Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 22:09:12 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Oil overfill... or not? (long post)
In-Reply-To: <20100805204858.8XBYM.1363340.imail@eastrmwml39>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
When I first got my Jetta powered van there were some issues. One issue was
the dipstick was "vague".. On a gas inline conversion, You relocate the
dipstick into the diesel oil pan...I think.... and that pan sits on the
engine block at a 50 degree angle. Mine, the O-ring and stop was loose and
held in place with a zip tie...I never 'really' knew exactly where to put
the dipstick "stop"..since it slid up and down the dipstick an inch or
two...
So I started by always doing the error on the side of too much oil...after
I fixed the stop in place...at an arbitrary place on the dipstick...a "best
guess"...
.One day after a fuel stop and adding some oil (my "rear" main seal has
always leaked a little) as I was driving along...the van started missing
badly and this huge cloud of whitish smoke was following me along...."Thar
she blows!" I thought...and went round the back and saw a speckled tailgate,
covered with oil spots...some oil puddling below the motor...Sure signs of
Bad News, right?...I thought I'd just fire it up and try to limp the last
few miles to my house (cell phone was at home) and 'crickey! she fired right
up..no more smoke, no clanking or clacking from the innards...nutin bad..
Got it home and checked the oil...it was about 3/8" over the full line.
Got out my bently and drained the oil...checked the amount against the
book...2 1/2 qts too much....Refilled it with the specified amount after
putting the van on a level slab...the dipstick full mark was almost
right...So no need to error on the safe side any longer..and no more smoke
clouds behind the bus...No damage done, either...Tough little buggers those
inline VW gas motors..
I still check my oil at every fuel stop and never let it get more than
half a quart low. With so little oil in the system..about 4qts...a full
quart low is too much, IMHO, to drive without adding... For comparo, my 928
racecar carried 16qts of oil in the sump and the coolers...Change that after
each race...at over $6 a qt for Amsoil Racing...I no longer have that kinda
disposable income to race away....
Don Hanson
On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 5:48 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
> ---- Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > Also, the same group that designed that dipstick also
> > designed the water jacket- just something to think about.
>
> Yeah, I thought about that. Thanks. DMc
>
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