the best oil

[vuyo]

hi guyz whats the best engine oil for a flat 4 ACVW

[calooker]

Always use Castrol GTX, no problems.

[vuyo]

Always use Castrol GTX, no problems.

thanks rui

[Pine]

I've heard that Castrol mineral oil causes sludge in air cooled engine? I've always used Shell Rotella SAE 40 in my rides - no problem.

[Chris]

I'm with pine,Shell.

[Pine]

The Brits swear by Castrol for their Jags, MGs, Aston Martins, Triumphs etc - but they are all water cooled. Duckhams also used to have good oil, dunno if it is available still. They had a great mult-purpose white grease called Keenomax that was perfect for any bearing application. Some of the overseas guys swear by Elf, but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for it here...

[fig]

There is a school of thought that says multigrade oils did not exist when ACVW engines were designed. I have also heard that multigrades cannot handle the heat and stress of air-cooled engines and tend to break down to their base weight, which is too thin to maintain proper oil pressure (ie, 20W50 breaks down to 20 weight). If you use a mongrade oil, use SAE40 as Pine says.

I have used Castrol GTX without problems, but I mostly use SAE40 oil in my ACVWs and Mobil1 synthetic in my Mercedes.

[Pine]

The old VW manuals actually had a graph showing what oil grade to use for what climate. In sunny (and warm) SA I guess the 'thicker' viscosity, the better.

[4agedub]

I used Castrol EDGE sport on my 2176cc before it was turboed, no problems. The only problem that i've seen is that is is 5w35 (I think) So oil pressure with a stock oil pump is poor when hot. Also it's darn expensive if you've got dry sump that requires 14lt of oil with the coolers.

We always used duckhams on the type 4, but they are not available anymore. Locally anyway

[4agedub]

On my other engines I used Shell Helix. Good oil pressure when hot.

[Riftvalleyvw]

Air cooled VW;s run cooler than most modern engines excepting 1976 and up fuel injected VW motors with catalytic converters.
I Know that it gets both hot and cold in SA so a multi viscosity oil is best. If you have freezing temps a 5w30 is fine and if it is just cold but not freezing use 10w30. The air temperature really has little to do with the summer grade of the oil. Your oil temp is the key factor. Most people seem to agree that 180-200 degrees F is the running temp for a ACVW. Fot this temp10W-30 weight is the max you should use. Dont use 20-50 unless you either have a worn out motor or a motor with a catalytic converter. the bearing clearances were not designed for that viscosity. 30 weight oil has a viscosity of about half of what 50w does at 200 degrees F. So much less oil flows thru the bearings. If your oil temp is in the 230 degree range you can use 20w50. But unless you are road racing or towing something, that shouldnt happen.
As you guys know there are 2 types of cases. a single relief case and a dual relief case. With the single relief case it is very important to use the correct weight oil and a stock oil pump. if the oil is too thick, the oil cooler bypass valve will never close and you wont get any cooling from the oil cooler. the oil will just bypass to the case. The same is true if you install a 30mm oil pump in a single relief case. it will cause too much pressure and the relief valve will never close. Single relief cases are designed to use all the oil flow. It all goes thru the bearings and valvetrain back to the case. VW changed to the dual relief case to make the motors last longer. They increased the oil flow by adding a 26mm oil pump and installed the oil control valve to recirculate this extra oil back to the case. That way oil was always flowing thru the oil cooler even when the motor got worn out. It made the oil last longer and thus the motor last longer. With a single relief case you will notice that the the oil pressure will stedily decrease over time as the bearings wear. you dont notice this in the dual relief case because as the oil pressure drops the oil control valve lets less and less oil back to the case so the oil pressure will be maintained.
The Shell rotella was best but it has been reformulated now and the zinc has been removed.

[Tony Z]

Oil is the blood of your engine. The better the blood the better the engine lasts (well almost).

I have had poor results with GTX in my bug an wont touch it again. I used Castrol Futron for years with great success. They dont make it anymore, so I will be looking for a new oil, this time fully synth.

Most modern oils have some form of dispersants and sludge inhibitor, as well as cleaning agents. They basically prevent sludge forming and when it does, it is prevents from settling ontot the walls of the sump, but rather remains suspended in the oil in particles so small that it doesnt cause any negative effects....


interesting fact.

The base stock of the oil that is used actually doesnt degrade or break down under normal operation.... you change the oil not because the actual oil is old, but because the additives are broken down or used up. Which is why on really large plants, the oil manufacturer will analyse your oil and then supply you with a additive kit according to your requirements. Heck, one of the ships I was on had 160m3 of oil in use, excluding the store tanks

[Riftvalleyvw]

Also Tony dont forget that your oil becomes black from the carbon build up in it. This carbon is abrasive and it is like adding polishing powder to your oil if you let too much get in it.

[Tony Z]

Also Tony dont forget that your oil becomes black from the carbon build up in it. This carbon is abrasive and it is like adding polishing powder to your oil if you let too much get in it.

Which makes it a damn good reason to install an oil filter onto the engine....

[Pine]

At the rate that many air cooldeds leak oil, it shouldn't be a problem as there is a (hypohtetically speaken) constant supply of fresh oil from the filler cap!