Thanks for the reply.

I've been told that some of the noises on higher mileage Subarus other than
piston slap are bearings that wear in #4 due to gallery layout. Mine sounds
more like the main bearing that delaminated in my big block Ford truck years
ago but it acts exactly opposite...noisy when cold and quiet when hot.

I also used 15w40 Rotella in everything until the dry start rattles in hot
weather and the resistance to crankshaft turning in cold weather sent me to
5w50 Syntec and finally to the T6 Rotella 5w40, which is what I use today.
As you say, aircooleds are different and I'll try a 15w40 diesel synthetic
if I can find one, dino Rotella if I can't.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 6:15 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Oil light flickering

re
oils and vanagons and your comment ..
"Subaru cold start noise issues since I have it on my Forester '

If you mean piston slap noise for the first minute or so of cold running ..
yeah, some of them do that.
  Not too much a function of oil viscosity I don't think.   Sometimes they
do it for years and there's no harm or downside....just that piston slap
cold.

air cooled engine is a different animal than a water-cooled one ..
Personally, I use a good 15 W 40 in everything unless there's a specific
reason not to.
  Often that's Shell Rotella .
That's what I'd run in an air-cooled vanagon.

maybe 20 W 50 if it helped in any way ..
I find 15 W  40 to be pretty right for most engines and most conditions.