Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 18:56:22 -0500
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: vwbus@TCPBBS.COM
Subject: Re: Which fluids are best?
Well I'll jump right in.
Motor oil: Mobil 1 20W50 summer, winter their 10W30, what I
run in the G60, though admittedly in buses I go Shell Rotella T
15W40 year round, maybe Valvoline 10W30 if really cold.
Never Quaker State IMHO in any VW, all VW hydraulic lifters I
have ever ran Quaker State in have clattered mercilessly, FWD
and bus, problem litterly stopped immediately after I went to regular
Valvoline in an '89 Jetta, just 1 persons experience take it FWIW.
Oh recently in the '78 Ive been using WALMART Tech 2000
15W40 with ? results, doesn't clatter though and a bit cheaper than
Rotella. BTW we ran QS for years, dad always bought it on sale,
always wondered why lifters were noisy, asked our 25+ year VW
mechanic, he said what oil U use we told him he said switch and
resulting true Jetta story above.
Gear lube: VW synthetic, conned them into putting it in the Corrado
nice stuff, but at $32+/qt I'd think toward. Redline MTL or MT90
for buses and FWD respectively $7.50/qt, after that I'd still use any
ole GL4 oil before I'd put something else in, even a GL4, GL5, GL6
rated.
Final Drive: for 4wd only I guess, Redline also has some GL5 rated
stuff likely appropriate, thoug MTL might do as well.
Coolant: VW blue if you want to pay the price. Round here Prestone
Long Life if you don't. BTW ZEREX's super stuff dissapeared anywhere
around me in WV about 6 months after it first appeared a few years
back is this an everywhere trend or just here? Redline water wetter
as an additive? an ounce of prevention and all and only about $5.
CV lube: now I know Joel will swear just any ole moly EP rated tub
o grease, which in fact is what my '78 has, but I will interject upon
speaking extensively to a guy at Transform and to a local CV rebuilder,
and taking Automotions Porsche advice. I would go first with SWEPCO
super moly stuff, only about $14 the 14oz tube, and I swear this stuff
has
a difference you can see, smell, and feel, especially when trying to
get it out of clothes (not scientific I know). Then I would go VW stuff
at $12/tube then regular tub o moly at $3/tube. Again its priority in a
$300 front outer Syncro CV I would use $14/tube grease happily in my
'78 I'm hardly as discerning. For intermediates Castrol I think has a
new
syntetic stuff out their a lot more moly in appearance than regular moly
EP, has another NLGI rating regular moly EP does not (in fact has the
same 2 ratings VW and SWEPCO carry) and costs maybe $5/tube.
Windshield Washer: reaching here but I'll tell you all that new yellow
Prestone winter stuff sure works a lot better cold in an air cooled
bus with little heat in the middle of a 25F blizzard than does the ole
blue alcohol stuff. Don't know about the summer green stuff, for
summer I'll stick to $1/gallon instead of $3.50/gallon
Brake fluid: VW, NOT!! OEM by Pentosin, VW wants $8 the pint, my
local guy sells genuine Pentosin $12/qt. A lot of Corrado guys swear
by this as the best DOT4, it or ATE super blue?. Personally I go
Castrol GT/LMA low moisture absorbtion if you believe them the only
widely available DOT4 which VW does spec BTW and at WALMART
only $1.70 per 12 oz as opposed to $1 for cheapy DOT3 so I splurge
the extra $.70.
Power steering: early any ole Dexron Mercon ATF, late the same
import guy sells Pentosin made Audi/VW compatible fill for $10/qt.
Beats the crap out of VW price on their "hydraulic oil" surely though
never mix ATF and the later stuff.
General Lube: change everything you can to tub O moly, get that
lithium crap off now, believe me anyone who has dealt with 20 year
old rock hard stickier than glue VW lithium will attest to this. Moly
stuff seems to last better and resists water much better, particularly
good on shift linkages (a VW rec in later years BTW) and sliding door
tracks. However obviouly for things like front beams on our pre '79
moly is likely a no go as it is INCOMPATIBLE with regular lithium based
stuff, for these and other places I've been wondering about the new
MOBIL1 and Valvoline Sythetics 1 is blue, 1 pink, sort of cute baby
colors if nothing else carry more NLGI ratings, who knows might age
better as well and lithium compatible.
Interior beverage, Coke Classic.
These are again one poor VW owning idiots opinions and are as always
worth exactly everything you paid for em.
John
vwbus@tcpbbs.com
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