02 VW Jetta 1.8T Mobil 1 5W40

[buster]

Quote:
thanks for the comments, keep them coming now that I'm not inundating you with incorrect info.


I think this car is a good candidate for an oil that has very little to zero VII's, which is what you used. VII's do seem to be problematic in some engines.

 

[JohnVitamvas]

Interesting. The coppers haven't seen much gap growth over the 30k interval - just some slight rounding of the electrodes. This is the girlfriend's car and when she comes in saying her gas mileage has gone from 32MPG on a tank to 30MPG I know it's time to change the plugs. That ends up working out to be a 30k interval.

Again this engine seems to have a VERY easy life. A daily drive between Columbia, MD and Frederick MD via Interstate 70 is about all the workout it gets.

Thanks again for the comments everyone.

 

[Market525]

Wow, I can't agree with any of you guys steering him to 10w30, etc. With this a known problematic sludge prone engine, NO WAY I would run anything but a synthetic 5w40. And then only 5K intervals. Sludge prone, small sump, and high heat turbo, together, all a recipe for an expensive disaster.

Just my .02.
Steve

 

[Merkava_4]

A quick glance at Amsoil's Product Application Guide says 5W-40 is the preferred viscosity anyway.

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, he's tugged on Superman's cape and is still here to tell about it.

Just what are the doomsday types predicting in symptoms of falling victim to the "sludge monster"? Is this going to be some insidious, creeping, evolution that will have him humming a happy tune ..sorta like the infamous collegian film "Bambi meets Godzilla"?? Or is he going to notice GOBS of sludge appear (as said by Eddie Murphy in "The Golden Child") "Jestlikethat"(snaps fingers)????

..or is he going to start seeing visible deposits where there were none? Like .....40k from now??

I need to know the reason he should be smacking himself in the head saying "what was I thinking?"

 

[Market525]

No doomsday type here Gary, and you know that.
If you don't, then simply google vw engine sludge and see what you come up with. The 1.8T is a very trouble prone engine.

My only point was -- if I owned a car with a KNOWN problem engine, I certainly would not vary from the correct VW spec oil -
VW502.00 -- and any 5w30 IS NOT the correct VW spec oil - and I would not extend oil change intervals! I am not saying that each and every 1.8T on the road has problems - they do not.

Only trying to share my experiences with this engine.

Makes no difference to me - so I don't understand your sarcasim.

Steve

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
A quick glance at Amsoil's Product Application Guide says 5W-40 is the preferred viscosity anyway.

Not correct. VW says to use a 502.00 approved oil, which may be a 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-40, or 5w-40.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Market525
No doomsday type here Gary, and you know that.
If you don't, then simply google vw engine sludge and see what you come up with. The 1.8T is a very trouble prone engine.

My only point was -- if I owned a car with a KNOWN problem engine, I certainly would not vary from the correct VW spec oil -
VW502.00 -- and any 5w30 IS NOT the correct VW spec oil - and I would not extend oil change intervals! I am not saying that each and every 1.8T on the road has problems - they do not.

Only trying to share my experiences with this engine.

Makes no difference to me - so I don't understand your sarcasim.

Steve

Actually, the transversely mounted 1.8T engines in the Jetta/Golf do not have the same sludge problems as the longitudinally mounted 1.8Ts in the Passat. This is due to the increased the sump capacity in these engines. However, it is still very important that one uses an approved oil and changes it at the recommended intervals.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
No doomsday type here Gary, and you know that.


Don't let my wise-arse style insult you ...it just gets more attention. I was never nursed as an infant. Have some charity.

No ..straight up ...I would assume that there would be telltale visual indications if sludge, of the proportions that we've seen reported, were in formation.

I personally think that while some surely could have been from a lame OEM spec ..that more were due to improper oil selection and not following the OEM spec in terms of miles based on the service.

That is, VW didn't buffer the margins good enough with the mileage spec and some (maybe dealers even) didn't use the spec'd oil that the mileage spec was formulated under. Our domestic 7500 spec's cover those who could go from 6k-12k. Our 3k covers those from 2k-5k. Both with very few units (probably) falling short on maintenance in the application of the spec. OTOH, if 7500 covered from 3001-7501 in coverage ..then a whole lot more are going to slip through the cracks and suffer insult.

Anyway ...can you actually see the valve train on this engine through the oil cap? If so, then surely any "sludge engine" had to have some idiot who couldn't blow his nose if his/her brains were made of dynamite. "Errr ..hey, errr...what's all that tar stuff under the cover?

"

I can't see it forming overnight

 

[JAG]

Did you guys see what the original poster said about how clean it looks when looking inside the oil fill hole? It's surprisingly clean considering what engine it is and the long OCIs.

Originally Posted By: JohnVitamvas
No visible blowby when opening the oil cap after the engine has been shut off. Quick visual under the cap shows only a small amount of varnish, mostly everything is very silvery looking (scientifically speaking... lol).

For the relatively gentle duty this engine sees, I don't think the viscosity of M1 10W-30 is too low.