George, that idea is really brilliant! The best part about the 356 pulley is that when it's cold out (50 -70 deg. in S. Cal) in the winter I just put the reg. VW pulley on and in the summer I'll put the 356 pulley on. The fan spins a good amount quicker, I can here some whistling at 2500 rpms. I'm also using a welded and balanced fan.
I wonder just how well that fan is balanced though, it would be interesting to put it on a tire balancer.
J-P
Yeah, I did the pulley swap back to stock VW in the fall, and Karl will probably change back to the Porsche pulley in May. Just be sure that when you swap pulleys you also remember to swap the spare fan belt in your trunk to the matching size.
I'm not an owner yet, but have spent time researching and changing the options I want on my Speedster. I've gotten a lot of valuable information from your postings, and I'd like to thank all of you for the information you've provided.
One of my concerns has been the overheating issue especially in regard to engine size and carburation, and I've talked with various people regarding that issue. One thing that pops up often is that oil is not a coolant but a lubricant. In the case of the VW air-cooled engine, running at 200-220 F on the road is really not an issue if the head temp is OK. The issue is whether or not the temp falls when you pull off the highway and resume at lower speeds. The oil temp should fall to a "normal" range. With all the talk about oil temp, I'm really considering installing a head temp guage to be able to monitor both.
I'd like to know if anyone has had resulting engine problems from higher oil temp. I drove an '68 E-Type and had a fan motor go out on me that caused overheating and blew a head gasket. Has anyone had such problems with 200+ oil temp? I drove a '74 Super Beetle from L.A. through Death Valley all the way to Vancouver and back down Hwy 1 and never had a problem. I've got to think VW and Porsche had something going right.
One of my concerns has been the overheating issue especially in regard to engine size and carburation, and I've talked with various people regarding that issue. One thing that pops up often is that oil is not a coolant but a lubricant. In the case of the VW air-cooled engine, running at 200-220 F on the road is really not an issue if the head temp is OK. The issue is whether or not the temp falls when you pull off the highway and resume at lower speeds. The oil temp should fall to a "normal" range. With all the talk about oil temp, I'm really considering installing a head temp guage to be able to monitor both.
I'd like to know if anyone has had resulting engine problems from higher oil temp. I drove an '68 E-Type and had a fan motor go out on me that caused overheating and blew a head gasket. Has anyone had such problems with 200+ oil temp? I drove a '74 Super Beetle from L.A. through Death Valley all the way to Vancouver and back down Hwy 1 and never had a problem. I've got to think VW and Porsche had something going right.
Angelo.....
You may have a good point about oil not being the coolant. My car is running oil temps in the higher end of things 210 on an 85 deg. day at highway speeds for long times however the heads never get much over 320. I'll let you know how it all goes for the summer as I've only had this engine for a short time. BTW the 1915cc engine runs oil temps just as hot as the 2110. I never did have a head temp gauge on that engine though.
My advice is to definatley get a head temp, oil temp and maybe an oil pressure gauge to let you know what's going on. Also never trust gauges right from the store, always test them! All gauges are innacurate, just by how much.
J-P
You may have a good point about oil not being the coolant. My car is running oil temps in the higher end of things 210 on an 85 deg. day at highway speeds for long times however the heads never get much over 320. I'll let you know how it all goes for the summer as I've only had this engine for a short time. BTW the 1915cc engine runs oil temps just as hot as the 2110. I never did have a head temp gauge on that engine though.
My advice is to definatley get a head temp, oil temp and maybe an oil pressure gauge to let you know what's going on. Also never trust gauges right from the store, always test them! All gauges are innacurate, just by how much.
J-P
My ex-"D" that Karl bought has a 165 to 170 BHP 2,110. Cruising at highway speeds 70 mph at about 3,250 RPM) on a 95 F day oil temp would get to 215 to 200 F, later at "town" speeds it would cool back down to around 190. Cyl head temps measured with a laser thermometer after pulling off the highway were around 290F. Oil was 20/50 AMSOIL, stock crank pulley diameter and Porsche 356/912 alternator pulley, doghouse shroud with type 4 oil cooler, 1 1/2 quart bolt-on sump, welded/balanced fan, no auxilliary oil cooler.
