[T3] Engine Oil

[Phil Hof]

There are literally hundreds of pages on oil in the Samba!  One more voice, FWIW…

My rebuilder recommended VR-1 30 weight after he rebuilt the long block.  With the damage I probably did driving to/from the Invasion, I found I had low oil pressure when hot, so I went to 20W-50 (and the racing oil at that, for the high temp tolerance).  Plus 4oz ZDDP additive at oil changes, per his recommendation.

Along with replacing my broken distributor (that had been WAY over advancing on that trip), this seems to have brought my pressures and temperatures where they need to be.  I may have done damage, because at my oil change this morning, I found light metal flakes caught by the screen (I also have a spin-on full flow filter, which I may cut open one of these days).

My fingers are crossed for the Type 3 Rally up the SoCal coast at the end of this month.  After that, I may pull the motor and split the case to find what I chewed up.

That oil and additive are expensive, and I change it by the calendar, not the odometer, since I drive maybe a couple of thousand miles a year at most (save for the Invasion and Rally).

-Phil

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2017 10:44:13 -0500
> From: Gary Forsmo <gbforsmo at gmail.com>
> To: "type3 at vwtype3.org" <type3 at vwtype3.org>
> Subject: [T3] Engine Oil
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAN8eaV_5znmpPXMcy3Xc3Wf2yRj_dmPmZSCg7vY6TeCA+OipPA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Within our Type 3 group, what engine oil is popular?
> 
>   1. Price per quart or
>   2. 12-quart case?
> 
> 
> Do any of you insist on using an engine oil which either has
> 
>   1. Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) *IN* the oil or
>   2. do you *add* approximately 4 oz. of ZDDP, when you change your oil?
> 
> I have periodically used Valvoline VR1 10W-30 Racing Oil and Amsoil Z-Rod
> 10W-30.  Both are quite expensive.
> 
> Are those oils worth the expense, given most of us drive a few hundred or a
> few thousand miles a year?
> ************************************************