2003 Jetta TDI Mobil 1 TDT 3000 miles

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
510
Location
Ohio
TDI with 311,000 miles. I've used Blackstone previously for testing, but they do not quantify soot in samples. I'm not sure why my car shows so much soot in the oil. I know the purpose of diesel oil is to hold soot in suspension, but is my amount excessive?

Iron 77
Chromium 3
Nickel 1
Aluminum 13
Copper 6
Lead 1
Silicon 8
Sodium 5
Potassium 4
Molybdenum 29
Boron 100
Magnesium 681
Calcium 1747
Phosphorus 1018
Zinc 1269
Soot 0.9% E2421

Viscosity 100 C 15.6
Oxidation 20
Nitration 15
 
Both the Iron and Aluminium figures are high for such a short OCI.

I would be inclined to make sure the oil flow around the top end is good by using a major brand oil flush additive that is designed for use at idle just before the next oil & filter change.

It might also be worth trying a can of Liqui Moly Ceratec to beef up the anti wear additives, to see if that reduces the wear metals. The wear seems to be top end related (The Lead figure is OK), so there is no point using a thicker oil.

PS: If you have any oil leaks flushing can make them worse for a while due to what they call the false oil seal effect, where sludge is helping a worn or split oil seal or gasket to function. In a bad case you might need to use a stop leak after flushing.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if the high iron is indicative of high cam wear that has plagued many of the TDI engines.
 
Originally Posted By: KernelK
I wonder if the high iron is indicative of high cam wear that has plagued many of the TDI engines.


I replaced the camshaft last March and iron does not appear to have changed much. The camshaft that was removed looks to be in decent shape for 309,000 miles.
 
Originally Posted By: KernelK
I wonder if the high iron is indicative of high cam wear that has plagued many of the TDI engines.


It's an 03 so it would have an ALH engine. There has been no cam issues with the ALH. The ALH is probably one of the most rock solid engines VW has ever built. The start of the cam problems was with the BEW 2004.5 engines. The cam lobes in those engines were narrower and under tremendous pressure. Most oils don't have the film strength to hold up to these pressures.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top