VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.
Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: Pre95 on June 27, 2009, 11:54:15 pm
-
I don't even know what oil is in the car currently, other then that it's black.
-
I like delo 400 15w-40 with 1/2 a quart of lucas oil stabilizer, I like thick oil ;D.
My latest mix was the delo with hy-per lube oil suppliment, I hate it. I used to cruise at 2500rpm and have 65psi oil pressure, as soon as I started using the hy-per at the same ratio it dropped to 45psi.
Next oil change is gonna be maybe a full quart of lucas ;D.
-
you can run normal 30wt in these engines, and have almost nothing for oil pressure, then dump some lucas in there and have more oil pressure then you know what to do with.
-
If you add Lucas, you're using the wrong oil and causing damage.
Oil additives should never be used.
-
whys that?
-
They are useless at best, sometimes harmful. A quart of oil is already more than half additives. Adding your own on top of it can conflict with the oil maker's intended effects, producing negative results like foaming (Lucas), sludge (anything with PTFE) and oil starvation (any oil thickener).
The oil companies have over a billion dollars towards R&D of their oils, do you really think any consumer knows better than them because a bottle on parts store shelf says it can perform some miracle?
-
I really like good old Rotella 15-40. It is cheap and really does a good job. It is also rated for diesel, which no matter which oil you go with should say on the bottle that it is diesel rated. I have used the synthetic rotella and others, but on an engine that has any leaks it usually makes it worse. I basically don't like quaker state and castrol for brands and have usually always come back to Rotella or Valoline for conventional oils.
Whatever you like that is what you should use just make sure the rating is approved for diesel.
-
X2 for the rotella. its stocked at most wal marts ::), super cheap, and my 1.6 n/a with well over 200K on the clock loves it ;D
-
Rotella for me as well. Synthetic in the winter for easy start ups
-
Walmart also carries Ford's Motorcraft 15/40 in the orange 5 quart container and I have been using this off and on. Last winter, it was like $2.00 less than what 5 quarts of Rotella pencils out to. I figured: it's good enough for Ford's warranty on their elaborate diesels! No ill effects in me cars.
-
rotella-t
the white container. for synthetics, it's eneos or royal purple. - rotella's "synthetic" is a normal group 3 oil, not a full syn.
-
What is the difference between normal oil and diesel rated oil anyway? Does it make any real difference if you use petrol engine oil in a diesel engine?
-
What is the difference between normal oil and diesel rated oil anyway? Does it make any real difference if you use petrol engine oil in a diesel engine?
yes, it does.
a diesel rated oil is rated to suspend soot particals
-
The scientific fact is: VW says use any oil in the appropriate viscosity range for your climate with at least a CF rating. Since that's a 1980's rating we go with what's available today: anything with a CJ-4 rating or better.
That includes oils like Delvac 1 and Shell Rotella T. Elf makes some, Amsoil makes some, PetroCanada makes some.
-
I use Rotella 15w40 and I change it every 2500 miles. I can hear a difference right after the oil change!
-
I also use the Rotella 15/40 which most everybody else does too and like they say, you can get it about anywhere. I'd like to use a synthetic but the amount these things burn and they do even rebuilt or not and as often as we have to change it because of the soot I'd just stay with Rotella. I've used it in all the VW diesels I've ever had. I think Amsoil has some of the best stuff around and they have an oil or grease for everything under the sun but it's pretty expensive for these motors and it's so hard to get when you need it.
Amsoil makes a 2 stroke oil called 100 to 1 and that's the ratio you mix it. We use it in the National Park service in all our 2 strokes at that ratio and I've never seen an engine problem or even a bad plug in 6 years in anything yet . And weve got a lot of weedwhackers and chainsaws that are used every day. That's half the oil that any other brand is, most are 50/1 today.
-
Oil additives should never be used.
Never is such an end all statement. All things may have a use if the situation is right.
As an example, before I married my wife, she drove a ford bronco II that looked great but needed some serious engine work. Low compression, super noisy valve train etc. She had just hired a plumber to do a bunch of work at her place during a remodel. When I looked at the bid I saw that he had waaay over charged her for the work. She had been straight up taken advantage of.
