VW 2.0L Hypermiled

[Judas]

Hello all,

As the topic states I need some advice on oil for my car. The car is a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta with a five speed transmission.

The car is usually driven very gently. I shift around 2k in the city and 3k when merging. About half my miles consist of delivering pizzas during which I drive a little faster shifting between 2k and 3.5k, but am still gentle on the acceleration. I rarely if ever shift above 5k. I drive about 75%city/25%hwy miles.

The car currently has approximately 148,500 miles on it. I have been using Pennzoil SAE 5w30 and a Mann filter with 3-4k mile change intervals since I got the car at 131,000 miles. The car appears to burn some oil, around half a quart between changes.

I am interested in switching to full synthetic due to the longer change interval, but have been told that it isn't a good idea because it may cause my engine to leak oil. Is there any truth to this? My overall question is, what is the best oil for my situation in summer and winter?

 

[HTSS_TR]

You can stay with Pennzoil but extend oil change interval to 5-6k miles or 6 months, this way you can change oil in Fall and Spring.

 

[Judas]

I'm assuming synthetic is fine then and necessary for the 5-6k mile change interval?

 

[Summerwind]

If you have no leaks currently, you shouldn't with a Syn oil. Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra Syn will do 5-6K OCI's Easily In fact, you could most likely extend those And "Hello" from Cedar Rapids!

 

[Burt]

hows the VW holding up in general? They a reputation for falling apart as the miles pile up. What's your experience?

 

[Judas]

It has actually been a pretty solid car. It had some problems that I knew about before I got it, but I've been able to do all the work myself fairly easily. The Master Cylinder went out at 146k, and the muffler is just now rusting off at 148k. I hope it continues to be reliable *knocks on wood*. I am very gentle on the car though, and I like to think that has something to do with it.

 

[Johnny]

Have any idea what oil was used before you got the VW? Another oil you might consider is the Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic oil. You can get it for a good price at Walmart and it will easily do 5-7.5K in your car. A lot of the older VW's like the 5W-40 viscosity.

to BITOG

 

[Judas]

I don't have any idea what was used before I got the car. What would the advantage of 5W40 be over 5W30? I only have a vague understanding of oil weights.

 

[Johnny]

It might help cut down on the oil consumption you have. Both operate the same when cold as they are both 5W, but the 40 is less volatile at operating temps. Plus the T6 has some extra additives in it that might help clean things up a little.

 

[Johnny]

The viscosity chart for a 1997 Jetta should look something like this. A good 5W-40 would be a good year round oil to use.

14 To 50F......20W-20
32 To 86F......30
Above 14F......20W-40, 20W-50
Above 5F......15W-40, 15W-50, 20W-40, 20W-50
Above 68F......40
All TEMPS......5W-50, 10W-50, 10W-60
Below 23F......10W
Below 59F......5w30, 5W-40, 10w30, 10W-40

 

[Judas]

Thanks for the info! This forum is pretty sweet. I realize this isn't exactly the right forum, but would it be a good idea to change my manual transmission fluid as my car approaches 150k?

 

[Johnny]

Yes, that would be a good idea. It calls for a 75W-90 GL-4 gear oil. You should be able to find that in Ames without any problems at one of the larger parts stores. If you have a NAPA, that would be a good place to go.

 

[duaneb9729]

5w 40 is what vw requires in the owners manual, I have one myself same year but with an automatic. My gal gets 27 to 28 MPG driving it back and fourth to work.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Judas
I'm assuming synthetic is fine then and necessary for the 5-6k mile change interval?

No. 5-6K miles can easily be accomplished on mineral oil. If you switch to synthetic, you could most likely push it out to 10K.

 

[The_Eric]

Greetings from Boone.. Have no fears about switching to synthetics. As Johnny suggested, Rotella T6 5W-40 would be a good oil for you. BTW, where do you find Mann filters around here?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Another oil you might consider is the Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic oil.


Yup. Here's my used oil analysis of Rotella T in our '01 Jetta 2.0 at 10K miles. Granted, ours used quite a bit more oil than the OP's.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/01-jetta-2-0-rts-5w-40-10-000-miles.124345/

 

[Judas]

The_Eric: I unfortunately don't know of a place that sells them locally. One of the dealers in Des Moines might, but I get my Mann filters from www.germanautoparts.com.

Quattro Pete: That's pretty interesting, I really didn't know that I could potentially run a synthetic for more than 6-7k miles. And that oil analysis is just plain cool.