Hi,

Today, the temp here on the seacoast of SE Massachusetts has been in
the teens, actually this am it was zero!

I went to take my 87 Westy out for a little drive this afternoon, and
as I pulled out of the parking spot, I noticed a large puddle of oil
where the van was parked. I crawled under the engine and noticed that
the oil was coming out of from between the oil cooler and the engine block.

Last night, when it was 25 degrees out, I drove the van and it didn't
puke oil. I'm assuming its because of the frigid temperatures.

I'm not sure what the exact problem is, but here's a potential list:

1. Oil too thick - it currently has 10w-50 Castrol synthetic in it

2. O ring between the block and the oil cooler has become "stiff"
from the cold and not sealing properly

3. It has a Fram filter...somewhere I recall a post a number of years
ago about VW and Mann filters having a pressure release spring inside
to aid in cold starting...

4. The problem is all of the above.

Does anyone recall the discussion about non-VW filters and pressure
relief springs??

I'm tossing the idea of dumping the 10-50 and putting in 10-30 for now....

Any suggestions, comments, etc?

Thanks.

Ric