[Vwdiesel] Do Diesels ever need similar type cleaning? (fwd)

[Val Christian]

I've been blessed with owning several Rabbits (1.5 NA) new, and two Jetta 
(1.6 NA, 1.9 TDI).  The Rabbits are the only ones to get (yet) to 
high miles.  550K to 350Kmiles each.  Generally, rust was the driving factor,
although I abandoned one after rolling it 720 degrees after a snow storm.
(I drove it home, but the pillars were slightly bent.)

Only one Rabbit did I have perennial cylinder head gasket problems with.
It was my second one, and for whatever reason, I drove it hard cold, and
shut it down quickly.  

All my other cars, I have treated gently when cold, and given them a 
minute or two at lower power prior to shutdown.  None of the others 
(8 or 9..I've lost count) had the same problems, and none were 
driven the same way.  

Small sample size; unscientific study.  Just a data point.

Val

ps: The Dodge Caravans I have owned (4) follow the same pattern.  One of
them was always "punched" going out the driveway cold.  It's has had several
head gaskets (2.5l L4 engines).




Forwarded message:
> 
> I'd agree with that, both my diesels saw a fairly hard life [ compared 
> to a gasser] lots of high rpm freeway miles, either camp lejeune to ny 
> and back twice a month many moons ago ['79 diesel rabbit] or my 500 
> miles a week trip to work now and I've never had issue with the rabbit, 
> don't suspect I'll see much when I do the head gasket on the golf in a 
> couple weeks, which would have been done a month ago had i not hit a 
> deer on my motorcycle and busted up my right hand badly.
> On Jul 24, 2007, at 11:04 PM, B & R Decker wrote:
> 
> >     My old time VW mechanic was head service writer in the mid 80's 
> > for Pete
> > Lovely VW in Fife WA (the largest VW dealership in the NW at the 
> > time). He
> > always says the VW 1.5 and 1.6 diesel is much more prone to blown head
> > gaskets and other troubles when used in stop and go city driving than 
> > when
> > it was used in a high mileage situation. He thinks that cold starting 
> > is the
> > hardest thing on the high compression VW diesel when the block and 
> > head are
> > cold and the head bolt tension would be the least. I'm not sure that 
> > is a
> > correct assumption but I know that whenever I go to revive a gas 
> > rabbit that
> > has sat for a long time it is usually a fueling or electrical problem 
> > that
> > caused it demise but with a diesel it is almost always a blown head 
> > gasket.
> > Loren's right if you drive your 1.5 or 1.6 easy with lots of low rpm 
> > driving
> > you will have a carboned up engine.
> > Brian Decker
> >
> >> But in a nutshell, no EGR, no cleaning required.
> >>
> >
> >   I believe it was Scott that found out (got scolded) that if
> > you drive your "early" VW diesel too easily though, your valve
> > will gunk up on the backsides with carbon deposits.  In other
> > words, drive it spriitedly once in a while and enjoy.  :-)
> >   Our service mgr. alway said the ones that were driven harder
> > had less problems and ran better than the easy driven cars.  He
> > never knew just why but then they weren't all that old at that
> > time either.
> >      Loren
> >
> >
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