VW 1.9L TDI Motor

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What is the general consensus on VW 1.9L TDI motor? What kind of life span can one expect from it if properly cared for? What kind of oil does it tend to like? How does it do in the city and well as the highway for cruising hours at a time?
 
It is a fantastic engine! I'd love to be able to get one for my next car.

I believe it likes the standard VW-spec 5W-40 oils, but someone who owns one could chime in...

Properly maintained, I've seen plenty go past 300k.

Highway cruising is what those diesels are made for...get a chip in there and expect 52-55mpg on the highway at a reasonable speed.

Great cars, and they hold their resale value like no other!
 
It requires a special VW spec oil, 505.01. A few companies make it but you won't find it in every parts store.

I have a 2005 TDI. It gets 48 mpg on long trips at 65 mph, and 44 mpg at 70. That's based on hours at those speeds and fuel consumption checked by calculating it from miles and gallons at each fill-up.

It's a very comfortable long distance car. I've driven it over 800 miles in a day with no physical discomfort. The seats and driving position are great.
 
Only 2004 and up 1.9L TDI require 505.01 spec oil. 2003 and older use 505. Valvoline makes 505 and 505.01. My 03 TDI just passed 180K with no problem except for lube and filters. I have not run VW spec oil since the original factory fill. I run mostly CI-4 oil such as Amsoil and RP mixed with Redline Race Oil.
 
Originally Posted By: lancerplayer
What is the general consensus on VW 1.9L TDI motor? What kind of life span can one expect from it if properly cared for? What kind of oil does it tend to like? How does it do in the city and well as the highway for cruising hours at a time?

Lifespan? Half a million miles normally. Care is criticial, as with any engine.
Kind of oil? VW specs(I'm hazy here) 502 or 505 I think from 99 to 2003 basically M1 Turbo Diesel/Rotella Syn etc. 5w40.
From '04 to '08 I think(maybe '07) the PD engine needs 505.01 spec, but a lot of guys disregard and run the stuff mentioned above. The new 09s call for 504/507 spec in a 5w30. Mobil and Motul make it. Probably many others as well.

How does it do? In the city I'm all over the place in Chicagoland and it's as comfortable or aggressive as I want it to be.
On the highway, I've gone eight, ten, twelve hours on the interstate at 80 with no issues. Some guys go faster, but that is their story not mine. Chi to San Francisco, picked up my business and drove it to Boston. Car was happy, so was I. Crossed the Mojave into Las vegas at 109 degrees and the A/C put out cold and the engine never missed a beat. Started at fifteen below in Wisconsin. Did better than I did. Think I'm tired of the cold, personally.
 
Originally Posted By: drewjp
It is a fantastic engine! I'd love to be able to get one for my next car.

I believe it likes the standard VW-spec 5W-40 oils, but someone who owns one could chime in...

Properly maintained, I've seen plenty go past 300k.

Highway cruising is what those diesels are made for...get a chip in there and expect 52-55mpg on the highway at a reasonable speed.
What does the chip do that would increase gas mileage?
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These are excellent engines. I had a '99 Golf and put 232K on it without any problems. It saw daily constant freeway speeds of 85mph and it never hesitated. I usually got 46mpg at those speeds with the air on. I used Delo 15W-40 and changed oil every 5K.
 
I have a 2006 Tdi and it only has 18K miles on it... Fantastic engine... loves long freeway cruises.. always starts, never hiccups.. I get a steady 42 mpg now that its winter. Just recently went to Los Angeles and did about 85 mph average on I 5 and it returned 43 mpg. Do not believe the cars mileage indicator computer thingy.. its usually way off. Mine is always 4 mpg too optimistic.

Any diesel should be able to go 500K miles. Oil filters, fuel and air filters and good fuel are essential!!
Also Diesels do NOT like to be Reved like a gas motor... the sheer weight of the engine plus they have no advance like a regular motor does means a slow but torquey motor down low.

The PD motors are in 2004 and above. They "require" the VW spec 505.01 oil which at the time made sense. BUT todays TDT oil and Delvac are excellent and have been used extensively for 100's of thousands of miles with no detriment. VW no longer offers to spec oil for the older 505.01 so its not a valid ( imho) request anymore. Avery very high quality diesel motor oil thats synthetic should be fine. 505.01 is be- yotch to find anyways. Castrol makes an SLX thats available at the dealership for a reasonable 6.50 a quart ( by dealer standards, thats reasonable..)

