outoforder
Active member
Due to issues with my high mileage ALH, I have been changing the oil every 3000 miles. I know the manual specs a synthetic 5w40, but is there any harm in running a 15w40 conventional oil for such a short OCI?
Lots of soot in the oil and the oil is thickening up.
If you get a cold snap that 15w40 isn't going to help the morning startup.
Yikes. I guess they discovered the meaning of false economy. I'm a pretty frugal guy myself, but wouldn't run anything but synthetic oil in my TDI. I actually just bought my first quart ever of Amsoil 5w40 today. Mostly out of curiosity.We had a company that was too cheap to use the correct oil in their early Sprinters, and one 4 F morning they blew the oil filter cap (a plastic cartridge similar to an ALH) clean off the top of the engine when they started it!
Oh NO!!! You said the A-word.I actually just bought my first quart ever of Amsoil 5w40 today. Mostly out of curiosity.
Volkswagen released several TSBs early on clarifying the use of synthetic oils, particularly in diesel engines. However, even the old A2 turbodiesels had a "500.00" oil sticker right on the valve cover. I do not remember what my 1998 Jetta TDI's manual said, but by then the dealer has been using Castrol Syntec 5w40 for a while, so it really wasn't anything new.To be honest, before my forum days, I would run 15w40 in my AHU, my manual said nothing about it or 505.00. I would use blend it with a 10w30 diesel rated synthetic, in the winter straight 10w30 diesel synthetic blends. Changed at 5k intervals did it from 40k mi to 100k, Then I found Delvac1 and used that from 100k to 225k, when the mechanic i used drove my car 20 miles w/o coolant and fried the motor.
My 91 and 92 had this.... the old A2 turbodiesels had a "500.00" oil sticker right on the valve cover
Yeah, maybe in some cases. But in other cases the engine's design predates the current oil in common use, or they decided to use a thinner oil in an older engine to squeak out a fraction more MPGs to satisfy a regulation....
Second, when engines are designed, they are designed with the oil weight to be used in mind.....
Old school is still alive and well. *SIGHE*Due to issues with my high mileage ALH, I have been changing the oil every 3000 miles. I know the manual specs a synthetic 5w40, but is there any harm in running a 15w40 conventional oil for such a short OCI?
Exactly. The tiny amount of oil even left in the galleries/oil pump/intake pipe/turbo/turbo lines is plenty to 'color' the oil!My SDL is like that... at least a quart says in the remote cooler. On the ALH you can siphon most of the oil out of the cooler so things are a bit clearer after a change.
When Matt98AHU did the timing belt / oil pump chain on our 99.5 the oil refill still got a tinge of black - even though the oil cooler was empty, and the oil pan had been wiped clean!
-J
Yes, I think the cover had 505.00,(stamped in plastic I think, nothing other than that.) I never new what it was until I joined the Forum. But no mention in manual and it also said 5k OCI.Volkswagen released several TSBs early on clarifying the use of synthetic oils, particularly in diesel engines. However, even the old A2 turbodiesels had a "500.00" oil sticker right on the valve cover. I do not remember what my 1998 Jetta TDI's manual said, but by then the dealer has been using Castrol Syntec 5w40 for a while, so it really wasn't anything new.