Putting Total Synthetic 5W-30 in my car...

Started by 16v GTi, February 22, 2007, 10:08:43 PM

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16v GTi


Neil_Corrado

Personally I wouldn't use that weight oil. Id use something thicker like Castrol's R 10w60 ( and I do ). Try the 5w30, if its no good then change it.
Who's brand of oil?

robh

Castrol recommend 15w40 or 10w40 for a mark 2 16v, I'd stick with what they say.
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bsting

Have run Castrol Formula R (now called Edge) 10w60 in 16Vs (mk3 2L) for a while now.
Should i change to a 10w40?

Highest temp i have got so far is 109 sitting in traffic, open road sits at 92-96

Afaik Motul 300V and the Castrol Formula R  are the only two on the market that are 100% ester based, not mineral based

I knew an Ester once, she was cool ;D

old4130

I am going back to 10w40 for my 16v..  after Castrol R/Edge 10w60 for a while

bsting, will let you know how it goes
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dubstar

I've run Castrol R 10w60 for ages. No complaints.
"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."


16v GTi

Quote from: Neil on February 22, 2007, 10:25:49 PM
Personally I wouldn't use that weight oil. Id use something thicker like Castrol's R 10w60 ( and I do ). Try the 5w30, if its no good then change it.
Who's brand of oil?

The brand is Total (French), I'm trying to get rid of the tappet noise I hear for the first second after starting the motor so I thought lighter weight oil would get up there faster...  The car only has 110,000 k's on it so the tolerances should still be tight yes?

RS ZWEI

Quote from: Volks Cafe on February 23, 2007, 12:18:15 PM
The brand is Total (French), I'm trying to get rid of the tappet noise I hear for the first second after starting the motor so I thought lighter weight oil would get up there faster...  The car only has 110,000 k's on it so the tolerances should still be tight yes?

You want thicker oil to cut down tappet noise.

I tryed running thinner oil (Agip Sint 2000) in my GTI before I rebuilt the engine (125kms), the oil was to thin and it smoked on the over run.

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phil

quote]I've run Castrol R 10w60 for ages. No complaints.[/quote]

So is that a really nice thick oil ?? Maybe I should try that in my car..

GTI's

Jeremy has this glupey oil i don't know what viscosity?   But my 16v loves it!

Neil_Corrado

Quote from: Volks Cafe on February 23, 2007, 12:18:15 PM
The brand is Total (French), I'm trying to get rid of the tappet noise I hear for the first second after starting the motor so I thought lighter weight oil would get up there faster...  The car only has 110,000 k's on it so the tolerances should still be tight yes?

OK, Total has a good name, I haven't used it though. The noise you hear is the lifter(s) that have leaked down over night, which is the lifter not the type of oil. The noise goes away when the oil pressure returns?
The real advantage of the synthetic oils is that they protect the engine better, and provide superior lubrication.

16v GTi

Quote from: Neil on February 23, 2007, 05:20:41 PM
OK, Total has a good name, I haven't used it though. The noise you hear is the lifter(s) that have leaked down over night, which is the lifter not the type of oil. The noise goes away when the oil pressure returns?
The real advantage of the synthetic oils is that they protect the engine better, and provide superior lubrication.

Yes, the noise only lasts for a second or maybe 2 seconds.  I take it everyone with a 16V hears this sound?  I can't believe the car did this from the factory so maybe it's to do with the lifter(s) being 18 years old? 

Mike

It is bound to happen on startup, even with new engines, as the oil doesn't stay up there all night by itself! But might get slightly worse with age.

I have used Castrol 10W60 for some years.  It has a very wide viscosity range and is well-suited to older engines.

Still, whatever floats your boat. Different oil suits different engines - and people. 100 people will have 135.2 opinions about which is the best oil.

My previous Coupe quattro used absolutely none of the Castrol 10W60 oil, and the tappets were very rarely noisy after a couple of seconds at start-up. If they were a bit noisy while driving, I'd hold the revs just above 2000rpm and the noise would go away after a few seconds. Ensuring you get the car properly warmed up at least once per week (drive for at least 10 - 15 mins) helps keep the tappets quiet too. They definitely get noisier if you drive it short distances a lot without proper warm up.

My current 80q, despite being only 120,000km uses loads of the Castrol oil - 3 litres in 6000km. I think it may have something to do with the fact the car was off the road 1998 - 2006 in a garage on blocks, as the performance and smoothness has definitely improved as I drove it more. I might try giving it a really good flush to see if that helps the oil consumption.

orggti

Stupid hydralic tappets  ::)
Why did you put hydralic tappets in Mr VW? "To make the engine quieter Jem"
"Oh well how come everone always is bumming out about there noisy tappets and keeps trying different oils and stuff to shut them up, whilst my solid lifters just work everyday without any noise that worries me, Mr VW"
"Sorry I cant answer that one Jem"

Neil_Corrado

#15
Quote from: Volks Cafe on February 23, 2007, 11:14:33 PM
Yes, the noise only lasts for a second or maybe 2 seconds.  I take it everyone with a 16V hears this sound?  I can't believe the car did this from the factory so maybe it's to do with the lifter(s) being 18 years old? 

A good friend of mine has located for me in the USA a company that sells a set of 16v OEM quality lifters for $90USD. I shall let you know if the noise goes away with new lifters. I am also fitting a new oil pump from the 9A 2.0 16v as it has larger pump gears for more volume. The 16v engines have oil jets to cool the underside of the piston, that coupled with hyd' lifters (and in my case, an external oil cooler too) is asking a lot of an oil pump that is 18 years and/or 205000k's old.
Like Mike I have used the Castrol 10w60 ("Edge") for long time now, and wouldn't change it. But like so many things in life, its all about personal preference.

Mike

Nothing to do with making the engine quieter; Audi/VW changed to hydraulic tappets as they do not need adjusting/shimming at regular intervals. Removing the need to manually adjust clearances cuts down on maintenance and servicing time.

The spec contained in the Haynes manual (yes, I know, definitely not the best or most comprehensive manual for these cars) is that if the tappet noise does not stop after the (warm) engine had been held at a constant 2000rpm for two minutes, they need replacement. Seems a good guideline though.

Other than that, as someone once said to me, "a noisy tappet is a happy tappet".

16v GTi

Lots of good info here, thanks for the replies.

The tappet sound is only on start up and only for a second or two, the motor is sweet as cherry pie the rest of the time, revs to over 7k at will and goes like hell.  The first MKII I owned was a '89 Digi Jap Import, bought it in '93 and sold it in '95 before I went overseas, the Tappets on that thing were loud the whole time  :o  Apparently it only had 50k on it  ;)  Anyway I guess I'm just going to live with the sound at start up.


orggti

 Your right Mike, I had heard they were also supposed to be quieter but your reason is certainly mechanically sound.