Jay,

I ran 5w-50 Castrol Synthetic in my 84 Westy for about 5 years, with no oil
related problems.  In fact, when the head failed due to the wrong
anti-freeze, my mechanic was impressed at the condition of the pistons and
the rest of the motor.

I now have a 2.1L motor, with only 42k original miles. I plan to run 15W-50
Mobil, but have had second thoughts about the 15w part. I don't plan to run
this in the winter, so the 5W isn't as critical.  However... question to the
list... wouldn't the 5W contribute to less resistance, and thus better fuel
economy?  I see that many of the new cars specify 5W-30, to help gain better
fuel mileage.  I also plan to run Lucas oil treatment in my newer motor.

Jack R.
N. of Detroit
84 Westy, Wolfy - with a 91 Synco 2.1L motor

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Jay Brown
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 6:58 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Switching to synthetic oil?

I am thinking about switching over to a full Synthetic (Castrol Syntech
5W-50) from regular dino oil (Castrol GTX 20W-50) in my '85 Westfalia.  Are
there any special precautions I should take when making the switch?  The van
doesn't currently leak any oil and I haven't had any oil pressure troubles,
I would just like the extra protection that the full synthetic claims to
offer.

Thanks in advance.
Jay Brown
'85 Westfalia
'72 Riviera
http://www.geocities.com/vwcamper72