Now it so happens that this plumber commented a few times about how much he liked her bronco that he saw sitting in the driveway. He had never been there when it was running. I talked him into a straight up swap, bronco for the work. He would test drive the car the next day and seal the deal. I changed the oil that night with 20w-50 and added just about every oil thickening, valve quieting, smoke reducing additive there was. It was probably like 90w now :o. That thing purred like a kitten. The guy drove it the next day and accepted the trade. When he was done the job, he got the truck, thinking we were both suckers and he was making out on both ends. About a month later we get a call from this guy saying the truck was making a lot of "funny noises" and his mechanic told him it would cost over a grand to fix and he wanted his money instead. I told him the new overpriced toilet leaked so I guess we were even.....
Still say "never"?
-
Never is such an end all statement.
For good reason.
All things may have a use if the situation is right.
In the the case of oil additives, the only reason for their existence is to make the sellers money. "Snake oil"?
About a month later we get a call from this guy saying the truck was making a lot of "funny noises" and his mechanic told him it would cost over a grand to fix and he wanted his money instead. I told him the new overpriced toilet leaked so I guess we were even.
....
Still say "never"?
Yes. That was a very deceptive and dishonest act. I'll be sure never to buy anything from you and I'll warn everyone else of the same.
-
The scientific fact is: VW says use any oil in the appropriate viscosity range for your climate with at least a CF rating. Since that's a 1980's rating we go with what's available today: anything with a CJ-4 rating or better.
That includes oils like Delvac 1 and Shell Rotella T. Elf makes some, Amsoil makes some, PetroCanada makes some.
Delvac 1 is my favorite. Indefinite life if you change the filter at normal intervals and do an oil analysis. Easy starts in the winter and superior mpg from the reduced friction.
-
Never is such an end all statement.
For good reason.
All things may have a use if the situation is right.
In the the case of oil additives, the only reason for their existence is to make the sellers money. "Snake oil"?
About a month later we get a call from this guy saying the truck was making a lot of "funny noises" and his mechanic told him it would cost over a grand to fix and he wanted his money instead. I told him the new overpriced toilet leaked so I guess we were even.
....
Still say "never"?
Yes. That was a very deceptive and dishonest act. I'll be sure never to buy anything from you and I'll warn everyone else of the same.
Ya know, you come accross as a mister know it all in a lot of your posts and make quite a few nasty comments along the way insulting members in the process. Having all the information in the world and being the smartest guy around does no good if you cant get your message accross with out turning people off. Why dont you tone it down a bit? If you want to answer with some smart aleck answer you can just keep it to your self, if you dont want to respond, thats fine too. If you want to "warn everyone" about me you just go right ahead. :-*
-
(http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/images/smilies/stupid.gif)
or
X2 if you will.
It does seem like your upset with us. I like you but you don't seem to like us. That or your VW is giving you fits or possibly something else? Let us in, share your burden, we may be able to help.
-
To tell the truth Ive only been an active user of this forum a wet week and I'd be inclined to agree too.
-
My Dad told me that a long time ago he was going on a trip in an American car (boat) with a guy and it had such bad oil pressure that they could only go 35mph tops. So the guy stopped and got a bottle of STP oil stabilizer and that fixed it, they roared off just normal.
-
My Dad told me that a long time ago he was going on a trip in an American car (boat) with a guy and it had such bad oil pressure that they could only go 35mph tops. So the guy stopped and got a bottle of STP oil stabilizer and that fixed it, they roared off just normal.
He probably had a worn-out Chevy with hydraulic lifters and old thin oil that would not pump them up properly - the STP "oil treatment" as they called it when I was a kid, masked the real problems by thickening the oil.
-
My Dad told me that a long time ago he was going on a trip in an American car (boat) with a guy and it had such bad oil pressure that they could only go 35mph tops. So the guy stopped and got a bottle of STP oil stabilizer and that fixed it, they roared off just normal.
He probably had a worn-out Chevy with hydraulic lifters and old thin oil that would not pump them up properly - the STP "oil treatment" as they called it when I was a kid, masked the real problems by thickening the oil.
Yeah whatever the problem was it fixed it, I don't know what engine it was or how the maintenance was kept up.
-
Those old, loosely built Chevys are why there is 20W50 oil on the shelves.
-
Those old, loosely built Chevys are why there is 20W50 oil on the shelves.
Just about any older American engine is why there are things like 20w50 and STP.. I feel Ford was even worse for poor oiling.. There was a brief period in the late 70's / early 80's they used NYLON rotors in the oil pumps... Not even 90wt gear oil would get oil pressure out of those things...
