Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 22:31:58 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: What Oil to Use on Startup?
In-Reply-To: <02246CC6-FC12-45AC-BDF8-C3F41818BA1C@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I ran into the Autozone today and even the cheap house brand oil is pushing
$4 a quart. At 4.5 quarts for a fill even the Mobil 1 is about a 1/2 tank of
gas.
Vanagon engines rarely have problems with the rings unless broken during
install or run dry.
As for cranking instead of starting a fresh engine until you get oil
pressure, that is actually a bad practice, especially for the rings. If the
pump has never had oil in it it may never prime during cranking. Also, the
pistons and rings rely on splash for lubrication. You'll never get that
during cranking. The oil pump and galleys can be easily primed. An easy way
is to remove the oil filter and use a hand pump to put oil into the bearing
galleys. A simple oil can will do the job. You will know when the galleys
are filled.
When I start a fresh engine as soon as it is going I get it up to
1,500-2,000 rpm and hold it. If needed I then quickly get the coolant system
bled and closed. My goal is to get this done before it warms up. 3-5 minutes
is my goal. After that I shut it down and wait for it cool and bleed it
again later. Once things are hot enough for vapor bleeding is a bit more
challenging.
Anyway, I now know if the oil pressure is OK and the lifters should start
quieting down. Things should be well lubed. Time to do all the final tune-up
settings. After timing and idle is set I check the O2 sensor for proper
operation. Keep an eye on the temp gauge. Turn on the heaters to make sure
I am getting flow. Then as the engine heats up make sure there is flow to
the radiator. Test the fan operation. Then go drive.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Paul Rogers
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 10:28 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: What Oil to Use on Startup?
Thanks to all of of you who chimed in. I should have clarified some info on
the engine. The guy I got it from is a mechanic and former Vanagon owner. He
put this brand new engine, at the time, in his van but had to pull it after
800 plus miles because it was going through lots of oil. So he pulled this
one and put another one in his van. Opened this one up and found it had a
bad ring or rings. Fixed the problem but never used it again. And now I've
got it. There is a very small amount of oil in it but not enough to show on
the dipstick. Actually I bought the long block and I'm using the necessary
parts from my 1.9 on this 2.1. So I'm almost ready to fire it up but being
it hasn't been run in a year or two I wanted to be cautious about the
initial start up and not waste $30 or so of Mobil1 in the event there are
complications.
Thanx again and any sage advice about this initial start up would be
gratefully appreciated. I've got a fair amount of $$ invested and would hate
to do something to muck it up. My plan is to crank it over without spark or
gas until the oil pressure builds up and then go for it. I installed an OP
gauge too.
Paul in Tracy
Sent from my iPad
On Jul 27, 2013, at 7:22 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote:
> If there is still oil in it and there is no reason to suspect it was
> contaminated start it with that and once all is proven well then
> change it to what you wish to use. If you do change it first and there
> is a problem the cost of the oil will likely be the least of your
concerns.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Paul Rogers
> Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2013 12:49 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: What Oil to Use on Startup?
>
> Howdy, I'm preparing for starting up, hopefully, my new to me motor.
> According to the seller it has around 900 miles on it. But it's been
> sitting around for a while. I know it's been over 1 year minimum. Long
> term I'm going to use Mobil 1 but I'm thinking for the initial start
> up using something less spendy in the event something doesn't go as
> planned. I'd really hate to waste $30 plus $$ of the Mobil 1. Any
> thoughts on this matter would be gratefully appreciated. Wish me luck.
> Paul in Tracy
> I don't think it matters but the motor is a 2.1
>
> Sent from my iPlace
>
