Passat 2.8L V6 eats 5W-30 like it's nothing!

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televascular

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My 2003 Passat manual demands synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30 only. About a year ago, I stopped taking the car to the dealer and began changing the oil myself with Mobil 1 5W-30. The first interval, there were no problems.

This is now the second interval of M1; and after 5,500 miles, the red engine oil light came on. The dipstick read that there was little oil in the engine. I had to add 3.5 quarts (spec'd 6 quarts full) to top it off! There are absolutely no leaks (I triple-checked gaskets and drain plug), so I'm thinking it's a consumption issue.

I know M1 is a thin oil to begin with, but could it really be the reason for such massive consumption? It particularly doesn't make sense that the first interval was problem-free, but the second interval ate all the oil.

I'm hoping that switching to a synthetic 10W-30 will solve the issue. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!
 
I have the same '03 v6 and use 40w. M1 30w is too thin and does not meet the specs for your motor. You at least need an A3 rated oil. My owners manual states it came from the factory with 5w-40.
 
Check the PCV valve and check that the air filter and any vacum lines are all in proper order. Then I would put Rotella-T synthetic 5W40 in it and see what you see. You could also try M1 0W40 but it is also on the thin side and mightnot hold up any better then their 5W30. I would add that youneed to also check your oil level everytime you get gas. You should have detected the consumption long before it had used 3.5 quarts of oil. My car has never used more then 1/4 of a quart before and I still check it every time I get gas/fuel for it. It is simply a good practice to get into the habit of doing!!!
 
Good advice from John, but skip the M1 0w-40. You might want to add Amsoil 5w-40 to your list of new candidates. Also RI_R4S has a good thread going about 5w-40 oils.
 
Quote:

after 5,500 miles, the red engine oil light came on. The dipstick read that there was little oil in the engine. I had to add 3.5 quarts (spec'd 6 quarts full) to top it off!

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Are you saying you never checked the oil for 5,500 miles, but that you topped off only once the check-oil light came on? The difference between minimum and maximum marks on the dipstick is usually 0.7 to 1 liter in the case of VW and Audi cars. Driving around with over two liters oil short can't be good.

While I agree with others that M1 5W-30 is not the proper oil for the 2.8 30v engine, I don't think that this high oil consumption can be attributed to using this oil. There is something else going on. Your 30v engine certainly has a PCV system that may be clogged. You should see the miniscule size of a vapor (more like oil residue solids! Plenum-to-throttle body) return line on my 12v. It's a mere 3.5 mm vacuum hose that easily clogs or falls off. And almost no mechanic will find that hose! My 12v engine does not have a PCV valve, your 30v may have one, so check if it has one.
 
You need to check the oil occasionally. You do know that the red oil pressure light means "your engine is currently being wrecked, so turn it off," right?

If you don't find any PCV problems, try something else, or something thicker, and keep a close eye on it. Some engines do like to drink Mobil1.
 
I'll look into the PCV condition, thanks for the suggestions. And you're right, I should be checking the level more often, but the last interval of M1 5W-30 yielded less than a 1/4 of a quart of consumption. I didn't think it would change at all, but I was wrong.

The manual specifically instructs me to use only synthetic 5W-30 or synthetic 10W-30 (as long as they meet VW/Audi standards). Is there really a need to try 10W-40 or 5W-40? I was thinking 10W-30 might do the trick, but I'm not familiar with German torque-monsters.

I'm a bigger fan of the low-torque, high-revving Honda 2.0L four-cylinders. Best naturally aspirated engines in the world... and nowhere near as problematic as German products.
 
What? Are you kidding me?
The VR6 is a crazy V6 design!
Do you know you only use one head?
and that they're angled 15 degrees?
Your driving a piece of crafty design!
Please, Tell me why hondas are the best N/A motors in the world. please, tell me your reasoning.
Your pulling over 170 Hp at like 5500 and like 140 lbs TQ around 2.5k RPM.
Your VR6 motor, especially if it were on a lighter chasis than family dads sports car chasis, will beat ANY Honda N/A motor that you see on the road. My Vr6 Corrado will have an S2000 for breakfast!
My ABA 2.0 running 15lbs boost w/ double stacked head gaskets will take on any at the track.
What these honda kids don't understand...It ain't all about the HP, and if you want to play that, the VR6 will win there too.

No torque, no go.
How else can you explain how a 2.0 ABA block making like 115 HP with 130lbs of torque all under 2200 RPM on a slightly heavier chasis will take on a 127HP 100TQ motor by a few tenths of a second with two equally skiled drivers at the track?
And off the line, it's not even a comparison, the TQ will shoot past all the horse power of a small displacement VTEC motor ( like the older EX civics) then you'll clearly see that you need TQ to win a race.
 
Also, you may of possibly mis read the manual.
VERY few 30 weights meet spec for your motor, or any motor of that model year for that matter and NO 10w30 oils OR 10w40 meet specs either.

If your going for over the counter oils..your options are limited in what you can use. Your only options that you'll find with out ordering online are going to be
Mobil 1 0w40
Castrol Syntec 5w40
Valvoline Synpower 5w40
unless i'm leaving one out, thats all of it.
 
televascular,

There's always the possibility you didn't put in as much oil as you thought when you last changed it. It's a pretty dumb mistake, so don't ask me how I know. . . .
 
If you want to use a Mobil product, I would suggest using Mobil 1 TDT 5W-40. It's available at WalMart and should hold up rather well for you. The other suggestions above are good as well (Rotella 5W-40, Syntec 5W-40, Synpower 5W-40, Mobil 1 0W-40, etc.). The Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck (TDT) is thicker and is known to be a very robust oil.
 
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