Oil advice & recommendations from oilman @ Opie Oils

[oilman]

hi
got a 1.9 td 1990
not sure whats been used in the past , as just bought it what is the recomended grade ?
cheers steve .

On a 1.9td from 1990 I would go with a good 10w-40 semi synthetic and regular changes. These dont cost too much either http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-990-fuchs-t ... e-oil.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers

Guy

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

I agree with everything you say Martin - my point is just that the 1.9td is not an original engine so 1990 is a bit of a red herring. Mine is a rebuilt AHU, and I use fully synthetic as it's what vw recommends for that engine.

I reckon knowing the code and state of the engine should determine your choice of oil.

Ewen

[croc]

Sorry Oilman but you may have shot yourself in the foot here.
From the 'confusion' about discount to Synchronauts to oil recommendations by people like Kev, Martin and others here who have experience with these engines, flat 4 petrol, specifically.
I recall some years ago that while oils for diesel engine were nominally of the same grade they spelt disaster is used in a 'worn' petrol engine for the similar reasons these guys have just given.
For my van I'll stay with standard mineral oil and change often.
Been said before but here goes again - " Oil is cheap, but engine rebuilds are expensive"
However, thanks for your offer.
Regards.

[kevtherev]

I stand by what I said ..though will admit that more additives have been added to some synthetic oils to assist with seal problems.
I will also add, Phosphorus (a component of ZDDP - Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate) is the key component for valve train protection in an engine and 1600ppm (parts per million) used to be the standard for phosphorus in engine oil... like when these engines were built, But In 1996 the EPA forced that to be dropped to 800ppm and then more recently (2004?) to 400ppm - a quarter of the original spec. Valve trains and their components are not especially cheap to replace and this drop in phosphorus content has been a problem for many engines especially those with flat-tappet type cams, which the flat four has.
I use an oil with a high ZDDP, I use the 15/40 mineral recommended by the service manual. It's changed twice a year, because it's not expensive. It meets the correct performance level ACEA spec
Your dismissal of others experience with synthetics in flat four engines is surprising.

This debate over synthetic and mineral has been going on across various fora for a long time, I have read as much as I can then it started to repeat itself, and I value both opinions.

After reading various testimonies on here and other fora I have decided that synthetic oil is not worth the risk in my engine
thank you.
I understand that you want to sell oil, if that is the case then sell it in the for sale section, as for opinion it will always be divided and I rather think your business could do without the link to a heated debate.

[California Dreamin]

for those that insist on trying snake oil... here's some constructive advice.

• If you've been driving around with mineral oil in your engine for years, don't switch to
synthetic oil without preparation. Synthetic oils have been known to dislodge the baked-
on deposits from mineral oils and leave them floating around your engine - not good. It's wise to use a flushing oil first.
• If you do decide to change, and you've been using mineral oil,
and you want to try a semi or a full synthetic oil, remember this.. because the wear tolerances that
an engine develops based on the oil that it's using. Thicker mineral oils mean thicker
layers of oil coating the moving parts (by microns though). Switching to a thinner
synthetic oil can cause piston rings to leak and in some very rare cases, piston slap or
crank vibration.
• Gaskets and seals! With the makeup of synthetic oils being different from mineral oils,
mineral-oil-soaked gaskets and seals have been known to leak when exposed to synthetic
oils. Perhaps not that common an occurrence, but worth bearing in mind nevertheless.

These are proven facts, freely available to those that look.

Where did you get this info? Much of it could not be more wrong.

Synthetic, semi synthetic and mineral oils all come in viscosities, what the oil is made from does not dictate what viscosity it is (except things like 0w that have to be synthtic). A 15w-50 mineral oil and a 15w-50 are the same thickness accross all the temp the ranges, just one does a better job then the other

If you choose to switch to a semi or synthetic DO NOT use a flush, these tend to be kerosene and Paraffin based and can over clean the engine, just drain and replace with fresh oil, never use a flush for any reason.

Seals are no issue, oil manufacturres and seal manufactureers cannot afford for this to happen. Things have moved on.

From my experiance with flat 4 VW ownership 10w-40 semi synthetic is fine in most cases, and there is no reason why it should not be.

Cheers

Guy

Double Double quote...lol
You started your reply to Kevs by going on about viscosity....I didn't see Kev quoting viscosities in his reply?

A 15w-50 mineral oil and a 15w-50 are the same thickness accross all the temp the ranges, just one does a better job then the other The above doesn't make any sense!

From my experiance with flat 4 VW ownership 10w-40 semi synthetic is fine in most cases, and there is no reason why it should not be.
In most cases 10w 40 is NOT suitable although it might be fine in a FULLY reconditioned engine with new tappet ellements and tight clearances.

Everyone on this forum is entitled to an opinion but unfortunately when putting yourself forwards as an expert you need to be both factual, with information based on factory recommendations (both historical and present day) and have an understanding of how age and wear effects changes to those recommendations....
With respect...you haven't done particularly well in these areas, so far.

Martin

[innocenti]

hi
got a 1.9 td 1990
not sure whats been used in the past , as just bought it what is the recomended grade ?
cheers steve .

you must have missed that information when you searched in the wiki..
I've just looked and it's still there

15w/40 mineral.

cheers ...