Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2014 22:37:51 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mann Oil Filter and lifters Was:Engine Starting Problem
In-Reply-To: <5312A132.9020409@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
At least you blew out the seal to relieve the excess pressure before you
spun a bearing, broke the tang off the oil pump shaft, pumped up the lifters
to the point of holding valves open, or even pushing out the crank seals. On
the inline engines it is common for the lifters to hold the valves open and
the cam and the oil pump-distributor shaft to get the seals pushed out.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
JRodgers
Sent: Saturday, March 1, 2014 10:11 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Mann Oil Filter and lifters Was:Engine Starting Problem
This year I blew out the oil heater seal on Volksiebus - my 1988 Transporter
- starting on a 10 degree day with 20W50Wt Kendall GT-1.
this engine has spend it's life with this oil, and here in the south I just
didn't think a day or two of real cold would make a significant difference
if I let it warm up adequately on each start. Wrong!! I think though the
real problem was not the oil so much as the fact the seal was the original
from many, many years ago and miles back. When I took it out to replace it -
it was brittle as all heck. The brittle seal in that cold, combined with the
20W50 oil was just too much for that seal.
I use Mobil One 15W50 in my 88 GL and have never had a problem - cold nor
not.
I think the seal in Volksibus was just tired and brittle. It was time.
It was fortuitous in a way because I learned something new about the engine
when I changed it out. I like to think every episode is a new learning
experience- not just an aggravation - an opportunity to better handle a
problem on the open road.,
John
John
On 3/1/2014 3:19 PM, Stuart MacMillan wrote:
> Yep. I blew out a filter on startup at about 17 degrees with 20w-50
> on my
> '84 with a fresh rebuild in it (heavy duty pump too). This was shortly
> after I blew up a used 2.1. What a mess, I think it pumped out the
> whole crankcase in the five seconds before I noticed the oil light and
> gauge at zero. It rarely gets that cold around here, but I now run Mobil 1
15w-50.
>
> If you want to really know what's going on with your engine and
> bearings, install an oil pressure guage. Ignorance is not bliss with
> waterboxers, especially with the 2.1s! VW knew this, and that's why
> they installed two pressure sensing systems. In my experience, when
> those rod bearings go they go fast and without warning other than with
> low oil pressure or a very hard knock you can easily tell from tappet
> noise (In my case in about 3000 miles). If you hear that knock, stop
> driving if you want to have a core to rebuild! I didn't and it cost me.
>
> Stuart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Dennis Haynes
>
> Even in a worn out Waterboxer, 20w-50 should not be used in cold weather.
> Synthetics give a bit more leeway but as you near the teens many
> destructive things can happen with too heavy an oil. For the winter I
> even go down to the 0w-40 European formulae for my daily drivers. If I
> have to drive Fun Bus to work on a cold day with the Mobil 1 15w-50 I
> let it warm up a bit and drive extremely gently until I see the oil
pressure drop a bit on the gauge.
>
>
> Dennis
> .
>
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