Air Cooled Engne Oils
 

Hi, I've read where there is a special oil for the seats/guided for the air cooled engine. Can some confirm this? Am I to understand the Castro oils and Havoline, Quarker State oil won't supply the needed lubrication?

I generally run bradpenn, royal purple, or royal purple max cycle motorcycle oil ($$$). There's also different additives from archoil or nanolube but I haven't had a chance to run those yet, though I do use archoil tungsten-disulphide grease in my assembly lube recipe.

Joe Gibbs make a great oil also. ANY engine that runs a flat tappet cam (non roller) you need zinc or ZDDP (zinc dialkyl dithio phosphate) to keep the lifters and cam lobes from wearing out too fast.

I've used the Brad Penn "Green Oil" for years, but have heard good things about the Joe Gibbs "Driven" oil. Some good reading -- http://lnengineering.com/resources/2...ut-motor-oils/

How much per quart? How about having your cam hardened.

Brad Penn is usually around $6-7 a quart in the parts stores/race shops. I get it thru a local oil distributor for $61 per case retail; ~$5 a quart. I'm running a standard Engle FK47 and SLR-treated German lifters. No issues.

I ran brad penn from break-in and through 4000+ miles of racing and had negligible cam/lifter wear. 28mm CB lifters, k8 cam, 1.4:1 rockers, k800 springs, and an 8000 rpm redline.

Zddp hype is over rated. If the oil is doing its job its between the lifter and cam. Its only when there are issues with oiling that you have wear.

I use regular 10-30, quaker state. Served me well in all my aircooled for the last16yrs. Maybe I'm just lucky :)

Lanner

Hi, not doubt the other oils are very good, but if I am to do oil changes every 3000 miles, and then spend $8 per quart for 8 quarts. I will get lazy and strech the intervals.

I have my cam hardend to 61 rockwell, I bought a set of type one lifters that are supposed to be tool steel, how do I have them checked out?

I plan to have the lifters laser drilled adding a oil hole down the center. I also plan to have brothers mechine shop mod my case from 356 bonze bushing to accept the type one lifters. They said that they can groove the bushing for better oiling of the lifter to bushing contact.

There is no such thing as over doing it, just playing it safe.

I used Royal Purple Max Cycle in my '71 Super until the day it died.

I will be using Porsche Classic 20w50 when it becomes available in my '74 Thing.

Porsche's release

I'm sure folks will poo-poo the necessity and others will jeer the probable cost, but I respect Porsche for still recognizing and supporting its air-cooled past. In the end, oil changes are the best and cheapest insurance one can buy.

(While VW doesn't address its air-cooled past except for stray t-shirt or key chain in Driver Gear, they do recommend all sorts of different engine oil for their different engines, so I believe in mating the right product with the right product.)

Hi everyone, I talked to a machinist this past weekend, I've been having oil pressure problems.Our topic digress to oil additives, since he was looking at our entire engine for possible problems and oil supply and pressure. he noted our cam lobs, reminded us that we should add zinc while breaking in the engine. he sell small containers pint size, more like 6 ounces of zinc additive. Has anyone ever heard of zinc additive? also he stated that the zinc was only needed during break in.

I've been using Liqui-Moly additive...but have no idea/evidence if it works or not! But I'm sure it's better than nothing...