Maxlife Synthetic 5w-30, VW/Audi 1.8L Engine

[VeeDubb]

Here's one for those who are speculating about the robustness of Maxlife Synthetic. This engine is the ultimate test: It is a turbo with a 4 quart sump. Known for sludging. If maxlife can handle this environment, then its a great oil. This environment is made even tougher by the fact that there was high fuel dilution. All I can say is that Maxlife synthetic is an incredible oil.

Vehicle is 2002 Passat.
Miles on unit: 69,825
Miles on oil: 3,842 (Jan 11-May 24, 2007). Very cold from January to March/April.
Driving style: mostly daily commutes to work (9 miles highway, 5 miles city).

Iron 5
Copper 4
Tin 0
Lead 0
Chromium 0
Nickel 0
Aluminum 3
Titanium 0
Silver 0
Calcium 1651
Magnesium 8
Zinc 721
Phosphorus 817
Barium 1
Molybdenum 328
Ant imony 0
Silicon 2
Sodium 6
Boron 0
Potassium 0
Vanadium 0
TAN 2.35
Flashpoint 255
Oxidat ion 20
Water (KF - ppm) 776
TBN 2.4
Fuel 1.86
Soot 0
Glycol/Coolant 0
Viscosity Index 156
Sulfate Byproducts 22


I won't comment on the results as I've already gotten a proprietary interpretation from Terry. I am not necessarily happy with what's going on with my engine, but am extremely pleased with Terry's findings, advice and recommendations. He's the king.

For comparison's sake, here is my previous report (Synpower 5w-40) done by Blackstone at 20K:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/s...true#Post217614

 

[VeeDubb]

Forgot that viscosity was:

57.5 @40
9.8 @100

Oil starts at I think 73@100 so it it did thin.
Unfortunately, I can't tell whether this oil is shear stable or not given the fuel dilution.

 

[buster]

Not bad. Sounds like makes great engines but with design issues. I'd like to see Amsoil 5w-30 as a comparison, although this is a good report considering the water, really low flash point and tbn.

 

[badtlc]

So can you at least tell us something about what is wrong with your engine? Does it require a trip to the shop or is it small stuff you can do yourself to get it into proper shape?

 

[VeeDubb]

Buster,
Thanks for your comments. This is the lowest wear on this engine I've seen in any report, including those w/o fuel dilution so I'd attribute it more to the oil than the engine design, although 1.8T's are not bad wearing engines. The new 2.0T seems to wear much worse.

badtl,
Some of the issues may involve minor dealership stuff and others are DIY. The trick is isolating the problem and finding a long term solution. But I do think the problem(s) can be fixed or at least mitigated.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Add-pack looks similar to Havoline dino. What's "special", must be coming from the base oil blend. Thanks for this UOA.... I have plenty of Maxlife Syn to use-up. I feel confident using it for 5K OCIs.... shortened OCIs resulting from the infamous intake leak associated with some GM engines.

 

[JAG]

Quote:

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Buster,
This is the lowest wear on this engine I've seen in any report, including those w/o fuel dilution so I'd attribute it more to the oil than the engine design, although 1.8T's are not bad wearing engines.

---

Same here!

Here are my list of things you can do to maybe help the engine tune and therefore the fuel dilution.

Are your coilpacks 100% reliable? Stumbling under acceleration or CEL mentioning misfires would be signs.

The best spark plugs I found after trying several are NGK Platinum plugs with factory recommended gap (they came stock on my 03' VW 1.8T).

Did you replace your coolant temp sensor with the "Green Top" improved version?

You may want to spray your MAF sensor with CRC MAF sensor cleaner.

Run a Chevron Techron Fuel Additive or similar product if it's been a while since last time. Unfortunately it seems like this is best done at the end of an OCI. I'd run it now anyway if it's been a while.

 

[VeeDubb]

Thanks for the list of recommendations, Jag.

My coilpacks were replaced at about 25k under warranty and I haven't experienced misfires or CEL's. Do you know of any issues with replacement coils packs?

Just had spark plugs replaced with OEM plugs.

The coolant temp sensor is something I'll have to look into.

And I'll probably run some injector cleaner through the system.

I have a feeling that the new plugs didn't solve the problem because 800 miles into my current interval of Synpower 5w-40, the turbo response is already feeling different from when the oil was first put in. Plus, gas mileage is up, so I suspect I'm already getting some dilution.

 

[bruce381]

the oil is wet
bruce

 

[wavinwayne]

Quote:

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the oil is wet
bruce

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For the pea-brain in my wooden skull, please explain what you mean, bruce.

 

[JAG]

Quote:

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My coilpacks were replaced at about 25k under warranty and I haven't experienced misfires or CEL's. Do you know of any issues with replacement coils packs?

---

Some people have had some bad replacement coilpacks too, but you'll probably notice if one or more is bad.

Considering the high emulsed water level in your oil, the fuel and water dilution may be largely due to the short trips the engine usually does.

One other potential item possibly responsible is less than perfect PCV functioning. Is this the engine that you said they checked the PCV valve on and said was okay?

 

[VeeDubb]

Quote:

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One other potential item possibly responsible is less than perfect PCV functioning. Is this the engine that you said they checked the PCV valve on and said was okay?

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Yeah, the PCV system checked out okay with my mechanic. But you had also suggested evidence of pre-varnish based on the description I gave you of what it looks like in my filler cap hole. My mechanic didn't take the whole system apart so who knows? It's certainly something I'm going to keep my eyes on.

 

[JAG]

"Who knows" is right! My hose that comes up from the PCV valve has some nasty varnish on it. Varnish probably isn't the right word for it. It's really hard, black and almost as thick as a penny. One of these days I want to get a new PCV valve put on and replace the hose as well so I can keep an eye on a clean hose.

 

[VeeDubb]

Jag,
Good call on the green top temp sensor. It looks like I have the old one so I'm going to get it replaced. Did you ever have the black top in your car and what symptoms did you notice?

 

[JAG]

With the black one, eventually my coolant temp reading would swing WILDLY some times. Even if that doesn't happen to you, I still think it's worth changing as insurance since it's known as an unreliable part, it's cheap and is easy to change yourself. www.vwvortex.com has DIY instructions.

 

[buster]

VeeDubb, any update on this?