Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:28:30 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Fwd: '87 Westy - Oil Change, out of hibernation
In-Reply-To: <20130313224040.IVWXI.590586.imail@eastrmwml302>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Well, obviously waterboxer engines with not that many miles on them are
not highmilage wbxr engines.
There are a lot of those around.
Possibly dozens sold across the country every day.
I think the bottom line is ..
if it's a milesengine,or temps are high, 20W50 or 15W50.
Straight weight oils are rarely used these days. VW wrote that over 20
yrs ago in the owners manual.
Engine oils have come a long way since then.
Indiesels I'll use a 15W40 ..
I might use that weight in a high miles wbxr engine in cooler temps.
IMO how the oil is, and what the oil pressure is fully warmed up and
high ambient temps is more important than how thin and well-flowing the
oil is when cold.
Though that runs counter to what many people recommend or believe.
The higher the miles are, the more worn and loose the engine is, the
less it matters to have a low first number multi-weight oil ..down to
reasaonbly cold temps ..say 20's at the lowest.
Like a 10W40 is plenty thin enough cold at temps not too serverely cold
, and 150K miles on the engine say.
with summer coming ..
if a wbxr engine has say 100K plus miles, 15W50 and 20W50 are fine.
depends on the engine or who and how they built it too, it the case of
oil choice.
Ona 2.2 new wbxr from Chris Corken ...he was pretty adamant about 10W40
for a break-in oil...
worked out just fine.
On another 2.1 rebult from AVP shortly after that, I put 10W40 in ..
that engine didn't like it. I could see flickering oil light fully
warmed up.
I check with AVP and they say ..
either 30W or 20W50 ...that's what we use in our VW engines, so out the
10W40 went.
That engine's been running on 20W50 since new for 2 yrs now. Seems just
fine.
the higher the miles on a wbx engine..
the more usefulit is have an oil pressure gauge too.
sdf
On 3/13/2013 3:40 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> ---- OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>>> Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>>> The *w-50 gives that viscosity edge the water boxer needs.
> OleRiverRat wrote:
>
>>> I guess if you are talking about a really high milage H2OBxr that
>>> has not been well maintained that is probably true ~ otherwise I
>>> have not seen any info that would cause me to lean toward that
>>> philosophy.
>>>
>>> ORR ~ Dean
> How about the VW Vanagon factory owner's manual? That is the viscosity recommended there for all except extreme temperatures on either end. At the high end it recommends straight 40 weight, at the low end a lighter oil, I do not remember specifically, but maybe 10 or 20 weight.
>
> What waterboxer engines are not high mileage? After all, the newest one around is 22 years old.
> David McNeely
>