Club 80-90 Forums

I'm the proud owner of a Westy 1987 1.6TD. Never having a diesel before, I have questions about operating and routine maintenence.

How often should the oil/filter be changed? Fuel filter? Air filter? How fast is the 1.6TD designed to run? It will do 100kph at 4000 rpm, or 110 at 4200rpm. I understand a diesel uses more oil but what is typical oil consumption? Is a liter every 2000km normal?

Hope I didn't ask too many questions. Checked Wiki but my question seems too general.
Thanks

me personally i change the filters every 6 months regardless of miles, usually 6 k, speed.. up to you, obviously its more economical in the "green" (if you have a rev counter... oil consumption seems a little on the high side but dont worry just keep her topped up, every 1.6td jx ive owned has burned oil, typically 1/2 a litre over 2k kms ... others will tell you there own experiences im sure...

Don't know about oil usage, ours uses a bit but I've never really checked how much, just do the level and top up every now and then. We do not do many miles so I reckon on doing the filter once a year.

Our van (which is a pop top) does 100kph at about 3500 revs thats with a 5 speed box, the other thing which might affect that I suppose is the wheels and tyres you are on.

Sorry not much help

regards
steve

VW said that anything up to 1.5 liters per 1000 km is "normal" oil usage ... personally I think they were a bit over generous there

Oil and filter should be changed every 7500 km, diesel filter every second oil change (drained on every other one)

Valve clearances should be checked every 30.000 km or so, injectors best changed every 120 - 150.000.

Timing belt ...everybody has their own rituals ...60.000 km or 4-5 years seem a good average. (set pump timing and fuel advance during tb change) Inspect timing belt every now and then, cover is easily lifted to have a peek.

As for driving ...easy does it. Top speed is a miserly 123-127 km/h depending on gearbox and should only be attempted in rare spurts.
Hammering along at a more or less constant 120-ish for a long distance is a sure fire way to do damage as the cooling is simply inadequate.

On long trips, consign yourself to the fact that you are driving an old commercial vehicle that was underpowered even when it came out over 20 years ago. Pick yourself a fast truck and stick behind that for as long as you can.

Between 90 - 100 km/h (indicated) is a good cruising speed, with enough reserves left for a short push if needed. There is a "spot" somewhere between 90 and 100-105 km/h where the engine sounds just right and content ...find it and stay there. In todays traffic this basically means the slow lane pretty much all the way ..just sit back and relax.
Long motorway inclines at full throttle are best avoided, so make sure you don't find yourself wedged into the overtaking lane with no way back between the slower trucks to give the engine a breather.


Never switch it off hot after a long run, let it idle for a bit, churn the coolant around for another minute or two.

Give the turbo a chance to spool down before turning the engine off ..avoid high revs before switch off.

On shorter distances, make sure the engine is fully warmed up before you rev it too much.

The good news is: (yes there is some) The turbo gives a nice mid range push (it's a race car engine in comparison to the n/a). If you use that and don't overdo it you can make decent progress without stressing the engine too much and still save face in traffic.