Date:         Tue, 25 Apr 95 10:30:36 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: Fuel and Oil for a Vanagon?

On Tue, 25 Apr 95 10:24:15 CDT Ron Lussier said:
>     1) Is synthetic oil good to use in a 1990 Vanagon?  (Mobil 1 or equiv.)
>        I've always used it in my 1987 golf, and I think it's one reason the
>        engine is in fantastic shape.

well, my personal feeling is that it ought to be ok. but i've never used it.
i did happen to ask my ex-mechanic brother about it, and he told the story of
a porsche 911 that came in for a rebuild on the engine. the owner was very
insistent that only Mobil 1 be used in the future. so fine. they built the
engine and filled it up. a week later, the guy is back with oil leaks all
over his engine!!! quite naturally, he's a bit upset. but the mech convinces
him to try one more week on the engine, this time with Kendall dino-oil in
it. he agrees. so they drain the oil, fill with regular oil, run it a while,
drain it again, refill with regular oil, clean up the leaks and send him off.

a week goes by, and he comes back: no leaks.

so. are synthetics good oils? yeah. i guess. but all my brother and the other
fellows could figure was that synthetics are very very very small-moleculed
and WILL find any and all tiny cracks and holes to leak. whereas the dino-oils
are bigger molecules (or whatever the correct term is) and kinda "clog" them-
selves against those tiny cracks and holes.

also: i think the tendency to want to run the synthetics is mostly the desire
to go longer mileage between oil changes. i personally think this is a very
BAD idea. i've read a bunch of stuff in books and articles and had my own
oil analyzed by a chem lab several times ... and my conclusion is that you
should change the oil frequently to get out the combustion by-products that
the filter does NOT get out: stuff like acids and small metal particles and
carbon particles. the "crud" that is still in your oil is amazing. and the
filter only gets the big stuff.

so the idea of leaving all that in the engine for 7500 miles really bothers
me. i've gone to changing oil at 2500 miles (instead of the old 3000) and
wonder if i ought not to change it every 1500. but 2500 seems to me to be
a good compromise of money, time, and engine care.

>     2) How about fuel?  I've always fed my Golf the highest octane available,
>        but I've been told that this is essentially a waste.  Opinions?

so far, i cannot detect any difference in mileage or performance between the
six brands and three octanes that i use. i'm still running my "test" to see
if there is any long term difference, but so far i can't see any. the higher
octane is less economic, in terms of miles per dollar. if anybody would like
to see my results (or the whole data file), i'll be glad to send it to you.
but right now, there isn't even 0.5 mpg difference in 86,000 miles between
the 87, 89, or 92/93 octane. nor between the amoco, bp, chevron, exxon, shell,
or unocal gasolines.

now, remember: those are LOCAL gasolines and octanes. they are mostly likely
NOT the same as your area. and i can't even guarantee that local 92 octane
is anywhere close to 92 octane. i did notice on another car that supposedly
would run ok on 87, that local 87 made it ping. i had to run 89 in it.

but the bus doesn't seem to care, one way or the other. so far i've run about
400 gallons of each of the six brands in 87 octane, and about 150 gallons of
each in 89 and 92 octanes.

joel