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Topic: Oil Question  (Read 17378 times)

Offline Bigdummy

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  • Ft Worth , Texas
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Oil Question

« on: December 03, 2007, 04:26:56 PM »
This bug that i bought needs a oil change, the man I bought it from said he had it about 6 mths and doesn't know what the previous owner used. Sooooo Not knowing what was in it before ,should i use non detergent or detergent?.... What ya think Godfather?..........Fred

Offline Bumble65

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Oil Question

« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2007, 12:01:41 AM »
I only use Castrol GTX 20W50 in all of mine, from the 40hp Beetle to the 16v GLI

Offline Bugnut

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Oil Question

« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2007, 08:09:56 AM »
yep thats purdy much the standard.

Offline Ret.Bugtech

Oil Question

« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2007, 08:29:19 AM »
Castrol GTX  20-50  is my pick year around.   A lot of folks are using synthetics now and they are very good. I don't know if I would change to a synthetic this late in the game not knowing  any history on my engine.
Probley wouldn't hurt a thing except your  billfold.  Quaker State brands seemed to froth up during cold weather and up and down temp changes in this area. You could take your oil filler cap off and see the white frothy looking stuff plugging up things.  Most other major brands are good.  
      20-50 is the magic number around here for aircools and Castrol seems to be the choice. Its mine.  Your call Fred.

Offline Brian

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  • Ooltewah, TN
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Oil Question

« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2007, 10:06:32 AM »
Not to add any confusion, but I once read a post on the samba talking about using Valvoline VR-1 20W50 oil.  Something about it still having Zinc?  Anyway it sounded logical and I started using it.  The engine seemed to run better immediately. May have been that 15 year old sludge it was trying to push around! :lol:

Offline Ret.Bugtech

Oil Question

« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2007, 10:34:49 AM »
Nothing wrong with Valoline. Is VR-1 a synthetic ?

Offline Russ

Oil Question

« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2007, 10:37:39 AM »
Zinc is supposed to be a good ingredient in engine oil to prevent wear, but at the same time it's also been shown to clog catalytic converters and make them less effective, which is why it's been reduced or almost eliminated out of most oil today. Obviously, that's not a concern for vehicles without catalytic converters.

Castrol also makes a synthetic oil specifically formulated for older engines that contains zinc: http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=82915470&contentId=7032644

And I run regular Castrol 20W50 in mine, but I may switch to this next oil change, depending on price and availability.

Offline Brian

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Oil Question

« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2007, 10:45:13 AM »
VR-1 is not synthetic.  Its not that much more expensive either.

http://www.valvoline.com/products/VR-1%20Racing%20Motor%20Oil.pdf

Offline Brian

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  • Ooltewah, TN
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Oil Question

« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2007, 10:53:59 AM »
I will say this with experience.  My first vw engine I changed the oil and put in the Valvoline High Milage oil that has addiatives to recondition seals.  After about a week that engine sprung more leaks than I have ever seen!

Offline Ret.Bugtech

Oil Question

« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2007, 11:02:22 AM »
Oh this also.   It was once said if you were using non-detergent oil for years and all of a sudden you change to high-detergent oil ,you ran a risk of stirring up all the crud that had been laying in the bottom of the crankcase out of the way and pushing it through the bearings and what have you.  I don't know how the detergent in conventional oil compares to synthetics.   I do know that synthetics are very high detergent oils as I think they were first used in aircraft turbine engines do to the heat protection they provided. I know the Germans came up with a synthetic oil in the last years of WW-2. I don't know what that stuff was.
     I'm sure that there is info on this subject out there somewhere . I haven't  looked for it.
    Theres no doubt its good stuff if it is used in the right applications.

Offline Bugnut

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Oil Question

« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2007, 06:26:33 PM »
I've heard of folks usong rotella oil as well,just to add another one to the list. But Castrol 20w/50 is what I use. I tried mobile one sythetic cause I used to run it in rice mobiles makes a vw aircooled sprout leaks like a submarine with a screen door. :lol:

Offline Zen

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Oil Question

« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2007, 10:08:14 PM »
My first choice is Castrol 20W-50 . . . Second choice is Havoline 20W-50 . . . Third choice is Castrol or Havoline HD30 . . . but not when the temps drop into the teens or lower.  I know for a fact that at 5 degrees HD30 is about as thick as the goo that was in a Stretch Armstrong.

The most important thing about oil in an air-cooled VW isn't necessarily what brand or grade it is . . . changing it often is.  Since these engines don’t have a filter, the only way to keep it clean is change it often.

I may be way off base, but here’s the reason I wouldn’t ever use synthetic oil in an air-cooled engine -- In most modern engines, oil is used for lubrication.  It's just to keep metal from rubbing on metal and stuff from wearing out.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Hands down, synthetics can do a better job of lubricating moving parts.  They are designed to not break down under the stress of extreme heat.  They don’t absorb heat quite as quickly as dino oils.  You always hear these older VW engines referred to as "air-cooled" but in reality, they are both air-cooled and liquid cooled.  The oil not only has to keep things lubricated, it has to readily absorb heat and then dissipate it through the radiator.  I haven't lost my mind.  Your "air-cooled” engine has a radiator.  It's better known as an oil cooler.  The original flat four prototype engines didn't have an oil cooler and had a nasty habit of breaking crankshafts.  When the oil cooler was added, this problem was virtually eliminated.  So, synthetics might do a better job of lubricating, but they don't do quite as good of job disipating internal engine heat.  That, coupled with the high price of synthetics and the need to change it often, dino oils just make more sense.

I've never had a problem with Castrol or Havoline, regardless of the grede . . . except when I ran HD30 when it was 5 degrees.   :wink:

Offline Ret.Bugtech

Oil Question

« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2007, 10:02:41 AM »
And the winner is ????    :roll:  :roll:

Offline Smelly_Cat

Oil schmoil

« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2007, 06:45:49 PM »
I like the oil at the dollar store.  its like $1.25 a quart.  I'm not sure what is in it, put it smells and looks like oil.  Dollar store  oil goes into Stupie  when ever the Oil light flickers,

When I'm home,   I use a  blend of what ever I have on hand or Frank left in his carport,  3 pints of 20w50.  half qt of 10W30,  and  table spoon of 80W for good measure.    18.5W43.9 special blend

When I was a teen,  I used to take the oil my Dad changed on his toyota ,  run it thru a rag and pour it into my Datsun.  Now I change the oil at about 7000 miles and its so dirty and lumpy it won't strain thru a rag. So i recycle it at Autozone or Advance.  I forget which one.  SC

Offline Ret.Bugtech

Oil Question

« Reply #14 on: December 07, 2007, 08:39:46 AM »
Why don't you just put grease fittings (Alimite) on the bearings and you wouldn't have to reprocess any lumpy oil or ever buy oil again.  One pump from the grease gun every morning should get you to work
  or    you could just pump the crankcase full of grease and that should be good for a week or two.  You can check the grease level by taking the filler cap off , rev the engine up and see if the grease looks like Rover taking a dump in the front yard or even better yet, go around the neiborhood and collect droppings ,stuff them in the engine with a case of  Stool Soffener a couple of shots of " Febreeze" and you should be good to go.

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