FWIW, my diesel westy has over 277,000, but that's doesn't include the
engine. Those little things work so hard in that big car that you
don't get much over 100K miles before a rebuild. But man, what a car.
To think that the thing runs and drives like a dream, and all the
camping stuff works, and it doesn't have any squeaks or rattles.
Awesome!

That's over one lunar unit, as I call it, the distance to the moon.
Vanagons can do a round trip with enough care. Think of all the cars
from that era that there are no longer ANY of on the road.

Jim

On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 7:42 PM, Jack R. <jack007@comcast.net> wrote:
> My Mechanic told me that the key is to change the oil regularly, and before
> storage too.  The sulfates produced from running a motor, ends up in the
> oil.  So, it is both time and miles that help engine life.  I always change
> my oil before winter storage, so there are not any acids in the oil.  Sure,
> the synthetic oil is less prone to water retention, and makes for a little
> less problems for time related changes... regardless of oil, good
> preventative maintenance is hard to beat!
>
> Congrats on the miles, and wishing you all many more!
>
> Jack R.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Jim Felder
> Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2008 8:24 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: 200,000 Mile Club
>
> No, I have always used Castrol 20W50.
>
> Jim
>
> On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 3:54 PM, Allan Streib <streib@cs.indiana.edu> wrote:
>> Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> writes:
>>
>>> I'm rebuilding a 2.1 that had 227,000 miles--no leaks and didn't
>>> burn--that my wife fried for me when it threw all its belts. If it
>>> hadn't been for that, it might have made it to 300K. The bearings
>>> were in excellent condition when I took the engine apart. Cam showed
>>> no wear. The oil pump was near the end of the wear limit but far
>>> from gone. Cylinders had original cross-hatching.
>>
>> Do you use Mobil-1 oil?
>>
>> Allan
>> --
>> 1991 Vanagon GL
>>
>