hi All.
last sunday , I was changing the engine oil of my 1600 beetle.

I bought at Super-Cheap "Penrite 4 strokes SAE30 -aircooled/small engines- " as it was the one the catalog reccomend for BEetles.

however, to my horror , the Oil is Red !. Very Red , like automatic transmission fluid . But It is oil -I can recognize ATF by the smell- and this one smelld like oil.



Is that ok ? Can I run the car on that Red Oil ?

Thanks a lot
Javier

i think you'll find that the oil is designed for smaller 4 stroke engines such as lawnmowers, brushcutters, outboards and the like.

A good quality, multigrade 20W/50 is ideal for the aussie climate. Penrite is a good choice though - i use HPR30 for my bug.

check out the vw resource info about oils and viscosity;

http://www.vw-resource.com/engine_oil.html 

also Penrite's website has this recommendation;

http://www.penritedata.com/au/db/vehiclewizard4_s.php?cid=28&make=VOLKSWA...

i beg to differ as 30 weight oil is best for the humble bug and is the oil to use going by all vw manuals as the bug 's oil does 2 jobe 1 to lube and 2 to cool
and multi grade oils have a use for engines that don't have very loose fittings and a start up weight of 20 and a running weight of 50 is ok but the humble bug being air cooled needs a oil weight that is constant as startup will be very loose and oil use will be the order of the day and a running weight thats to heavy will not cool well
hense a 30 weight not a mulit graed
good luck

vw only recomended straight 30w back in the day cos multigrades wernt around yet
they soon changed that

as to what weigth depends on engine health
fresh engines are best on 10/30 but once they start getting abit long in the tooth then u can up it to 15/40 or finally 20/50

i still shake my head when ppl say their new engine is overheating
running thick oil in fresh dual releife engines causes the pressure reliefe valve to bypass the oil cooler if there not stuck in the bore but most ppl are clueless to that till they notice there oil light flickering at idle when hot

One of the locals here tried 30 weight oil in his beetle which he bought new in 1976...
but didn't use it again as it was too watery at high temperatures....

Multigrade IS best... NOW

30 weight oil WAS best in 1955...

Lee

Here's another way to think about it.

A straight 30W oil is like a 5W30 multigrade when hot, but like a 30W60 multigrade when cold.

Javier, the red coloured oil you purchased is actually a 20W/50 multigrade oil.
I presume It was specifically made in that colour so not confuse with other oils you have sitting around the garage.
Red means you use in your lawnmower or other small engines, while the standard amber coloured oils are for your cars. It also is a synthetic modified oil - whether this plays an important role, i dunno.

According to their website, HPR30 is what Penrite recommends for a type 1 1200-1600cc vw engines.

After some additional research i found out that Penrite's HPR30 is actually a SAE 20W/60. Its actually a fairly
advanced multigrade oil, and presumably the "30" denotes the original specified manufacturer grades.

Hope this has answered your question.

Also found this recommendation on Penrite site, using search for cars & light vehicles, pre 1970. Got the same when using classic car oils search.

Engine: Classic medium
Gearbox: Mild EP Gear oil


http://www.penritedata.com/au/db/vehiclewizard4_s.php?cid=16&make=VOLKSWAGEN+(D)&category=carslightpre1970&id=708&x= 170&y=14


CLASSIC ENGINE OILS

Designed for 1950-1970s era petrol and diesel engines. CLASSIC LIGHT for use where SAE 30 or old style 20W-50 or 20W oils were originally recommended. CLASSIC MEDIUM for use in warmer climates than Classic Light or where SAE 40 oils were originally recommended. CLASSIC HEAVY for use in high ambient temperatures or where old style SAE 50 oils were originally used. Also ideal in large engined vehicles that may be suffering from oil consumption problems.

It's never simple is it?

Regards,

Matt.

If the label says 4 stroke.... it doesn't mean car engines..
lawn mowers etc...

I didn't realize that HPR30 was actually 20w/50 oil
Personally I wouldn't use a 30 grade oil in any car engine..
engine oil gets hot fairly fast in a VW engine as the oil doesn't go thru the oil cooler until it thins out....

My Son used to use Shell heliex 20w/60 engine oil in his beetle, but hasn't been able to find it lately.. I have looked and haven't found any either..

Incidently, If You want to save a few dollars.. check out the oil prices at BIG W... I save Heaps when i buy My Castrol GTX2 and Magnetech at BIG W.. compared to the auto shops... like aUto One Auto Cheap etc...
Do take note that You will pay more for oil at WoolWorths
as the prices are about the same as Big W, BUT the containers are only 4 litres NOT 5....
I only made the mistake once....

cheers

LEE

Hey Lee, if u can't find shell 20w60, check the old local autobarn for 20w60, and even 20w70 (for crazy worn out motors) in the penrite range. they have em, and penrite is gooood stuff!

If worst comes to worst, use your shell 20w50, but if the engine is that tired to need such thick oil, then buy a 1ltr of Lucas oil stabiliser to add to the 20w50 rather than go thicker oil (if you can't find). That Lucus stuff is rediculously good! Siliences the tappets well and the power delivery ends up being pretty smooth.