Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (May 2014, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Mon, 12 May 2014 00:40:35 -0600
Reply-To:     OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Royal Purple Motor Oil..
Comments: To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <043901cf6d48$8ba25be0$a2e713a0$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Stuart

You indeed are correct that a 15w-X or 20w-X Oil is Thicker than a 5w-X Oil

But Only when they are Cold (OșC) ~ It is the Number After the "w-" that relates

to how an Oil will Flow & Protect & Perform @ OperatingTemp (100șC) ~ So when

"UpToTemp" a 0w-40, 5w-40, 10w-40, 15w-40, 20w-40, &SoOn will all Flow, Protect

& Perform Like a Straight40 Oil ~ The Number Before the "w" has LittleToNoEffect

on FuelEconomy because Engines&TheirOil don't stay Cold for VeryLong ~ Also since

most of the Real Damaging Wear that an Eng' incurs happens @ ColdStart & Shortly

After, during WarmUp, it is important to use a MultiGradeOil that has a LowNumber

Before the "w" to insure that the Oil can be MadeToFlow to all the Nooks & Crannys

that need to be Lubed ~ Some "Experts" say that even a 5w-X Oil is to thick to Lube

an Engine Properly @ StartUp ~

Our H2OBoxers are not Manufactured or even Rebuilt "Loose" ~ They may be

made Loose by ImproperMaintainence ie Being BrokenIn Improperly &or being Lubed

with Oil that is either TooThin OR TooThick ~ Lastly ~ Engines don't get Looser as they HeatUp They get Tighter ~ Materials

Expand in Any&AllDirections they can when heated so an InnerSurface Attempts to

Grow Inward but usually probably can't in areas such as a RoundHole because of the

Forces@Play so an ID will generally StayTheSame ~ But if that ID happens to have,

for example, a CrankShaftBearing Riding in it, that CrankShaft & Its Bearing will be

Expanded due to the heat & the space between the 2 surfaces will get Tighter ~ So

it is, to a certain extent, actually a good thing that Eng'Oils get Thinner when heated ~

I'll agree with you completely about OilPressurGauges ~ Let them be your Guide

as to the Looseness of your Eng' & the Thickness of its Oil ~ I have an OilPressure & an

OilTemperature in my VDubaru & feel a bit uncomfortable when I am driving a car that

does not provide the info ~

ORR ~ DeanB

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/ On 11 May , 2014, at 12:40 PM, Stuart MacMillan wrote:

> The thing about multi weight oils is that 15w- or 20w- oil is physically > thicker (higher viscosity) than a 5w- anything, and that makes a big > difference in our loose WBX'ers. The rating is a lubrication protection > rating, and 5w- oils are thinner to provide for better gas mileage in modern > cars. At high temps an Xw-50 protects like a straight 50w because of > additives and composition, but is physically much thinner. > > On my '85 purchased in 2012 with 135k on it, I started with 15w-40 dino oil, > and my hot oil pressure was 28 @ 4000rpm, and 8 at idle, very near the lower > limit. I now run Mobil 1 15w-50 with a Mobil 1 high efficiency filter > (Dennis Haynes recommendation) and my OP is 32 @ 4000, and 10 at idle. > Better. Next time I might try someone's synthetic 20w-50, which will be > thicker yet. > > Interestingly, upon cold start @ 60 degrees F with either oil, the OP is 60 > at idle and does not go higher. Within 5 minutes of driving it drops to 20 > at idle, and 40 at 4000. 30 minutes at 60 mph and it's at the low levels. > That's the case expanding with heat and opening the main bearing tolerances, > a design feature every flat VW engine has! > > I also think everyone should have an oil pressure guage. Coupled with oil > analysis, you'll know what's really going on with your engine. My first > analysis on this rig was not very good, and I'm sending another sample soon. > > > I live in Seattle where the temps are moderate, but travel in hot eastern > Washington too, so I run this oil year around. > > Stuart > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > OlRivrRat > Subject: Re: Royal Purple Motor Oil.. > > John > > There are a LotOfFolks that say it is OneOfTheBest if not TheBest > but IMHO it is not better enough to justify the Extra$s ~ I'm curious as to > why you are wanting to shift from 15W-50 to 20W-50 as they are both 50weight > oils when WarmedUp & Unless you live in a Climate that is like they get in > the Southern1/2 of Arizona or NM or Texas & you are being told by an > OilPressureGauge that your Eng' is Old&Loose there is no need for the Number > BeforeThe "W" to be any higher than 5 ~


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.