Now to the other end of the spectrum, I ran 5w20 and a wix racing filter the first winter I had the current VW... After 3 oil pumps and several different brands of filters it was the only thing that woudl keep the pressure low enough so that the filter wouldn;t explode.. Hot idle it would carry 90psi on it.. Kinda neat when the poil pressure gauge exploded one night... Once it got about 10K on the engine it was fine.. Guess the clearances were too tight.. I'm back to rotella T 15w40 and a standard Wix filter now... Shame the friggen block is cracked....
-
Those old, loosely built Chevys are why there is 20W50 oil on the shelves.
Just about any older American engine is why there are things like 20w50 and STP.. I feel Ford was even worse for poor oiling.. There was a brief period in the late 70's / early 80's they used NYLON rotors in the oil pumps... Not even 90wt gear oil would get oil pressure out of those things...
Now to the other end of the spectrum, I ran 5w20 and a wix racing filter the first winter I had the current VW... After 3 oil pumps and several different brands of filters it was the only thing that woudl keep the pressure low enough so that the filter wouldn;t explode.. Hot idle it would carry 90psi on it.. Kinda neat when the poil pressure gauge exploded one night... Once it got about 10K on the engine it was fine.. Guess the clearances were too tight.. I'm back to rotella T 15w40 and a standard Wix filter now... Shame the friggen block is cracked....
I have the opposite on my diesel caravan - I get 90 - 100 psi max oil pressure when cold this summer. After warm-up, I typically have 44 - 60 psi while driving and 20 - 30 psi while idling. This is with the Mobil-1 filter, but Rotella 30. I'm switching to Mobil-1 when I swap my pan to change the trubo oil return line. Got too much oil going out the turbo compressor seals.
-
The clevite bearing rep won't run anything but 20w-50 in his cars. Why? he says that the newer oils especially the sythetics vicosity isn't the same even if it says it is. I still run syns but besides my VWs the older chevys is what has had the most oil pressure of all vehicles I have had. Love the VW and chevy for that reason.
-
That's really interesting.. I have clevite bearings in my car, the one that had astronomical oil pressure... 20w50 woudl have sent the oil filter into orbit just from cranking....
I haven;t head so much about viscosity issues, but rather the lack of zinc in the oil.. Rotella is one of the few brands that still have a decent zinc content.. After alot of premature camshaft failures a few years back (the brand or the installer of seemed to make no difference) Jasper Engines and I think it was Comp Cams came forward they they do all their breakin and testing with Rotella.. Personally I think it was just a huge lot of soft cores...
Chevy's never really seemed to have issues with oil pressure itself, but rather poor oiling tot he valvetrain.. The bottom ends held up well, but the cams and lifters would wear something fierce and requite the heavier oil to make enough pressure to keep them functioning decent.. By the late 80's they changed something to help this out...
-
Rotella FTW! just give it the same thing every diesel gets.. rotella is everywhere, and cheap. diesels are way less susceptible to engine wear, compared to a gasser. the gassers inhale the fuel and air at the same time, and the gas washes off alot of the oil on the cylinder wall. as with a diesel, they only inhale air, so when the piston is going up and down, there is more oil on the cylinder wall to help keep wear from happening. thats why it takes most diesels 50-100k miles to get good and broken in.
-
Beware of Rotella's "synthetic" oil though.
-
This is an interesting discussion. MAYBE I can add something maybe not... Oil viscosity is not how "thin" or "thick" an oil is but rather its ability to flow at a given temperature. This may seem like splitting hairs but it actually is an important distinction. Synthetics offer an advantage being a "thicker" oil while maintaining lower viscosity rating. As a side note I use Valvoline Premium Blue. On the additive note, additives do not fix engines, but they can make a situation managable until a complete repair can be made. I would not worry about reuining an engine because you substitute lucas oil for real oil especially if you have a problem you will not be fixing or a while. Just my .02.
-
Kib45 makes an important point. 20W50 and 5W50 would give the same protection at high temperatures but the 5W is way better for cold starts (and I don't just mean winter).
As far as the Chevy issue, oil pressure was not a problem on new cars, but when the cams/lifters went (and in the 70's and 80's they went quickly) guys would frequently not replace cam bearings. If you didn't do new cam bearings, your pressure would be way lower than new.
Also, while I have no idea of how true this is for VW's, most North American engines don't require the oil pressure that most people think they do. For example, Smokey Yunick used to recommend 10 psi/1000 rpm for racing engines. Most people would get nervous if they saw 10 psi at an idle. I have heard other reputable sources recommend 15 psi/1000 rpm.
