[Vwdiesel] Oil recommendations?

[TexasTDI]

Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Pour Point = -60F / -51C
Amsoil 20w-50 Pour Point = -33F / -36C

Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Flash Point = -60F / -51C

Amsoil 20w-50 Flash Point = 457F / 236C


Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Pour Point = -60F / -51C

Amsoil 15w-40 pour point = -47F / -44C


Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Flash Point = 446F / 230C
Amsoil 15w-40 flash point is 453F / 234C

Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Pour Point = -60F / -51C
Amsoil 10w-40 pour point = -54F / -48C

Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Flash Point = 446F / 230C
Amsoil 10w-40 flash point = 450F / 232C

Amsoil Series 3000 5w-30 Noak = 8.6%
Amsoil 10w-40 Noak = 7%
Amsoil 15w-40 Noak = 6.7%
Amsoil 20w-50 Noak = 6.3%

Obviously, Series 3000 will have the lowest pour point.  But it's dead last
in every other category.  If you look at the specs on 15w-40, the oil I
recommend, you'll see it has a very low pour point, the 2nd highest flash
point of them all, and the 2nd lowest volatility of them all.  (I really
don't recommend 20w-50 for diesels, I just wanted to add it's specs for
reference)

Volatization is a term used to describe what happens to a fluid as it is
heated to the point it begins to "boil off." Upon reaching a certain
temperature, oil will begin to lose some of its lighter weight molecules as
they "boil off" and leave heavier weight molecules behind. Not only does
this cause higher oil consumption, this process can also cause increased
viscosity making the oil more difficult to circulate through the lubrication
system.  In other words, the lower the NOAK number, the better.


Unlike other Amsoil dealers that recommend their most expensive diesel oil
out there to make a larger profit, I recommend an oil based on it's
performance specifications.  Amsoil 15w-40 is a great performing oil at a
cost of only $5.20 per quart / $20.50 per gallon vs. Series 3000's cost of
$8.35 per quart / $31.55 per gallon.

If you had a chipped TDI that you drove 80mph everyday on the highway, I'd
recommend Series 3000 5w-30.  Because it's really designed for a high
performance turbo diesel car that's run hard.  But keep in mind I do have a
chipped TDI that I run hard on the highway, but I choose to use 15w-40.  And
15w-40 has performed flawlessly in both of my diesels.  No loss of fuel
mileage vs. a 5w-40 oil and no oil consumption at all.


Chris Thornton
1991 VW Jetta 2 Door 1.6 Diesel - 236k miles
2000 VW Golf 1.9TDI (turbo diesel) - 81k miles
Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Dealer #1098500
http://www.amsoil.com
http://texastdi.com/6/ubb.x

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tyler "Casioqv" Backman" <casioqv at usermail.com>
To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Oil recommendations?


> I recommend Amsoil Series 3000 Heavy Duty Diesel 5w30. It is one of the
> most expensive synthetic oils on the market (over $8/qt, about $6.xx/qt
> for me because I am a dealer), but is well worth it. It has a better
> additive package than other diesel synthetics that allows it to
> lubricate well for a longer drain interval, which makes it ultimately
> cheaper, assuming your engine doesn't burn much oil. I plan to put oil
> analysis data online every 10k miles for the series 3000 in my Volvo
> 760TD. I have never heard of Series 3000 being shown to have broken down
> in a analysis, even after 400k miles! When using synthetic there is no
> point in using a high viscosity like 20w-50 or 15w-40 as you would with
> non-synthetic, because you don't have the danger of excessive viscosity
> loss at high temps (I haven't looked at the graphs recently, but I think
> it is as thick as 20w50 at 200 degrees F). The 5w30 will build oil
> pressure much faster on startup, where most wear occurs, and will not
> wear any more than a heavier synthetic at operating temp (engine wear is
> almost entirely eliminated with any full synthetic anyway). It also
> improves fuel economy, and makes cold cranking much faster (because of
> reduced viscosity, and the fact that it continues to coat the bearings
> better than dino oil when the engine is off, which helps prevent metal
> on metal during startup). Amsoil only sells the series 3000 in 5w30, and
> this is the only weight of synthetic needed for most any passenger
> car/truck diesel engine. If your motor is worn and burns a lot of oil,
> while it would likely burn less with synthetic, it still isn't cost
> effective. You might as well use cheap oil, or get the motor rebuilt. In
> my 760TD I use series 3000 because it burns about 1qt/4000 miles, but I
> use Chevron Delo 400 in my 245D because it burns about 1qt/250 miles due
> to bad rings. As for transmission fluid, I have had better luck with
> Redline than amsoil, because redline MT90 is engineered for a manual
> transmission (instead of just being a synthetic gear oil) and seems to
> make the syncros work better than a regular synthetic. I have noticed
> that even cars with worn syncros will slide into gear like a hot knife
> though butter with Redline MTL (but it won't fix bad linkage bushings
> for you!)
>
> -Tyler
>
> TexasTDI wrote:
> > VW originally recommended 20w-50 or 15w-40 back in 1981.
> >
> > I recommend and use Amsoil 15w-40 full synthetic oil in both of my
diesels.
> >
> > http://www.amsoil.com/products/ame.html
> >
> > Amsoil also offers a 15w-40 synthetic blend oil.
> >
> > http://www.amsoil.com/products/pco.html
> >
> > For the transmission I recommend Amsoil full synthetic AGT 80w-90 gear
lube.
> >
> > http://www.amsoil.com/products/agr.html
> >
> > Chris Thornton