Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 23:28:52 -0700
Reply-To: Katherine Lee <katherine@DNA.BC.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Katherine Lee <katherine@DNA.BC.CA>
Subject: No longer an oil change virgin (was Changing the engine oil)
In-Reply-To: <3555FB4F.14B12E7D@halhinet.on.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
A big thanks to everyone who responded to my newbie question with patience,
support and incredibly detailed information.
Interesting to read that there have been similar problems due to the
previous owner's use of 10W30. That's what seems to be happening here!
The previous owner of my van lived up north, around Prince Rupert, so it
seemed plausible to me when I bought the van, that thinner oil would be
alright for that climate. And before I bothered to have it changed to
15W40, the engine hadn't used up any oil, as far as I could tell.
It was only after having an engine flush done and changing to 15W40 that I
experienced this oil burning problem. And now, before I spring for any
major work, I'm trying Castrol 20W50. Because the 15W40 and a new oil
filter were put in only about 3 or 4 weeks ago, I didn't change the oil
filter this time. And I've only put 4 litres of new oil in, as a result.
(But as a rule, is it advisable to change the filter every time you change
the oil?)
Here's how my first time went. After a pleasant Mother's Day brunch with
my folks, and a round of shopping with my mother, I went to work on that
oil change, before the sun went down. I didn't have an oil change pan, so
my partner suggested yogurt containers (he's been reading over my shoulder
as I type this, and wants it to be clear that he in NO WAY suggested the
NUMBER of containers I stupidly chose). My big mistake was having only 4
... I figured, since I wasn't taking out the filter, that about 4 litres
would come out of the tank. When I had the oil drain plug undone, and the
oil pouring out into each of the four containers, I realized when I'd
gotten to the fourth container, that there was still oil coming out of the
tank and nothing to catch it in. Looking at the full yogurt containers, I
realized that they only had a capacity of 750 g each (doh!) ... I had to
quickly screw the plug back in while the last of the oil was still pouring
out ... and run back into the house to get another one. Luckily I had the
cardboard box down, as Joel suggested. Also, I had thought to bring out a
bunch of old newspapers, and these came in handy, as I didn't want to lie
back down on the greasy cardboard box.
Anyway, to make a long story longer (as a friend's late father used to say)
... on went the cleaned oil drain plug, in went the 20W50, on went the
engine, and after a few minutes, out came the dipstick, so I could check
the level. It looked a bit high ... fuller than the full notch, more like
around the twist past the full notch. I'm attributing this to the oil
having to circulate a bit more & stuff, and after having driven around town
a bit tonight, I'll wait and check the oil again in the morning.
And now for a good night's rest. Thanks again, everyone.
Katherine
89 Westfalia
P.S. Larry, did your oil problem clear up after you switched to a heavier
grade oil?
>Katherine,
>the best advice that, I can give you, is to take your van to a
>knowledgeable and friendly VW mechanic. Tell him/her that you are a
>novice and want to learn. Have him/her change your oil and filter while
>you watch and ask questions. Ask him/her what tools you should buy and
>pick them up at Canadian Tire.
>
>The previuos owner of my van used 10w30 oil and I suffered similar
>problems to yours. I moved up one grade to 15w50 synthetic (Mobil 1
>available at WalMart). Also, I use only VW filters.
>Larry
>'86 Syncro Westfalia in Ontario, Canada
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><<<Please forgive such a basic question, but it is time for me to get my
>hands
>dirty for the FIRST TIME on my van ...
>
>You may remember my "oil burning" problem from last weekend. Some of
>the
>replies I received, and most of mechanics I spoke to advised me to try
>20W50 in the engine to see if that didn't clear up the problem.
>
>Having always taken my vehicles to a quick-lube type of shop, and
>realizing
>that I might be shelling out a lot of money if I want to try changing my
>
>oil frequently to clear up this problem ... I've decided to try changing
>
>the oil MYSELF!
>
>Except, I have no idea where the oil drain plug is. Is it the one that
>looks like a slotted screw?>>>
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