Hi,

Not sure if I already posted this.

However, It is time to change the blood of my 1600, and I was recommended to use Castrol GTX3. I have no idea what the oil density/rating as that would be handy if my local auto shop dont carry a specific brand.

I'd thought i'd check here first, just to make sure I dont make the wrong purchase and cause problems later down the track..

Cheers!

try gtx2 or do a search and that will be the most common answer

oils are a personal choice and your going to get a lot of different sometimes conflicting ones. it depends on a number of things like the condition of the engine and how its going to be driven. if its an older engine nearing the time of a rebuild id recommend the penzoil older car one if its in good condition id recommend the multivis as this is what im running in mine and have done for 5 years now.

I've been told CASTROL GTX 2 is for air cooled Beetles..
so thats what I Use...
every 1,000kms or so...
My Son uses Penrite 20W60 engine oil in His beetles...

I don't think it matters much, so long as its not the
$8 for 4 litres oil....
I believe You should spend at least $15 for 4- 5 litres of oil
or more...
Don't forget its the heart of Our Cars We are talking about

As someone else said... its a personal thing...
I was going to use Castrol Magnatec but its NOT recommended for our engines.. 10w40 oil [I think]

anyway all the books say You should stick to the one brand etc of oil once You choose one...

cheers

Lee -- GTX-2

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 

Any one used ACE 30? It had a pretty big write up in the VWCV mag a while back. Seemed pretty good.
A website describes it as below.

"A.C.E. 30 20W/40 is a mineral based motor oil for most aircooled motor car engines.

It is a quality mineral oil that has been specially developed for all air cooled engines such as VW (all air-cooled models); Porsche (all 356 and some later models); most other cars with air cooled engines (such as Chevrolet Corvair, some Fiat and Citroen models), and some air-cooled motorbikes. It is formulated for Australian conditions and is particularly intended for all air cooled motors where the manufacturer’s originally recommended grade was SAE 30, SAE 40, SAE 20 (single-grades), or SAE 20W/20."

I been thrashing/racing on GTX2 for 15 years, use it in all my cars (VWs, Holden/HSV V8s) until recentky - on recommendation from my engine builder, I now use Castrol Edge 15/40 in my hi-po VW engine (1916cc)

But GTX2 is fine. Change every 2000 miles. No worries

EDIT: OOOPs! Edge 25/50 NOT 15/40

[ Edited on 12-11-2006 by VWCOOL ]

One of those mind boggling questions where you ask two people and get three answers!

A lot of recommendations (Do's and Dont's) from books are based on the oils that were available at the time. A lot has changed, even in just the last few years.

Research as much as you can (This post was a great start) consider carefully the information gathered, then make your own decision and wait for everyone and their dog to tell you that you're doing it the wrong way.

For my part I use gtx3 in a stock 1600 twin port with medium mileage and I live in a climate that has a fairly stable range of seasonal temperatures (not a big difference between highs & lows over a whole year)

I chose it over gtx2 because my engine is in a 1961 beetle and the earlier bodied beetles tend to run a little hotter with the larger motor, larger fan, and doghouse style shroud. This is because fan wants to suck more air than the body vents can provide, so a more free flowing oil suits my particular application as it can transfer heat a bit easier.

I also chuck in a bottle of nulon E20 engine treatment every oil change - it's good stuff. All my previous water cooled cars have survived well on this added to "no frills oil"

I'm sure you'll find a few threads about nulon stuff hereabouts.

Matt

[ Edited on 11-11-2006 by Matt Ryan ]

I USE PERITE 3
0 GOOD SHIT:bounce

I use GTX 3 (15/40) in my engine that has bearing oil clearances of .002".

I use EDGE in 25/50 (the artist formerly known as GP50),
for my engine that has larger clearances.

GTX 2 is 20/50, so is a good affordable alternative for a Volksy.

Ace Oil is good stuff too but availability is a problem outside of Victoria. Perhaps John will chime in with a distributor list.


[ Edited on 11-11-2006 by dangerous ]

I run ACE 30 in my Type 3.. good oil.. stays clean looking for alot longer than other oils i've used.
Bit more expensive than GTX2 at $35 for 5 litres, but i think its worth it!

Does anyone use synthetic or semi synthetic oil in their aircooled dub?

Unless you have an oil filter fitted, its going to be very expensive to use synthetic. Without a filter, the oil will still need to be changed at the regular interval.

I have used Canola oil

QPL's "ACE" oils:
There is a distributor list at http://www.qplubes.com  It's a little of date now but QPL will send you one or direct you to the nearest (Phone or E-mail them). They also will sell direct. Also, if there's no outlet near you, anyone can become a Distributor. More details under "Business Advertisements", article: "Oil Distributors Wanted"
Biggest NSW distributors are: Classic V-Dub & Vintage Vee-dub.
There is now an ACE oil for 'every' aircooled VW:
ACE 30 (20W-40) SJ/CG-4/CF for "normal" engines in good nick & for most Racing applications. This will outperform all mineral based 20W-50's.
ACE 40 (25W-50) SJ/CG-4/CF for worn engines or those with low pressure (or aftermarket hydraulic tappets)/larger clearances or for tropical conditions.
ACE 50 (25W-60) SJ/CF-4 for terminally worn/damaged engines or those with oil consumption problems.
Companion products: ACE 90 GL-4/5 Transaxle oil & ACE 10 Supercharger (Judson) oil.

[ Edited on 16-11-2006 by ACE_76 ]

From thinnest to thickest, they all have their place, though maybe not in YOUR engine:

BP Magnatec: 10W-40 (Friction modified) SM/CF
BP GTX-3: 15W-40 SM/CF
BP GTX-2: 20W-50 SM/CF
BP Edge Sport 25W-50 SG/CF
Penrite HPR 30 25W-60 SM/CF
All are mineral-based.
Around API SH or SJ gives the highest levels of most ingredients that your engine may need (anti-scuff, anti-wear, detergents etc.). After SJ may have less benefit for older or Aircooled engines. [The later the diesel spec the better too. eg. CG-4 is better than CF-4, which is better than CF,in turn CD, CC etc.]

If your engine is fresh, runs cool etc., go for the thinner end of the range. If tired, or has symptoms of low pressure/burning oil etc. go up ONE grade until you get it right. Don't just go for the highest oil pressure if you have a gauge... Unnecessary high pressure means lower flow rate.

Don't use thinner oils such as 10W-30 in A/cooled VW's. (Paradoxically Mono 30 is fine!)
Also any thicker than about 20W-60 is probably TOO thick.

Don't use extra additives! In many cases a more relevant question is "What harm might it cause?", not "what good can it do?" Spend more on good oil instead!

[ Edited on 16-11-2006 by ACE_76 ]