(Message Edited 2/25/2003 10:19:28 AM)
(Message Edited 2/25/2003 10:19:28 AM)
Wow George, isn't 970 mph a bit fast...even for you?
Ron
I saw that edit, George!
(Message Edited 2/25/2003 11:53:34 PM)
Ron
I saw that edit, George!
(Message Edited 2/25/2003 11:53:34 PM)
Actually oil IS a coolant in an air cooled engine;it helps to transfer heat away from internal load bearing surfaces (bearings and journals, cam lobes, rocker arm busings, etc.).
Anyone running Royal Purple synthetic? I've heard good things about it on another forum. Seems like all synthetic oils are not equal.
Ron
Ron
I know oil does help with pulling heat away while lubercating, I wonder why synthetic doesn't do as well of a job as normal oil. I mean to say that several sources tell me synthetics are for water cooled cars as the synthetic doesn't carry away heat as well. This is what I've been told though and I've yet to get a strong answer. I did take time to call a refinery hotline to talk about oil. I know, I'm nuts and I've gone too far but I wanted to know from a real expert like Exon. Anyway the person on the other end of the line stated that synthetics are grea
I know oil does help with pulling heat away while lubercating, I wonder why synthetic doesn't do as well of a job as normal oil. I mean to say that several sources tell me synthetics are for water cooled cars as the synthetic doesn't carry away heat as well. This is what I've been told though and I've yet to get a strong answer that I can really believe. However ther is a good article in this months issue of VW Trends that talks about oil and actually for the first time has real facts about each brand. Good reading.
Perhaps the only place to find answers is through a refinery engineer.
J-P
(Message Edited 2/27/2003 12:28:37 AM)
Perhaps the only place to find answers is through a refinery engineer.
J-P
(Message Edited 2/27/2003 12:28:37 AM)
I use Castrol GTX 20W-50 and add a quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer.
Colton: In the 1970's I sold Castrol GTX 20/50 to BMW motorcycle owners, but only at their insistence. I would then show them what it looked and felt like at oil change time and they were horrifed and switched to Kendall GT at my suggestion. Castrol at that time was NOT affiliated with the British Castrol company, rather it was made in this country under license to the parent company. If I were you i would take a close look at it during your next oil change (it seems to be hydroscopic).
Jean-Paul: Long ago and far away (1960's) some (but not all) synthetic oils actually fell short in their ability to remove heat, but that hasn't been true for quite some time; they have been "petroleum engineerd" to suit their intended automotive use.
Modern synthetic oils are far superior to "petroleum" oils in every way. The so-called "motorcycle" synthetic oils from AMSOIL and others also are diesel rated, that is, they have the anti-scuff and anti-corrosion additive packages that were removed from "normal" oils to decrease automobile pollution levels.
Jean-Paul: Long ago and far away (1960's) some (but not all) synthetic oils actually fell short in their ability to remove heat, but that hasn't been true for quite some time; they have been "petroleum engineerd" to suit their intended automotive use.
Modern synthetic oils are far superior to "petroleum" oils in every way. The so-called "motorcycle" synthetic oils from AMSOIL and others also are diesel rated, that is, they have the anti-scuff and anti-corrosion additive packages that were removed from "normal" oils to decrease automobile pollution levels.
Well, I'm going synthetic in my new motor. Probably Mobile 1 or Amsoil (after it's broken in).
Ron
Ron
The synthetic stuff sure seems tempting. My engine builder gave me the recomendation of using staight cut 30W or 40W depending on winter or summer temps (Southern Cal temps) and only to use Kendall GT. The builder is most familar with building turbo VW engines. He talked about synthetics as having a reduced ability to pull heat away from the engine and also stated that systhetics typically drip more from VW's due to the high expansion of the engines and the old tech seals these motors use. As for the straight cut stuff, he recommended that because the oil can deal with the heat more than a 20W-50, less modifiers in the oil. This all comes from a guy that builds turbo VW engines all day long.
I've also heard from other old school 911 guys that only use Kendall 20W50 and shy away from synthetics.
