...I will have to get out of Digest Mode so I can reply to these emails
without "cutting and pasting" the addressee...

Someone mentioned that the possible cause of low oil pressure in an
air-cooled Vanagon might be because of too thick of a gasket used on the
oil pump. I think they got this tip from Hot VW magazine.

This tip is not applicable to the Type IV engine, only to Type I design
as used in Beetles, early Busses (thru '71) and the wbx engine in late
water-cooled Vanagons, which is based on the Type I.

Type 1 (Beetle) engine oil pumps used a very thin paper gasket is used
to seal the machined pump cover to the pump housing. This also affects
the end clearance with which the pump's gears operate; using too thick
of a gasket would indeed increase this clearance, although I'm not sure
it would be a problem except perhaps at idle.

Type IV engines, on the other hand, as used in VW Busses from 72-on and
in air-cooled Vanagons feature an oil pump of a different design. It
uses an O-ring to seal the end-cap to the pump housing; This O-ring does
not affect the pump's internal clearances. The pump as a unit is then
inserted into the engine. Any gasket or sealant used to seal the pump to
the engine case will NOT impact oil pump performance.

Dan