Oil advice for aircooled VW?

[OpelFever]

I've been looking for the best oil for my dad's VW's and it's giving me a headache. He has a 76' bus with the 1600cc beetle engine and a 75' with a (I think) 1800cc engine.
The former has just been rebuilt properly and the guy who did the job recommends Mobil 1 5w-50 which, from what I've seen and heard, is not a good oil (Shearing, viscosity loss at high temps).

Now there is a lot of debate among the VW-crowd about the best oil and recommendations include:

Straight 30-weight (ugh, seriously, in 2010?)
20w50 conventional (valvoline racing mostly)
10w30 conventional
10w40 conventional
10w-60 racing oils

Input is greatly appreciated, I'm thinking synthetic is the best way to go. Motul 300v 15w-50 would seem like a sturdy oil if the thickness is necessary? Some 5w-40, maybe HDEO?

The engine has a filter added so I'm looking to get a good 15 years od service from it.

 

[bepperb]

"some 5w-40, maybe HDEO?"

I'm surprised that's not the norm.

 

[addyguy]

Air-cooled engines run their oil very hot, so straight-weights help b/c they have no VII's or 'lighter ends' that boil off or cook in the heat. That's why lots still use straight-weights in them.

If I had one, I'd use a 5W-40 or 15w40 HDEO in it - sturdy, heat-resistant, and inexpensive.

 

[OpelFever]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Air-cooled engines run their oil very hot, so straight-weights help b/c they have no VII's or 'lighter ends' that boil off or cook in the heat. That's why lots still use straight-weights in them.

If I had one, I'd use a 5W-40 or 15w40 HDEO in it - sturdy, heat-resistant, and inexpensive.



I was just under the impression that straight-weights commonly available are not made from a particularly high-quality base oil. But as you said, the oil runs very hot and there is also the matter of fuel dilution due to the carburetor and a small sump.

So a 40-weight is sufficient or should i opt for a 50-weight?

 

[4ever4d]

Castrol GTX 20-50 that was the thing to run in VW's back in the day,i'm sure the 5-40 HDEO would work good for you if you so choose to use it,shoot the 15-40 would proly work well too.
The Rotella being the best imo.

 

[CourierDriver]

In 1967 my wife and I bought a new Beetle. I used straight 30 wgt oil when we lived in florida and all was well. When we moved to tennessee in 1970, I changed to 10w30 and it ran well. I didnt even think about oil hardly then in the 60s or 70s, what ever the gas stations said, I did. Wish I had that car now,,it was 99 percent maintenance free, really just oil , brakes, and plugs for 6 years. Cant say that now days can we. I think we think to much into our oil now, with the used oil analysis and such. I never lost an engine thru all these years using any oil I could get on sale, go figure, but those were the days of 3000 mile oci. Synthetic wasnt even in our vocabulary. my o my, how time flys.

 

[Jim_Beverlin]

I had a 67 also. Great car. Ran it on 30 wt summer and 20 wt in the winter when I lived in Ohio back in the 60's and 70's. It swallowed a valve out of # 3 cylinder at 95K. I pulled the engine and completely rebuilt it for under $200 (back in 1973) and put another 70K on it before I sold it. The thing, in my opinion, had classic lines to it. I loved the car.

 

[3putter]

Since you are in Finland, a straight 30w or higher would not be a viable option due to cold cranking resistance. The 15w40 makes sense to me as well as a robust 10w30 such as Maxlife. The latter would be my choice.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: OpelFever
I've been looking for the best oil for my dad's VW's and it's giving me a headache.

I often use Brad Penn 10W-40 (or 20W-50 for summer) in my 1600 Bus.
Mobil 1 15W-50 is also a good choice if it doesn't leak out too much.
I have also been happy with plain old Pennzoil conventional, but IMO, Brad Penn is the supreme ACVW oil becuase of the heat and the flat tappets.

 

[Nickdfresh]

Pity Mobil 1 doesn't seem to offer the high mileage 10W-60 weight in Finland, that might be ideal...

Personally, I'm pretty sure a 10w30 or 10W-40 is fine in the colder months and a 15w40 is ideal in the summer.

I don't think Mobil 1 5W-50 is a bad oil, but you might be better off using Shell Helix 5W-40 if available...

 

[mechtech2]

Looking for 15 years more out of it?
Good luck, unless you only drive then occasionally.

An oil temp gauge may be of value to you. it will tell you if they are running too hot and need a thicker oil for the worst conditions they experience.

Remember that oil changes were spec'd for 1,500 miles or so originally.
Straight weights were preferred because of shearing, no oil filter, and high oil temps. Things are different now.

Are you using them in severe cold? Mobil 1 0w40 would work well in all conditions.

 

[WilliamD]

I also had a '67 1300. I bought it second hand with about 78,000 km. or 48,000 miles on it. I drove it a number of extended times flat out on the autobahn with an indicated 130 kph. or 80 mph. I am pretty sure I used 10W30 but I had my oil changes done at the dealer - Porsche VW in Zell am See, Austria, owned by the Porsche family - and in those days never paid much attention to oil except to check it. It never used much oil - I never had to add any between changes and it never had any problems. Great economical car. By the way a regular service at the dealer in 1971 cost the equivalent of $30.

 

[OpelFever]

It seems many of the oils you guys are recommending are not available here. A brief list of what I can get my hands on:

5w-40 synthetic (Shell, Mobil, Castrol, Valvoline etc.)
10w-40 semi-syn (same as above)
0w-30/5w30 long-life and low SAPS oils (not really viable)
20w50 conventional/10w-60 syn racing oils.

Maxlife is available as 5w-40 Full Synthetic and 10w-40 semi syn (group 2 base?)

The HDEO:s don't have API or ACEA ratings for gasoline engines (I could swear they had them a few years ago) so I'm a little hesitant.

As for the 15 years of service, the car is used almost exlusively in summer and it managed 10 years after the last rebuild. Considering it now has a proper filter installed and I'm taking care of the oil changes, it should last a good long while.

 

[mechtech2]

OK. The 5-40 or 10-40 will work great, esp in summer.
Being an HDEO is usually BETTER for gas engines. More additives that help with your flat tappet pushrod cams.
[They are going to wear, anyway]

 

[river_rat]

I'd go with the Maxlife 5W-40 then. There isn't a lot of spring pressure on an ACVW and the cam lobe profile isn't aggressive.
I like extra zinc for the tappets, but a good ACEA rating should do the trick after break-in. Euro oils are probably better than what we usually use anyway.
Friend of mine has had a couple hundred thousand miles on his '73 1700 Bus fron 2004 until it got wrecked be a teenage girl passing on a blind hill last year. All on plain old Castrol GTX, API SM.

 

[Audi Junkie]

The Bus has poor cooling, beyond the normal aircooled issues.

Any 5w-40 is what's needed in your cold climate. During warmer temps, 15w40 is fine.

 

[river_rat]

Because the flea-sized engines are pushed so hard in that big box. Fan is the same setup as the Beetle on the early Buses. But yeah, I run 20W-50 in the summer just to get at least 8 psi/1000 RPM on the highway. Hot oil, lots of case expansion = increased oil clearance and poor oil pressure.
At least the '72 and on had aluminum crank cases which helps somewhat over the older AS41 magnesium junk like I got.