The 2003 and below get better fuel mileage. They have a fuel pump while the later PD motors activate the injection by the cam lobe which has very very high pressures between the lobes and the injectors hence the need for an excellent oil and the 505.01 spec

Earlier ( 2003 and and before) VW's were not the most reliable vehicle. Lots of electrical problems. WIth the 2004's and the PD motor you get a bit less fuel mileage but a much better and reliable vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
Any diesel should be able to go 500K miles. Oil filters, fuel and air filters and good fuel are essential!!
Also Diesels do NOT like to be Reved like a gas motor... the sheer weight of the engine plus they have no advance like a regular motor does means a slow but torquey motor down low.

Actually, any diesel engine ought to be able to run for one million miles or more. But most folks do not drive enough each year to achieve that milestone. Or they get in a crash and the insurance company totals the car. Or they just get tired of the same car after 10 years or so.

I have seen the numbers that show the 1.9-liter TDI engine should have a mean lifespan of 1.25 million miles. 300k miles is nothing, 500k miles is almost nothing.

Driving a turbodiesel is not the same as driving a high-revving gas engine. But there is nothing wrong with running them up to the redline occasionally, to burn out the cobwebs.

Quote:
The PD motors are in 2004 and above. They "require" the VW spec 505.01 oil which at the time made sense. BUT todays TDT oil and Delvac are excellent and have been used extensively for 100's of thousands of miles with no detriment. VW no longer offers to spec oil for the older 505.01 so its not a valid ( imho) request anymore. Avery very high quality diesel motor oil thats synthetic should be fine. 505.01 is be- yotch to find anyways. Castrol makes an SLX thats available at the dealership for a reasonable 6.50 a quart ( by dealer standards, thats reasonable..)

Nearly all the PD engines (2004-2006 model years) are out of warranty by now (60k miles on power train) So most of these engines can be switched to a quality synthetic 5w40 meeting API CJ-4 (or even CI-4+), without any additional risk. (If you have a problem with the cam or cam followers, it would have happened anyway, regardless of oil used.

Quote:
The 2003 and below get better fuel mileage. They have a fuel pump while the later PD motors activate the injection by the cam lobe which has very very high pressures between the lobes and the injectors hence the need for an excellent oil and the 505.01 spec

Earlier ( 2003 and and before) VW's were not the most reliable vehicle. Lots of electrical problems. WIth the 2004's and the PD motor you get a bit less fuel mileage but a much better and reliable vehicle.

The 2003-and-earlier (VE) TDIs have a rotary injection pump; there is no fuel pump in the tank, just the IP which performs double-duty.

I would not say the VE TDIs are unreliable. The primary systems/components are very reliable, IMO. The engine, IP, turbo, manual transmission, brakes, suspension, steering, AC and heating, starter, etc., are all reliable. The automatic transmission is a POS. There were problems with window clips, glovebox door hinges, armrest lid hinges. In some years the alternator pulleys were problematic. The EGR system can be a source of problems for some owners.
 
Hello ! ´Here´s some feedback from ( cold ) Scandinavia- I have the 1.9 TDI-engine in my Audi A6 Avant 2001 and it has 490 000 kilometers on the clock by now. I´ve never experienced any engine problems whatsoever.I deliberately chose from the very beginning not to go for the Audi - " Long Life program " with extended OCIs( I believe this does not excist in the US and Canada) but have instead chosen to change the engine oil every 20 000 kms. Have always used Shell Helix 5W-40 (VW 505 01 ) or Pentosin ( VW 505 01)and the German Castrol TXT ( VW 505 01)
The Audi mechanics always wants to fill in the "Castrol Long Life III - oil" ( VW 507 00 ) but I have insisted in the VW 505 01 since this particular engine does not have a Diesel Particle Filter( which my 2.0 TDI and 2.7 TDI has )Those are common rail engines and the 1.9 TDI-engine is - as Tornado Red says - a
" Pumpe Düse " -engine. My 1.9 TDI has done numerous trips through Europe on the German Autobahns and Italian Autostradas on absolute top speed for hours - over the Alps etc....and really runs smooth when really heated up. Be careful and run smoothly as long as the engine is cold and you will have an engine that lasts ( almost ) forever...The 1.9 TDI engine is not particularily "cultivated" when compared to the 2.0 TDI with a common rail injection. Do not idle for more than 2-3 minutes on cold wintermornings before driving away carefully. A true
" carthorse "... :)
 
Reliability aside, the ONLY way I would buy a VW diesel is NEW. There are simply too many drivers out there that don't care about taking care of their car's service needs, not even marginally so. If I purchased a used, out of warranty VW diesel, I'm 100% sure a critical engine part would self-destruct on my drive home.

