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joey1320
Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2006
Posts: 2325
Location: Cleveland, OH
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 Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 5:41 pm Post subject: Prolonging Engine Life |
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Quick question for everyone, other than trying to keep everything as original as possible and not beating on the engine, what other things could we all be doing to prolong the life of our old engines?
As for me, I added the oil dipstick temperature reader and my engine already had an oil sump installed which I think is a phenomenal addition.
Any others?
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0 |
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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| Oil filter. |
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joey1320
Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2006
Posts: 2325
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Cusser
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006
Posts: 31379
Location: Hot Arizona
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:20 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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| Pruneman99 wrote: |
| Oil filter. |
This. In conjunction with regular oil changes and valve adjustments.
My two VWs each has Maxi2. Since early 1980s on my 1835cc engine, that one states "Claude's Buggies" !!!
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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Zundfolge1432 
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12468
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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| joey1320 wrote: |
Quick question for everyone, other than trying to keep everything as original as possible and not beating on the engine, what other things could we all be doing to prolong the life of our old engines?
As for me, I added the oil dipstick temperature reader and my engine already had an oil sump installed which I think is a phenomenal addition.
Any others? |
Keep it parked and locked in a garage. 😀 drive your car enjoy it and address problems as they arise, feel the wind in your hair.
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Glenn
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 76939
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:27 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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Use the right oil, such as one with zinc like Brad Penn.
Working thermostat and flaps.
Correct ignition timing.
Correct carb air/fuel mixture.
All factory tin.
All body to engine seals.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
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Tim Donahoe
Samba Member
Joined: December 08, 2012
Posts: 11740
Location: Redding, CA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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The most obvious—after taking into account all the good advice already given— is to check your oil level once a week. Smell it, too. An overfilled sump with the smell of gasoline in the oil, if caught early enough, doesn’t have to be a big bummer.
Tim
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VW_Jimbo
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2016
Posts: 9966
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:18 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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Oil pressure gauge. I keep my eye on that one.
Also, a tachometer. Keeps me out of the red.
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Jimbo
There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Basically, a whole bunch of fuckery to achieve a look. |
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goober
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2003
Posts: 1183
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:43 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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I'd say keep your engine as cool as possible anyway you can when operating under load.
Anything you can do to help your engine stay cool when it's hot under load is a good thing. I'm a true believer in having a cylinder head temp gauge.
Head temps can vary widely and quickly. A responsive cylinder head temp gauge will tell where your engine is at, at any given moment. |
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RWK
Samba Member
Joined: June 24, 2009
Posts: 1349
Location: S.W. MI
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:42 am Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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Keeping it cool is important, however I see you are in the mid-west, like myself,
make sure it get's WARM enough, burn's the moisture out of crank case, moisture reacts badly in the oil, check inside your oil cap for the yellow slime after you drive, most old engines I take apart from this area are not burnt, they are sludged up and rusted.
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Glenn
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 76939
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 5:59 am Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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| goober wrote: |
| I'd say keep your engine as cool as possible |
Too cool will increase wear. That's why I added thermostat and flaps. It needs to be at operating temp.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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Zundfolge1432
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12468
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:51 am Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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| RWK wrote: |
Keeping it cool is important, however I see you are in the mid-west, like myself,
make sure it get's WARM enough, burn's the moisture out of crank case, moisture reacts badly in the oil, check inside your oil cap for the yellow slime after you drive, most old engines I take apart from this area are not burnt, they are sludged up and rusted. |
Can I get an Amen😀 correct looks something like this
If you look real close I believe you can see water droplets but I had only driven it about three miles prior to doing some routine maintenance I make it a point to run it on the highway for at least a hour or more. |
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Floating VW
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2015
Posts: 1597
Location: The South Zone
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:58 pm Post subject: Re: Prolonging Engine Life |
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It's a little outside the box, but an oil preheat system and a proper air/oil separator are good additions. On engines that tend to run too cool (like mine), I consider these to be essential, especially when cold weather arrives.
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