from experimenting I would definitely say that performance decreases when
the oil level is full. the explanation I have heard is that the higher oil
level creates drag on the crank. when the oil level is lower the crank just
dips into the oil as opposed to be more submerged.

what I notice is that my low end hesitation greatly decreases when I have
less oil. about halfway between the marks or a little less seems best. if I
run the oil too close to the bottom mark then I notice more engine drag.
what I mean by that is if I am in gear and rolling and I take my foot off
the gas then the motor drags the van slower. I don't notice any drag with
the oil halfway between the marks... thats my experience anyway.

ed
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Alcock <dgalcock@HEWITT.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2001 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: New Engine Oil Leak (long)

>>if I overfill the motor with oil then it tends to leak. In the process I
>>learned that the wbx motor becomes less efficient when fully filled with
>>oil. its best to have the oil level halfway between the high on low marks
on
>>the dipstick
>
>Hi Ed,
>
>     Can you expand on this business of increased efficiency when the oil
'too'
>full? There was a bit of discussion about this a few weeks ago and I'd love
to
>hear what you've learned.
>
>Thanks,
>Doug Alcock
>'84 Westy
>Toronto, Canada
>