>>> remainder
>>> of that winter with a thinner oil.
>>> 20W50 is quite thick at or below 0*F.
>>> Put a bit of it in the freezer sometime (even at 32*F) and watch just
>>> how
>>> smoothly it pours.
>>>
>>> -Craig
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 8:34 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>>
>>>> My comment concerning warranty was meant to convey the maker's
>>>> attitude,
>>>> not to suggest that we are trying to maintain the long expired
>>>> warranty
>>>> on
>>>> our VWs. I change oil myself, have been doing so for a series of
>>>> vehicles
>>>> for about 50 years, and have managed to drive all of them for around
>>>> 200k
>>>> or
>>>> more miles. My change interval seems economic to me. Oil is cheap.
>>>> Engines
>>>> are expensive.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 6:02 PM, Allan Streib wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Synthetic will flow better than conventional when cold.
>>>>>
>>>>> None of our Vanagons are under warranty anymore. Oil analysis can
>>>>> be
>>>>> used to determine if your oil is still "good" and over time you can
>>>>> establish a reasonable, economic change interval.
>>>>>
>>>>> Allan
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave Mcneely writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I use Castrol 20W50, petroleum based (nonsynthetic). I change the
>>>>> oil
>>>>>> every 3000 miles, just as I always have for all my vehicles. I
>>>>>> can't
>>>>>> imagine how synthetic could improve on that. I notice that most
>>>>>> manufacturers specify that oil should be changed at the
>>>>>> recommended
>>>>>> interval, and that less often than that voids the warranty,
>>>>>> whether
>>>>>> the oil used is synthetic or not. David McNeely
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Stephen Cebula wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What motor oils you you all use out there? A friend of mine
>>>>>> keeps
>>>>>>> pushing synthetic oil. He's a Ford man, and not familiar with
>>>>>>> Vanagons. What's the rap on that?
>>>>>>> Steve
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> 1991 Vanagon GL
>>>>>
>>>>
>
>
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