Suggested oil for high mile 1.6 N/A?

[clbanman]

I often wonder why all the hype about "synthetics"? I mean they weren't around years back and engines still high mileage with Dino-Oil and no ill effects..?

Why are they so much better really? (this coming from a person with no "oil" experience so don't flame me for it) I mean i understand better lubricating properties and longer oil life (?).. can anyone give a good example why Syn oil is better then Con oil?

Thanks.. im intrigued by this

Take a 1 litre bottle of your regular dino oil and 1 of the synthetic and stick it in your freezer for a few hours.  Then take out and pour.   The dino likely won't even come out of the bottle, while the synthetic will.  Now think of a cold winter morning start-up and your poor oil pump trying to pull oil that has been in -20 degree temps all night and pushing it through some of the oil passages in your engine.

[8v-of-fury]

you guys make good points thank you for clarifying

[Pre95]

I often wonder why all the hype about "synthetics"? I mean they weren't around years back and engines still high mileage with Dino-Oil and no ill effects..?

Why are they so much better really? (this coming from a person with no "oil" experience so don't flame me for it) I mean i understand better lubricating properties and longer oil life (?).. can anyone give a good example why Syn oil is better then Con oil?

Thanks.. im intrigued by this

Take a 1 litre bottle of your regular dino oil and 1 of the synthetic and stick it in your freezer for a few hours.  Then take out and pour.   The dino likely won't even come out of the bottle, while the synthetic will.  Now think of a cold winter morning start-up and your poor oil pump trying to pull oil that has been in -20 degree temps all night and pushing it through some of the oil passages in your engine.

I thought that's why they have block heaters? I understand the synthetic will work out of the box but with a block heater I have not had any oil pressure problems on winter start-ups...

[theman53]

block heaters heat the water. Oil pan heaters do the oil. Some of the heat will go to the oil from a block heater, but it is still going to be cold for the most part.

[dieselweasel]

Rotella does not make synthetic oil. A legal loophole allows them to sell dino oil cracked to have "synthetic-like properties" as if it were real synthetic. Thats why its not sold in European countries or Canada.

Rotella 5w-40 synthetic IS sold in Canada, even though it's not a true synthetic. 

[Rabbit TD]

There are those few engines that will come around and cease to consume oil..  All depends on the condition and composition of the engine...

However if it's already consuming dino oil, it's going to get worse with synthetic, and if the engine is already in that sort of condition, it's not going to get any better..  90% of the time it'll remain worse...

One of my former VW's consumed approximately 1 quart of dino every 2500 miles..  After switching to Amsoil it consumed a quart every 1000 miles.. It continued this for a year or 60K miles until switching back to dino..  Once back on Rotella it went back to it's normal 1 quart for every 2500 miles..

 My 70 Torino is much the same way...With only being driven a few hundred miles a year it's tough to gauge consumption, but with a relatively low milage yet original engine the proof is both on the spark plugs and the floor of the garage.. Now that it too is back on Rotella there are neither drops on the floor nor deposits on the plugs... No myth about that...

My 91 Crown Vic and 96 Grand Marquis are absolutely fine on synthetic..  The the 91 was switched at 150K miles, the MGM at 54K miles.. When I have the new engine done for the VW it too will be on synthetic...

Nothing to be scared of indeed. Some vehicles respond well, others don't.. But as far as cost effectivness if one is already dumping a fair amount of dino oil through an engine it woudl be foolish to be dumping more something that costs more through it...

I don't think there is such a thing as a 1.6 VW Diesel old, new, bored or not that doesn't burn at least a quart every 3,000 mi. at least is there?  I've had 5 0f these 1.5's and 1.6's over the years and they all used about the same amount and everybody else I've known with them has had the same results.  My current one which is a rebored 1.6 T/D with about 5,000 on it now with Rotella 15/40 does the same.  I'd really like to use a synthetic actualy but I'm positive it would just use more just because of the fact it's thinner to begin with and it sure don't get thicker as it warms up.  We have a 23:1 comp. ratio that I'd be willing to make a bet on that has a lot to do with it. 

[maxfax]

I don't think there is such a thing as a 1.6 VW Diesel old, new, bored or not that doesn't burn at least a quart every 3,000 mi. at least is there? 

It's rare I think..  THe one I currently drive got a simple re-ring and bearing job..   Leaked from the get go cause of a cracked 11mm block..    Pulled the head and tried some thread sealer on the stud, got 10K miles out of it with no oil consumption...  But never fear, it's back to spewing oil in the coolant again..

[theman53]

My old 81 that had a 1.6 with the 11mm head bolts  didn't use any oil if the valve cover gasket was good. That was before I knew about the rubber upgraded one or even this site.

That being said the original post for suggested oil I would still recommend any Diesel rated 15w-40. Any oil like that would be better than running a gas oil. I have never had an issue running Rotella T and that is what I will run and if you asked me to tell you what to do I would say run the Rotella as well.

[rabbitman]

Before I installed my non working turbo I didn't need to add hardly any oil between changes, maybe a pint at the most and I like to keep it full .

[theman53]

The last one I had I forgot about. It was an 84 NA and I liked to keep it full all the time...I was low on cash and oil for a bit and noticed it was low. I didn't put any in it and it went down to half way between full and add. It was a week or two before I got oil and I would check it once a day, but it didn't move. I then got some oil and didn't add any and I never used oil past that point. Aparently it would only leak, burn, lose it to that point and then it was done.

[OM617]

Mercedes is exactly the same way. Keep it full and it will always leak/burn oil, keep it half between the marks and consumption/loss will nearly stop.

[rabbitman]

Aircooled airplanes are the same way, the dipstick has each quart marked on it but if you fill it as full as it goes it's just pump it out the breather. So if 8 quarts is full, you just put six in and it won't waste as much.

[Rabbit on Roids]

my car is pretty much the same way. it burns the first half of the dip stick fast, in about 1000 miles. then the last half takes for freakin ever it seems.

[burn_your_money]

I've found all my Vw engines to be the same. The top half of the dipstick just disappears but the bottom half never seems to go away.

[Pre95]

I've found all my Vw engines to be the same. The top half of the dipstick just disappears but the bottom half never seems to go away.

I can attest to that as well. Both on the Audi 5 cylinder engines as well as the VW 8v's & 16v's I have owned. I do notice when I hit the halfway mark on the dipstick that I get a touch of lifter tap. I just keep her topped off 

BTW, ended up going with Rotella 15w 40. Works like... well... like oil should.