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Beetle Oil Change Interval - Help Please!

Beetle Oil Change Interval

My engine specs:

1600cc Dual Port Type I in a ?73 Beetle 34PICT3 Carb (non smog) SVDA distributor with Pertronix and C.D.I. Bypass oil filter mount (replaces oil cooler flange) Stock exhaust and heater boxes

Hi All! I have been told for years and have read in auto manuals to change the oil every 3 months or every 3000 miles. You know, "Pay me a little now, or a lot more later." Later on they started saying change it every 5 months or every 5000 miles for light duty service.

John C. of Aircooled.net recommended that I change my Beetle's oil at least every 1000 miles since it does not have a full flow filter. I have nearly always tried to change the oil at least every 850 miles to 1150 miles.

But here's my question, I only drive my ?73 Beetle about 350 miles every 3 months. Should I continue to change the oil every 3 months or could I wait longer? I was thinking of changing it every 4 months provided that I am using the right weight oil for the ambient temperature. I use 30HD Castrol for hot weather,

20W 50 or 10W 40 for moderate weather, and 10W 30 for cold weather. I am concerned about sludge build up and acid formation in the oil. I was also thinking of using one quart of synthetic oil and 1.5 quarts of conventional oil. I thought the 1 quart of synthetic oil would be a good additive, and help with start ups. The one quart synthetic would only be used during moderate or cold weather 85 degrees F or under. Would the 1.5 quarts of conventional oil still help cool the heads? Thanks! Any help is appreciated!
Reply to
Sleepy Joe
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At the risk of starting yet another war, in all my long years of VW work I have YET to see a single case of engine failure in a daily driver which was caused by:

1) Wrong brand of oil, or swapping brands. 2) Wrong weight of oil. 3) Too long an oil change interval. 4) Running without an oil filter.

None. Nada.

Even engines completely sludged up because the owner had *never* changed the oil were still putting along until the inevitable exhaust valve failure ended life.

Anyone out there who can actually document an engine failure (daily driver) or even gross wear due to using Brand "X" or only changing every 5000 Miles??

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

No, I can't, but I can document that running without Brand "X" oil caused major wear... That is running without much oil at all.

Reply to
Olli Lammi

No, I can't, but I can document that running without Brand "X" oil caused major wear... That is running without much oil at all.

.............Yeah, maybe we should ask Shaggy what happens when you run out of oil.............LOL

Reply to
Tim Rogers

I've always changed the oil in my acvw....well....frequently. The old '69 Bug that was my daily driver years ago probably went a good 2 or 3 thousand miles between changes but every acVW I've had since then probably got its oil changed long before 1000 miles since they were driven strictly for pleasure. The '64 Bug that I have now spent all of its life (until now) in North Carolina. The original owner or garage that serviced it put a piece of labeling tape on the oil filler that says "Quaker State HD20". I've always used SAE30 here in Maryland (and back in NY) but my '64 has

74,000 miles on 20 weight oil while being in a fairly warm climate. It runs great and doesn't blow so much as a puff of smoke after it's sat for a couple of weeks. (it leaks like Hell...but...) I'd say, pick your favorite oil and change it when you get bored. Well, assuming you get bored after driving your acvw every few hundred miles or so. As far a modern vehicles go, many people are familiar with Consumer Reports test on some NY City taxis that went either 3000 miles in between oil changes or 6000 miles. After a whole buncha miles they couldn't tell any difference in engine wear between the two sets of vehicles.

Reply to
Mike64Bug

I change my oil and do the requisite service every 2500 to 3000.

--Dan E

Reply to
Braukuche

I never ran *completely* out of oil in any vehicle of mine. :-D

Reply to
Shaggie

...but lube in the tranny is a different story altogether....

....Gareth

Reply to
Gary Tateosian

One that we won't go into here. *cough cough*

Reply to
Shaggie
1) the VW engine we know and love doesn't have a filter. A strainer is NOT a filter

2) the engine only holds 2.5qts.

Yes the engine will run "fine". And how are you going to prove it was a lack of oil changes that caused the wear in the engine anyways? Since there is no way to "prove" it, there is also no way to dis-prove it.

If you double the oil capacity, or add a real filter, you can extend the change interval. But you are kidding yourself if you think these 2.5qt capacity open-crankcase engines have the same oil-change intervals as your

2004 Honda.

John Aircooled.Net Inc.

Reply to
John Connolly

Kinda OT, but I bought a 2004 Honda Civic with the little 4 cylinder and was amazed at the amount of oil you have to replace with a regular oil/filter change. 3.4 quarts. That seems like a really tiny amount, especially since the recommended interval for oil changes is every

10,000 miles.
Reply to
Shaggie
1) closed crankcase 2) very clean combustion (not as much oil contamination with acids and unburned fuel) 3) oil filter 4) cooler running

John Aircooled.Net Inc.

Reply to
John Connolly

Still was amazing to me. :-)

Reply to
Shaggie

what's amazing to me is that some VW owners want to take a non-filtered open crankcase HOT running engine (aircooled) that has a whopping 2.5qt capacity, and find some way of justifying 10k mile oil-change intervals. Or guys that have a VW Valdez and figure that since they are ADDING more then 2.5qts per

1k miles, that's "as good as an oil change, right?". LOL

John Aircooled.Net Inc.

Reply to
John Connolly

On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 15:42:37 -0600, "John Connolly" scribbled this interesting note:

Think of it as your job security!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

...its not?? ::blink:: =-) but hey, on that note, befor ei rebuiltmy bottome end my VW was usinf far mroer than the above mentioned 2.5 qt per trhousand....prolly sloser to 2.5 per 100mi

1/4 inch of endplay cqan have that effect...but teh oil *did* stay very clean (other than the metal filings)

.....Gareth

Reply to
Gary Tateosian

heh heh They need a 2-stroke motor. You never exactly "change" the oil, just kinda continually replace it. WOW! What low maintenance on my "new" bike! WOOT WOOT! I've had it out 4 times so far, had it wound out in top gear, climbed some decent hills with it, went down a hill or two that I shouldn't have, hit some mud, learned to pop up and sorta control a wheelie in first and second gear, and almost flipped over the handlebars a couple of times while gettin' stupid but was able to enlist the STRENGTH OF KONG (tm) to maintain control. Still haven't dropped it or gotten hurt (unless you count the kick-starter almost smashing my shin into two bloody sections). SWEET!!! Plus, the helmet I have on order to wear when I ride should be ready for me to pick up tomorrow, I hope. :-D And the owners manual and service manual that will let me do all of my own maintenance and less-than-professional modifications to it. Life... Is good.

Reply to
Shaggie

Reply to
ilambert

Been takin Shaggies Signature too literal , Gareth................LOL

What a Post!

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

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It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

Reply to
MUADIB®

...sheesh...yeah, I believe that is an all time typo record for me....

*hic*

....Gareth

Reply to
Gary Tateosian

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