Amsoil in Bob's 5KQ

[apowell@ezlink.com]

Bob Mansker asked....and our compadre Avi flagged for me.....

>Decided to use Amsoil on my 87 5000 Q.
>What weight would you recomend, thinking of the 2000 series 
>20/50 weight.

Ought to work just fine.  I normally like a 10/30 just because it's a 
good stable formulation, but nothing's wrong with 20/50.

>My Audi does consume oil more than I want.
>Will the Amsoil help or make this oil consumption worse?

Hard to define "more than I want".  I consider anything less than 1 
quart per 1K miles as acceptable, although this would be on the 
high end for Audis.  I have run a Datsun Z-car burning 1 quart per 
500 miles, and it ran like a champ, no oil smoke, no fouled plugs, 
ran that way for years!

Results with synthetics DO vary, but the most common result I've 
seen is that consumption remains the same. Two common 
variations:

1)  Oil consumptions goes UP because of the wicking properties of 
the synthetic and because it may get past marginal gaskets/seals.
2)  Oil consumption goes DOWN slightly because the synthetic 
will tend to swell good seals in some cars, making it harder for oil 
to get past them.  

I can't offer a prediction as to which of he three possibilities will be 
the case for you.  I can say that I have never had a substantial 
increase in oil consumption with a change to Amsoil, but I have 
heard reports of it happening.  In that case, I'd just run out that oil 
change and go back to what you're using as Castrol is a good 
product.  You could also try the semi-synthetic blends (which most 
of the major brand "synthetics" actually are, if you read the fine 
print) as a mid-point and mid-price solution.  Your goal at this point 
would be to minimize engine wear from this point on.

>Using Castrol petrolum at present.
>Need coments from BTDT.
>Thanks in advance.
>Bob

Hope this helps.  Avi, you are a hoot!

PS: due to work demands, I'm often deleting two-three days of 
digests and reading those from occasional days.  If you folks want 
to email me, feel free to do so directly.  I do try to check digests as 
often as I can.
++++++++++++++++++++WSU-CSU+++++++++++++++++
Al Powell
Apowell@EZlink.com
1958 Fiat 1200 Spyder "Transformabile"
1983 Datsun 280ZXT
1990 Audi 200
http://www.ezlink.com/~powells/
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