[Vwdiesel] Ring Break-In and Oil Consumption

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

  I've never used "non detergent" oil for break in, just the standard 15W/40 
I've always used.  Mine seem to take about 7K miles to break in (the VW's).
First the mileage will pick up for the first K or two, fairly noticeably.  
Oil 
consumption drops radiacally from a quart/tank to about one/K.  Then over 
the next few K mileage goes up a bit more, power keeps going up and 
oil consumption goes down gradually.  Some tend to use a little, maybe 
a quart or two between changes, others maybe close to a quart.  The only 
one that was a problem was the Jetta.  It was rings but it was due to 
the honing rather than the break-in.  If it wasn't honed coarsly enough 
then you're screwed until you pull it down and hone it right.  :-(  
  I'd try loading it up full and going for a 500 mile HARD drive.  Don't 
go so much for rpm as you do the heavy load but certainly don't lug 
it.  Shift down and wind it out as needed, just don't make a point of 
running it at 5000 all the time!  :-)  If it helps great, if not then run it 
until you feel like tearing it down again.  
  It's always possible to have pinched a valve stem seal on assembly.
Burning oil might make for a little heavier soot in the combustion chamber 
but that shouldn't be enough, and with it running well, to be any sort of 
an issue.
    Loren