On the other side of the story I went ahead and called Exon's(I know, I must sound nuts) tech line and asked about oil. The answer I got about synthetics is that they are simply more pure, more stable and better lubercating and as for heat they do just the same as reg. oil while withstanding higher temps. I also asked about the purest form of oil, the kind used in airplanes (non-detergent), bassically that stuff is for engines that deal with constant rpms and that use a cleaner gas than what we use in our cars thus not needing the detergent.
I have heard about Amsoil and it is the best oil from what I can see in the specs givin in this months issue of VW trends. If you don't have this mag. go get it becuase the article has camparison of different oils by fact.
George, did you have any sealing problems with your engine?
J-P
I've also heard from other old school 911 guys that only use Kendall 20W50 and shy away from synthetics.
On the other side of the story I went ahead and called Exon's(I know, I must sound nuts) tech line and asked about oil. The answer I got about synthetics is that they are simply more pure, more stable and better lubercating and as for heat they do just the same as reg. oil while withstanding higher temps. I also asked about the purest form of oil, the kind used in airplanes (non-detergent), bassically that stuff is for engines that deal with constant rpms and that use a cleaner gas than what we use in our cars thus not needing the detergent.
I have heard about Amsoil and it is the best oil from what I can see in the specs givin in this months issue of VW trends. If you don't have this mag. go get it becuase the article has camparison of different oils by fact.
George, did you have any sealing problems with your engine?
J-P
Jean-Paul, oddly enough I had no noticable sealing problems with the engine case, but I did have seeping from the AN fittings for the remote full-flow oil filter and the bottom plate on the case. I probably could have addressed the fitting leaks with a proprietary thread sealer and fixed the sump plate leak but I sold the car to Karl.
If you have leaks/weeps/seeps they will be worse with synthetic - in the 1970s I used synthetic in my motorcycle shop's BMW R90S ex-Daytona winning roadracer and it leaked out of its own cans. Today it comes in plastic bottles.
If you have leaks/weeps/seeps they will be worse with synthetic - in the 1970s I used synthetic in my motorcycle shop's BMW R90S ex-Daytona winning roadracer and it leaked out of its own cans. Today it comes in plastic bottles.
Colton, a while back you were talking about using round rubber molding to seal the engine bay tin. If you don't mined me asking, what source did you use for the molding? Thanks
I don't know if this article was BS or not but... in 1996 Consumer Reports tested 20 different oils in 75 New York City taxicabs - they ran each cab for ~60,000 miles.
Their conclusion:
"None of the tested oils proved better than the others in our tests. There may be small differences that our tests didn't reveal, but unless you typically drive under more severe conditions than a New York cab does, you won't go wrong if you shop strictly by price or availability. Buy the viscosity grade recommended in your owner's manual, and look for the starburst emblem. Even the expensive synthetics (typically, $3 or $4 a quart) worked no better than conventional motor oils in our taxi tests, but they're worth considering for extreme driving conditions high ambient temperatures and high engine load or very cold temperatures."
To view the complete report check out: www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.shtml
Their conclusion:
"None of the tested oils proved better than the others in our tests. There may be small differences that our tests didn't reveal, but unless you typically drive under more severe conditions than a New York cab does, you won't go wrong if you shop strictly by price or availability. Buy the viscosity grade recommended in your owner's manual, and look for the starburst emblem. Even the expensive synthetics (typically, $3 or $4 a quart) worked no better than conventional motor oils in our taxi tests, but they're worth considering for extreme driving conditions high ambient temperatures and high engine load or very cold temperatures."
To view the complete report check out: www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.shtml
David,
I do remember that article and it probably is not BS. However, I don't use my car the way a NYC taxi cab is used. These vehicles may run 24/7 and only be shut down for periodic maintenance. This greatly lessens cold engine (ie. cold oil) starts which add much to the wear factor. That at least was my conclusion.
I do remember that article and it probably is not BS. However, I don't use my car the way a NYC taxi cab is used. These vehicles may run 24/7 and only be shut down for periodic maintenance. This greatly lessens cold engine (ie. cold oil) starts which add much to the wear factor. That at least was my conclusion.