I have read somewhere in the non VW forum that on diesel VWs a pre-lube pump would greatly extend the life span of cylinders. Do you have opinions about that. Which pump should be used? Where should it be set? Where would one set up a pressure (not a dumb light) sending unit?
Thanks.
Haybayian
Given that the average VW diesel is good for 300-500K before there is significant wear to warrant re-ringing or boring. I see the pre lube pump as a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Maybe lighten your wallet a lot but it would take a hell of a long time to prove effective. Cheers Dan
Since you've asked for opinions I'll give you mine... strangely it's exactly the same as Dan's:
I see the pre lube pump as a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Modern synthetic oils are a million miles away, chemically, from the old days when the bulk of the "85% of all wear takes place in the first 5 seconds" research took place.
To put it empirically: when I pull the valve cover off my diesel to check the timing things are still well coated in oil. I recently popped the crank bearings out of a motor that had not been running for over a month..same answer... slippery with (black) oil still.
I've decided that there are tons of things I can spend money on in the engine bay to increase longitivity before scraping the bottom of the barrel for that last crumb.
And... some of the best and time-proven ways to increase longitivity are completely free:
- don't rev the engine (and the turbo) until the engine has had time to establish oil pressure throughout the entire system
- don't rev hard until the oil comes up to temperature
Just my opinion... your mileage may vary... contents may settle during shipping... may or many not contain traces of peanuts...
Vince