Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2016 23:06:45 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mobil 1 0W 50 any one use it yet
In-Reply-To: <001601d15066$429c4980$c7d4dc80$@comcast.net>
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Follow the link to some pictures of my oil cooler set up doing its job and some of the installation. Note the picture of the cooler without hoses in an installation in progress. This one is a 19 plate cooler. Mine is a 16 plate and that is really sufficient. That par near the exhaust is an inline 4 port thermostat. I find these work much better that the t-stats in the sandwich adapters.
In very cold weather it is common for the oil to never go above 165f. Normally it will run at 180-190. In summer doing 70 with the AC on it may climb to 210 or just above. Here it will still run ~40-50 psi speed and stay above 10 at idle. The gauge sensor activates the low oil pressure light below 11 psi and it doesn’t activate unless I drag the clutch to get the engine well below idle speed. This engine is also original including the head gaskets. It has run Mobil 1 15w-50 since its first oil change except for times when I planned to use it for daily winter use and I ran the Mobil 1 0w-40.
Your oil temps are common. It is this thermal run away that really does these engine in. This and the resulting pressure loss is why these engines have rod failures, not the torque to yield bolts. Lowering your travel speed and maybe the oil level are these easiest ways to lower the oil temperature somewhat. The oil pressure dropping at that temp is both a function of the oil losing viscosity and the case, rods expanding to the point the bearings are coming loose and the clearances are increasing. The pump also loses its ability to create pressure. This is why these engines need that high viscosity oil. If we could reliably keep the oil at the coolant temp tan xxw-30 or xxw-40's would work.
Dennis
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=9B02084A888884A6!97502&authkey=!AJwRHVoShXql5Rg&ithint=folder%2cjpg
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Robert Clemmer
Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2016 9:00 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: FW: Mobil 1 0W 50 any one use it yet
Dennis,
You mention Florida trips. I'm curious how high your oil temperatures get on long cruises at high speed in high temperature conditions? My oil temperature will climb to 240-250 when it is 90+ degrees outside and pressure at those temperatures will fall to 30-35 lb. I'm am trying to learn if an external cooler really removes that much heat. My bus is just a 2.1 wbx with the factory cooler with 304k miles and still going strong.
BobC
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Dennis Haynes
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2016 10:49 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Mobil 1 0W 50 any one use it yet
Are you using your van as a winter daily driver? Temperatures in the teens? If not than just stay with the 15w-50. As a test I have been using Fun Bus this past week as a daily driver. Tuesday morning was 15F according to the thermometer at my house. The engine has the 15w-50 used for the last two Florida trips. I have oil temperature and pressure gauges. On the under 20F days the oil pressure did go above 75 and at one point almost hit 90 psi. From my house I approach a highway in about a mile. On these colder days pressure started dropping to normal ranges in 3-4 miles and the engine (coolant) was up to temperature in 5-6 miles. As I have an external oil cooler (with a thermostat) the oil does take a bit longer to warm up and on these trips never went over 165F. Oil pressure was still ~25psi at idle.
Point is that unless you need to start it regularly with temps in the teens or lower the 15w-50 will work. I will be changing the oil this week to the 5w-50 to experiment and see how well it work when the weather gets warmer. Keep in mind that the engine in Fun Bus does now have 290K on it.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Eric Caron
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 11:02 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Mobil 1 0W 50 any one use it yet
Denis and others,
Did I read earlier that there is a Mobil 1 0W 50? I’m using the 15W 50.
I’m hoping to hear some reports before I do my next oil change.
Eric Caron
85 GL Auto Westfalia
in Chilly VT
