Warmer Climate Use

Aksarben

Member
Joined
May 22, 1999
Location
Los Angeles, California
I have a year 2000 TDI on order. I have found the site extemely helpful and informative. This will be my first ever diesel, and I have already suffered some comments from the "gas heathens". It seems that TDI's are more popular back east and into Canada. For a warmer climate (nothing colder than 45 degrees), is there anything special I need to focus on to obtain the overall great results everyone else gets?
 
M

mickey

Guest
Diesel engines, generally speaking, like hot climates better than cool ones. I've never heard that TDIs, specifically, have any problems with hot weather.

-mickey
 

N Dennis

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 1999
Location
Napa, CA USA
Change oil and filter often and make sure you use the properly rated oil. I have a 99 Golf and will change the oil and filter at least every 5000 miles.
 

Ric Woodruff

BANNED, Ric went to Coventry.
Joined
Feb 19, 1999
Change the oil and filter every 10,000 miles, just like the Owner's manual says, unless you have actually overheated (coolant loss) or do a lot of short trips (not likely in a TDI, most of us TDI owners drive a lot of miles, that's why we have TDIs).

Repetitive short trips may cause moisture accumulation in the oil (a really bad thing!).

Worrying about taking short trips in warm/hot climates is much less of a problem; since the engine heats up faster.
 

annie

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 1999
Location
centereach, ny, us
TDI
1999 1/2 Jetta-black
Hi
Just got my first disel Saturday and even though I put on lots of miles it is mostly short trips. I wasn't concerned that there could be a problem until just reading the posting about short trips not being good. Almost all my driving is short trips. I go from house to house..not door to door. If there is a problem I should be aware of please let me know. Or let me know what I can
to keep it from being a problem.
 
S

SkyPup

Guest
Info from Shell Oil site:

The API CG-4 oil category went into effect on January 1, 1995, supplementing the CF-4 standard. Although CG-4 was designed specifically for 1994 and newer engines, it is compatible with older engines. So if you’re "topping off," you can add a CG-4 oil to a CF-4 oil without any adverse effects.
If you have a supply of CF-4 oil, you can continue to use that oil in rigs that don’t require the new category. CG-4 oils can be identified inside the API donut on the labels. These oils will be labeled as both CF-4 and CG-4. The CF-4 standard still applies to older on-highway and off-highway vehicles. If you own a 1994 engine, you may want to double check the manufacturer’s recommendation to see if only API CG-4 oils are suitable for use.

The CG-4 category oils lubricate the newer engines designed to meet federal emissions standards. These engines have been modified in ways that force soot which used to go out the exhaust into the oil. Oils with CG-4 classifications have passed tests that measure the ability to control deposit formation and inhibit oil thickening due to soot. Shell Rotella T® met these requirements in early 1994. It also meets both CF-4 and CG-4 performance categories.

At extremely low temperatures (under minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit), a synthetic motor oil can give you better cranking and pumping characteristics. You may also get better oxidation stability at extremely high temperatures--in the range of 700 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. But the highest temperatures of oil-lubricated surfaces inside a properly functioning diesel engine won’t exceed 550 degrees!

A synthetic oil’s extreme-temperature performance is due to its man-made consistency: Every molecule looks the same. But this chemical property also means that the synthetic oil doesn’t do as good a job of "solubilizing" (holding stuff in solution) as a mineral oil. Additives aren’t solubilized as well, nor are combustion byproducts.

If additives aren’t kept in suspension, they can’t do their job. And if combustion byproducts aren’t kept suspended in the oil, they wind up as engine deposits. With some synthetics--especially in diesel engine applications--we’ve seen combustion byproducts that "plate out" or accumulate as deposits in the hotter areas of the engine: the piston crown lands and top grooves.
Deposit formations like this can cause loss of oil consumption control, and lead to more frequent engine overhauls. So certain formulation adjustments must be made to the synthetic oil to make it perform correctly with regard to additives and byproducts. Not an easy thing to do.

Then there’s the matter of cost. For the manufacturer, the raw material cost of synthetic oil can be up to four times what it is for mineral oil. (The production process costs a lot more, and so do the starting materials.) You have to ask yourself: What am I getting for my money?
Unless you’re spending most of your time in the nastier climates of places like Canada or Alaska, the diesel-engine performance of a top-flight mineral oil can easily exceed that of a synthetic. And cost you a lot less.
 
M

mickey

Guest
annie, short trips in a TDI cause the same problems as in a gas engine, only a little worse because the engine takes longer to heat up. A certain amount of unburned fuel and other combustion-related nasties gather up in the oil over time. Many of those things will evaporate out of the oil and go away if the engine is hot for a long time. (Like on a long highway cruise.) If you do a lot of stopping for just a couple of minutes at a time, consider letting the engine idle rather than shutting it down. Unlike gas engines, diesels like to idle! (Just make sure the car doesn't get stolen.) The oil pressure at idle is much lower than at high speed, but it doesn't need to be very high when the motor is idling. If you spend the whole week in stop-and-go driving, mix in a nice highway tour of an hour or so during the weekend. That will burn out the accumulated gunk. Last, but not least: Consider cutting your oil change interval from the recommended 10,000 miles down to a more reasonable 5000 miles. If you do the full 10K, have the oil analyzed by a lab the first time to make sure you don't have excessive amounts of crap gathering in the oil. (Other than the idling thing, all these ideas would apply to a gasoline engine as well.)

-mickey
 

N Dennis

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 1999
Location
Napa, CA USA
I agree with Mickey. I think that 10,000 miles between oil changes is excessive UNLESS you are driving 100 miles or more a day in FREEWAY driving AND use synthetic oil.
 

Randy W

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 1999
Location
Orlando, FL USA
In addition to the 10,000 mile interval, it would be beneficial to switch to one of the synthetic oils mentioned on this board after manufacturer required break-in time using mineral oil.

This, in addition to using a 10 micron oil filter and fuel additives to reduce engine emisions, will allow you to utilize a oil analysis program to go beyond the 10,000 mile requirement of reqular (bituminous) oils.

Also look into a higher quality (K&N Quickflow) air filter as well to decrease amount of particulates in the airflow. Possiblility of adding RMI coolant treatment to coolant system to improve coolant system performance/reduce buildup in radiator. And drive with care.

Just me .02, hope it helps.
 
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