Schaeffer's 9000 5w40 - '03 TDI top end pic

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Did the timing belt and water pump on an '03 Beetle 1.9 TDI (ALH) and peeked inside while I was at it. Currently at 267,000 mi., it's been running Schaeffer's since around 120K - first syn blend 15w40, but for the last 2 years or so full syn 5w40 with a 10K OCI and mostly highway driving. Hard to get it cleaner, I'd say.

 
Not mine, it's my BIL's DD. Mileage has been down lately - it was in the mid 40's but has been coming down to 40 or a little less over this winter. However, it's still all stock and has never had the intake cleaned so that's likely what's hurting it - power and throttle response is really bad lately, but boost will still hit 15+ so it seems unlikely it's the turbo getting weak. FWIW it got substantially quieter and smoother when he switched from 15/40 to 5/40.
 
I've cleaned literally hundreds of those intakes when I worked in a machine shop. It's incredible how nasty they can get and the engine still runs. I've seen a few you couldn't even stick a pinky finger in, only had a hold about the size of a pencil that wasn't plugged up.

It looks great inside.
 
I'd believe it! It'll still pull to over 4,000 RPM so I don't think it's that bad, but it doesn't have any semblance of the "snap" it used to have when you lay into it. It's getting struts, brakes, shocks, and numerous other goodies soon so it'll be like a whole new car before too long!
 
As FlyNavyP3 said, remove and clean the intake manifold. Those things will plug completely and you'll never get a CEL. It just keeps breathing less and less air until it finally wheezes over on the side of the road.

Fabulous looking cam area! I really like that Schaeffer's stuff.
 
About a quart every 7K.

This is the first engine run on Schaeffer's that I've ever opened up, but I'm real happy with their syn blend 10w30 in my '85 454-powered GMC. I can't see much through the oil fill tube on it, but what I can see looks just as clean. Now I see they make "racing oil" (1700-2300 PPM zinc) - that'll be nice for my old stuff.
 
I have grown quite fond of Shaeffer oils over the last several years. I primarily use the syn blend HDEO's in my stuff, but have occasionally used the 9000 5w40 full syn in some applications. My commercial stuff gets their 711 10w30 blend in the winter and their 700 15w40 in the summer. My commercial engines get the top off once and year and the overhead adjusted. Nice and clean under the cover. My highest mileage one has 672,000 miles on it, gets 22.5K mile oil changes, and uses about 2 qt of oil in that time frame with either 10w30 or 15w40. UOA's have hardly changed over the life of the engine.
 
I have never run a syn oil in any of our AG tractors and they all look just as clean as this one. There is nothing special about SYN oil other than marketing. Edit. All this shows is that you have done a good job of taking care of this engine. Has nothing to do with the syn oil vs dino oil.
 
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I still like the results
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And, aren't these subject to cam wear due to a MFG fault? If so, this one is showing good cam longevity
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no the 2003 and old models are essentially bulletproof and use a rotary injection pump, the engine code is ALH

the 2004-2006 had the PD engine (BEW or BRM) engine code, these had the biodegradeable camshafts, (I own one, LOL)
 
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