Switching Oil?

[cube1980]

Hey guys, My 96 Golf that I purchased a few months ago is now running perfectly. Since the colder weather will be getting here soon (Northern Ontario) I'm wondering if I should switch to Synthetic.  I know this can bring up a bunch of debates as to which oil to use etc etc.  I'm just wondering if after 212,000km I can switch from 15W-40 Shell to a synthetic for winter (and possibly stay with it next summer)   My main concern is I've read that some people develop major leaks after switching?  Any comments suggestions???

[burn_your_money]

On my 92 TD jetta I swithed to synth (rotella t sb) at 480 xxx kms and I didn't notice any extra leaks or oil consumption. I switched back to dino in the spring and again, it was fine.

[myke_w]

The rumor mill is huge on this topic.

But bottom line is that leaks are caused by bad seals - not by type of oil.

Synthetic oils tend to be lower viscosity than dino, so that might explain part of the perceived problem, but if your seals arent all brittle it should be fine.

[Smokey Eddy]

you don't have to do anything to switch oils do you? just when you change put in synthetic?
I filled the oil filter with synthetic and the rest is dinosaur bones

[arb]

Yeah, just dump the oil and and filter, put new ALL 100% synthetic in.

The "Blend" is the biggest scam in the oil industry. They can add any % of synthetic to dino oil, even less than 1% synthetic and still call it a blend. You pay a huge price and get nothing.

I use Mobil 1. Even their 20w 50 is better in the winter if you are thinking you want a thicker oil.  Mobil also makes an "industral" lube called Delvac1 (NOT Delvac 1300) that is 100% synthetic and can be used w/o oil change if you change your filter regularly and do oil analysis. I have done this on 2 Ford PowerStrokes as Mobil 1 does not have the required CD-4 rating these PowerStrokes need. I went over 100K miles on the "same" oil. Mind you, the 2 quart filter changed with fresh oil 15 times durring that time and the tests all showed it to be in new specs.

[gigaz2]

thats interesting, is there a way to do a DIY test to the oil?

[dieselwagen]

I went over 100K miles on the "same" oil. Mind you, the 2 quart filter changed with fresh oil 15 times durring that time and the tests all showed it to be in new specs.

100k miles :shock: very impressive

are you positive this is not a typo, and that you really meant to say 10k instead.

i'm always on the look-out for "better" oil for my ride.

[myke_w]

thats interesting, is there a way to do a DIY test to the oil?

Blackstone labs in Indiana does TBN and oil content tests. TBN tells you how many miles are left based on the breakdown of additives etc.

It's very common for oil in a TDI to have 3 or 4k miles of life left when changed at 10k miles (standard tdi interval).

Some oils in the elf line purport to be good for up to 25k miles between changes.

Correct me if I'm wrong - I think what arb is saying is that he never drained oil from the pan, just replaced what was lost with the filter.

[gigaz2]

seems like that, changing the filter 15 times in a 10k interval doesn't make much sense...

-honey, I'm going to the grocery!
its a 2mile drive... must change the oil filter first!
 
 :lol:  :lol:

[cyrus #1]

Our local CAT dealer does oil analysis.  We've used them to test our hydraulic system at work before.  I can't see the test results being any different as they're simply checking for particles and harmful compounds.  If I remember correctly the test cost about $30 or $40.

[jtanguay]

some of the new cummins' use a system that burns some used oil, and then introduces fresh clean oil into the system to compensate.  by doing this they extend the oil change intervals to well over 500'000km, but filter changes remain at around 25'000km or so (not 100% sure on these figures.. just approximate)

so i do not doubt that just changing the filter alone and using a good oil will last many many km's.

in diesels the TBN isn't quite affected like in gassers.  gasoline WILL break down the motor oil, while diesel won't as much... if any???  just thin it out? different things can affect TBN though such as the acid formed when not driving much or the car not getting up to temperature like on a good highway run etc...  check out www.fs2500.com and view the video's.  some guys have actual samples of oil and are running much more than 100'000 miles.  they can do this because the fs-2500 filter removes the soot from the oil.  probably the single most detrimental substance to a diesel engine, next to dirt  :lol:

i've heard of guys running amsoil in their gassers who haven't changed the oil for 100'000km.... all with sending samples for oil analysis.  now it does help that they have to add fresh oil to top it off... so technically it's not 100% of the old oil...

now back on track, go with synthetic!!!  :lol:  you won't be dissapointed unless you have an oil leak somewhere... and in that case it will cost you!

[dieselwagen]

 Mobil also makes an "industral" lube called Delvac1 (NOT Delvac 1300) that is 100% synthetic and can be used w/o oil change if you change your filter regularly and do oil analysis.
 I went over 100K miles on the "same" oil. Mind you, the 2 quart filter changed with fresh oil 15 times durring that time and the tests all showed it to be in new specs.

i googled mobil delvac 1 and the company indeed claim the possibility of 100k OCI. {damn, you weren't kidding arb} to the tune of ~$40 usd. per gallon bottle.

[gigaz2]

with 30 to 40 bucks per oil analysis its more cost effective to just change the oil at the required intervals.

is there some DIY that can be made? the old venerable Hagar on the other board made blotter tests, those show differences in densities and soot content, but I don't know hot to interpret them.

[jtanguay]

with 30 to 40 bucks per oil analysis its more cost effective to just change the oil at the required intervals.

is there some DIY that can be made? the old venerable Hagar on the other board made blotter tests, those show differences in densities and soot content, but I don't know hot to interpret them.

i think that oil analysis might be quite a bit cheaper in the states...  but they can tell you critical information about your motor such as water content, antifreeze content, fuel in oil content, soot, and wear particles such as iron and other metals.

you can buy digital testers on the market that test the oil by comparing a fresh sample vs the sample you take from your car.  it will measure how dirty it is and give a reading.  they're not cheap!!!

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/do_i_need_a_tbn_.html - info on TBN

they do oil analysis for $22.50

[Ziptar]

i googled mobil delvac 1 and the company indeed claim the possibility of 100k OCI. {damn, you weren't kidding arb} to the tune of ~$40 usd. per gallon bottle.

Even better, Go to Walmart and pickup Mobil1 "Turbo Diesel Truck" 5w-40 Synthetic for ~$23.00 a gallon. It is Mobil Delvac 1 Synthetic in Retail Packaging. Compare Mobil Delvac 1 5W-40 vs. Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40. If there is no wally world near you, Advance Auto Parts carries Quarts for ~$6.00.

I've used it for years in my TDIs and TD.

Since we are talking oil.... This will  be the first New England winter for me and The Jetta. Should I stick with the 5w-40 or go with Mobil 1 0w-40??