[Vwdiesel] dumb question re diesel-rated oil

[David Ross]

Not too long ago I pulled the valve cover off a 1.6 NA engine that I 
removed from an ebay scrapper car (an '82 Rabbit).  The oil had the 
usual diesel look to it -  it looked filthy-dirty.

But I was amazed at how clean the engine internals were -  I could wipe 
the oil off the head casting or the camshaft or the valve cover and 
expose clean metal.  No staining from combustion products, no sludge, no 
varnish, no nothing, just spotless aluminum or steel.

So why is that?  Am I just out of touch with modern oils and do they all 
have so much detergent in them that all modern engines are as clean as 
this one?  Or is it something about diesel oil in particular that kept 
this engine so clean?

Enough pointless rambling.  The questions are these:

 -  Is it safe to use modern diesel-rated oil in a gasoline engine?

 -  If so, can I expect a modern gasoline engine to
    remain as clean as I found this little diesel to be?

thanks
Dave Ross    N7EPI