-
Too much oil pressure can actually be a bad thing.. Kinda like taking a pressure washer to sand, although it's oil to your bearings.. 10psi per 1000rpm is adequate.. Heck the old GM 60 deg V6's only ever carried about 6 or 7 psi at hot idle...
-
for the astronomical oil readings person
I experienced this same problem when we rebuilt a mazda 2.0 gasser engine for a 626.
first start
crank crank - fire - boom (OEM filter explodes to bits)
new Mann filter
crank crank - fire - boom
we were using 10W40 oil and it blew filters
our problem came out to be a stuck relief valve in the oil circuit, causing stupidly high oil pressure
-
I had similar problems with my Rabbit, although the relife valve wasn;t stuck.. I suspect maybe it was a bearing clearance issue.... Ended up breaking it in on 5w20 and some rather pricey oil filters...
-
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 :)
-
Well if you think about it:
Dino oil starts with sludge, then tries to take things OUT through refining until it gets a good base stock. At that point the additives come in to make it do what they want. Some of the cheaper brands of dino oil are made from recycled used motor oil too - it's been put through a cyclotron, filtered, probably re-refined and then had the additives replaced.
Synthetic starts from scratch, so there's nothing in it that wasn't supposed to be there. That gives all kinds of ideas to the guys who design this stuff since they can pretty much custom tailor how it will behave.
-
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?
Longer oil change intervals, sticks to surfaces better, doesn't break down in viscosity as quickly, blends with (oil company) additives much better, (in diesels) suspends more soot for longer, designed from the start as "engine oil" rather than crude oil refined into "oil for an engine", it lubricates better and you get 1-2mpg better.
Its really better in every way except cost, which is actually cheaper over time due to longer time between changes. People just see the initial cost and think its too expensive. I would spend $107/year (7g oil, 3 filters) on dino, vs $86/year (3g oil, 2 filters) on synthetic for 10,000miles. $21 isn't much, but it will cover two weeks worth of fuel.
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.
-
Another good advantage to synthetic is it's ability to start easier and lubricate better when cold and provide better turbo protection plus the little increase in mileage. I've never tried it in one of these older diesels but I have a feeling it will burn even more than the dino due to the fact it's thinner. But to me the amount these older types burn just just isn't worth it to me and a synthetic will leak quicker than the dino type unless everything is new and perfect and it never is. Is it a better oil, in my opinion yes but worth it in the long run, not to me in these engines. Newer TDI's and such that's a different story altogether.
If it's an older engine definately it's not worth it because most of it will go out the tail pipe or end up wherever you park the car. Another advantage to synthetic though is that it doesn't smoke as much while the engine is burning it. I've known mechanics who worked at car auctions who used to put it in an oil burner so it wasn't as noticable when brought out.
-
Thats not right. Oil consumption will actually go down when switching to synthetic.
-
Oil consumption will actually go down when switching to synthetic.
Actually that's not right.... Maybe in theory it is, but in the real world, rarely....
Generally oil consumption increases when switching to synthetic, especially on an older engine.. Partially due to the molecular structure being smaller, and partically due to it not having all that good sludge in it to plug the oil leaks..
It can also be said that since synthetic does a better job of entrapping particulates it actually helps clean out the sludge already in an engine... The same sludge that has been once again keeping the oil from leaking out gaskets, around valve stems, and to a point past the rings..
Now if an engine is started out on synthetic early enough in life I have noticed that oil consuption remains lower as it get on in miles.. But I woudl believe that is simply to the engine wearing less due to all the properties that make synthetic better...
Early 4.6L SOHC Fords had issues with oil consumption after 100 - 150K miles.. By 200-250K they drank oil something fierce.. When the company I used to work for dumped their 93 Crown Vics for 98's they started them all on Amsoil by 10K.. The one I was driving had a tad over 380K and still never used more than a quart between changes.. Keep in mind changes were done about every 20K...
-
Actually that's not right.... Maybe in theory it is, but in the real world, rarely....
No theory at all, its reality. The myth is that oil consumption will go up.
Generally oil consumption increases when switching to synthetic, especially on an older engine.
Only for a short time as the sludge clears out and the oil seals reseat to the new sludgeless position.
My engine used to consume/leak 1qt/1000miles on dino. After a few months on synthetic that has been reduced to 1qt/2500miles.
There is no reason to be scared of switching an old engine to synthetic.
-
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 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.
-
you guys make good points :) thank you for clarifying
-
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...
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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..
-
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.
-
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 8).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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'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.