I always had a problem with Alaska oil sump heaters in winter. They
don't work too good when you are at the winter campground in 3 feet of
snow at below zero temps. What is the Canuck solution for that problem.
I never did find an adequate Alaskan solution.

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com

Courtney Hook wrote:
> Heheh, that's why you need a Canadian oil sump heater to keep your bus
> oil
> thinned out. :-) Tough to find, but oh so worth it. Most cold climate
> dealers sold them. Look around, you'll be glad you did.
> Courtney
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Always be yourself, because the people that matter don't mind,
> and the ones who mind, don't matter.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "craig cowan" <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 6:13 PM
> Subject: Re: Motor Oil (Synthetic)
>
>
>> My comment regarding cold temperatures dealt specifically with an
>> occurance
>> last year when the temperatures in my region were consistantly below
>> zero
>> for over a week. On the coldest morning of the lot, early, I tried to
>> start
>> my bus to no avail. My battery and all systems were in great shape, but
>> the
>> motor oil had turned so thick that the engine would BARELY turn. The
>> solution involved draining the motor oil and replacing it for the
>> remainder
>> of that winter with a thinner oil.
>> 20W50 is quite thick at or below 0*F.
>> Put a bit of it in the freezer sometime (even at 32*F) and watch just
>> how
>> smoothly it pours.
>>
>> -Craig
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 8:34 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
>>
>>> My comment concerning warranty was meant to convey the maker's
>>> attitude,
>>> not to suggest that we are trying to maintain the long expired warranty
>>> on
>>> our VWs.  I change oil myself, have been doing so for a series of
>>> vehicles
>>> for about 50 years, and have managed to drive all of them for around
>>> 200k
>>> or
>>> more miles.  My change interval seems economic to me. Oil is cheap.
>>> Engines
>>> are expensive.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 6:02 PM, Allan Streib wrote:
>>>
>>>  Synthetic will flow better than conventional when cold.
>>>>
>>>> None of our Vanagons are under warranty anymore.  Oil analysis can be
>>>> used to determine if your oil is still "good" and over time you can
>>>> establish a reasonable, economic change interval.
>>>>
>>>> Allan
>>>>
>>>> Dave Mcneely  writes:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  I use Castrol 20W50, petroleum based (nonsynthetic).  I change the
>>>> oil
>>>>> every 3000 miles, just as I always have for all my vehicles.  I can't
>>>>> imagine how synthetic could improve on that.  I notice that most
>>>>> manufacturers specify that oil should be changed at the recommended
>>>>> interval, and that less often than that voids the warranty, whether
>>>>> the oil used is synthetic or not.  David McNeely
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Stephen Cebula wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  What motor oils you you all use out there?  A friend of mine keeps
>>>>>> pushing synthetic oil.  He's a Ford man, and not familiar with
>>>>>> Vanagons.  What's the rap on that?
>>>>>> Steve
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> 1991 Vanagon GL
>>>>
>>>
>
>