With that said, as others have stated, VW diesels have the potential for a very, very long engine life, if properly loved and maintained.
 
Originally Posted By: Bjorn
I totally agree Wavinwayne...but that goes for a Ferrari as well... :)


Yes, my next Ferrari will be delivered to me with 0 miles on the odometer.
LOL.gif
 
Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Reliability aside, the ONLY way I would buy a VW diesel is NEW. There are simply too many drivers out there that don't care about taking care of their car's service needs, not even marginally so. If I purchased a used, out of warranty VW diesel, I'm 100% sure a critical engine part would self-destruct on my drive home.

With that said, as others have stated, VW diesels have the potential for a very, very long engine life, if properly loved and maintained.

I would buy a used TDI, but only from a private owner who could provide complete maintenance and repair records. I would NEVER buy off a used-car lot, or from someone not the original owner who had not owned it for at least several years.
 
Our Beetle TDI (see sig) loves highway cruising, and seems to hit its stride @ about 80mph. When going 65 or 70 it just *feels* like it wants to go faster. At those speeds, the cruise control is unflappable-- it has held every hill with ease and no hint of bogging (5-speed manual trans). Apriloflast year the wife took it to Nashville and upon return the highway mpg computed out to a few decimal clicks over 50mpg, I think it was 50.2.

The once thing you have to be ready for on them and probably any diesel is the oil is like dealing with black ink at oil change time-- you get that stuff under your fingernails and its there for a couple weeks. Nitrile gloves are your friend for oil changes. Great car, though. I will say this about her Beetle though-- it doesn't pretend to be anything but a *diesel* engine. Sounds like a little delivery truck when it pulls up. Which is cool, we actually like being different.
 
Bjorn-- my wife has been letting it idle in the morning untilthe heated seats get warm, a few minutes. Is this bad? The manual transmission models have three glow plugs in the coolant stream (in addition to the cylinder glowplugs). I think they are there to assist warm-up of the engine and make cabin heat available sooner.
 
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Bjorn-- my wife has been letting it idle in the morning untilthe heated seats get warm, a few minutes. Is this bad? The manual transmission models have three glow plugs in the coolant stream (in addition to the cylinder glowplugs). I think they are there to assist warm-up of the engine and make cabin heat available sooner.

It is not good to idle longer than necessary... but the question is, what is necessary? I have been on cross-country drives in mid-summer, I could not drive any further, I needed to pull over for a nap, but it was too hot to sleep. So I let the engine run with the AC on for a couple hours. no harm done.

I have also had to pull over sometimes in winter, the engine does not create a lot of heat but it can be better than nothing.

Long periods of idling can cause oil to leak past the turbo seal and collect in the bottom of the intercooler. The next time you put the hammer down, you are likely to get a big cloud of exhaust smoke, until you burn off this oil.
 
I thought the TDI's put oil mist through the pressurized (from turbo) intake hose and intercooler anyhow, that this oil mist in combo with soot from EGR was what tended to cause a sludgy build-up in the intake manifold? The PD engines might not be as prone to this as the previous gens,or so I thought was the jist on TDIClub. Hers doesn't smoke bad on hard throttle but the inside of the boost hoses going to the throttle body are oily.
 
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
I thought the TDI's put oil mist through the pressurized (from turbo) intake hose and intercooler anyhow, that this oil mist in combo with soot from EGR was what tended to cause a sludgy build-up in the intake manifold? The PD engines might not be as prone to this as the previous gens,or so I thought was the jist on TDIClub. Hers doesn't smoke bad on hard throttle but the inside of the boost hoses going to the throttle body are oily.

Apparently your wife does not let the engine idle for a few hours at a stretch.
 
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