Running in a new diesel

[Oneofthegreats]

I'm with jettinabout or along the same lines.
When I worked in dealerships for ten years, I saw cars start there life brand new & seen them evolve into either -

pristine cars - low k's & some high k's
well looked after cars - low & high
treated like sh-t - low & high
well look after & abused - low & high

I've seen absolutely mint cars with 30000k (& serviced every 6-12 month's regardless) from 94 & they run like crap!

But the standout ones were the ones that were lent out as press cars etc were they had been flogged from day one with 25km's(some requiring new tyres after 5000k's -trust me it happens. When the first M3 CSL was available to the press they were replacing tyres every time it came back!) & then done there demo k's & sold on, were the cars that rarely had any engine problems.

I've built a few high performance engines incl. V8's etc. & my daily driver 1.8 8V & I've giving it the berry's from day one & its now done 300k+. Its never let me down & it's only starting to use minute amounts of oil now.
The main thing I've learn't from building engines is you should try & keep the engine under a variably constant load for about the first 500 - 1000km.

If you baby it too much, it will clag up!

I'm with you brackie on at least driving respectfully until the engine has reached normal operating temp. which means both water & oil (especially oil) to correct temp.
That's why all of the motorsport cars have oil temp guage's

My two bob.

[Jettinabout]

I rang the local dealer yesterday to get an update on my new Jetta and during the conversation I asked the rep (who is also a mechanic) re running in the new diesels. He was very sure in his answer...."just drive it normally".

It's arriving in Perth today. Obviously made in South Africa.

[LS1 Cobra]

The Jettas are made in Mexico and the Golfs in South Africa.

If yours is here then mine can't be too far away. I better ring the dealer and find out what's happening.

Cheers

Michael

[en13]

Thanks brackie for starting this up- i've done accordingly during my first drive today!

One thing i have the habit of doing though, and i don't know if this is good/bad for the engine- I've been trying to rev it a bit- for example, using 4th gear to go at 100km/h, 3rd gear at 70km/h... but once I hit the freeway, I just let it go to 5th but then it starts to cruise- so I go to neutral... and i stay there for just a bit, then bring it down to 4th again so that the revving continues..

is this okay?
i'm what you would probably call a 'gentle' driver.. i don't particularly like to rev the engine but after all that i've read, babyying it will have its consequences so i'd rather be 'cruel' to be kind.

any help is greatly appreciated i sitll get a bit scared when i drive it- i feel like i'm going to choke it if i strain it too much but i just have to learn how to change my driving style...

[Greg Roles]

Thanks for the post brackie.

I'm new to VW forums, and to diesels as well.

I've posted around the place about run in's and championed the motomanusa concept. Certainly have had several great results from this in the past.

Thing is, thankfully, I've had the unique nature of the TDI's and the specific lube they require highlighted to me. This kind of goes against what a typical, mineral oil based, run in is all about. I'm sure that following the high combustion pressure concept highlighted in both the initial post, and in motomanusa is the best way to force rings against the cylinders and achieve a good seal, but just wondered about peoples views of doing this with synthetic oil, which kind of minimizes the effect.

I understand specific oil is required to be low ash - for the particle filter, and high shear ( synthetic ) for the cam followers in the diesel head.

Are there no oil options with the diesel??

[Greg Roles]

OK, after a few hours on the net, starting with the USA, the UK and finally back here, I am satisfied the TDI comes with an oil designed to optimise run in of the rings. Seems even dealers are confused with the oil issue, but this was the same with my outgoing car. Will have to befriend the service manager at my dealer during delivery, and see what they are using oil wise.

It appears VW recommend a semi syn for run in, and a full syn after 15000k for better long term protection. I'm happy with that!

[Preen59]

Thanks brackie for starting this up- i've done accordingly during my first drive today!

One thing i have the habit of doing though, and i don't know if this is good/bad for the engine- I've been trying to rev it a bit- for example, using 4th gear to go at 100km/h, 3rd gear at 70km/h... but once I hit the freeway, I just let it go to 5th but then it starts to cruise- so I go to neutral... and i stay there for just a bit, then bring it down to 4th again so that the revving continues..

is this okay?
i'm what you would probably call a 'gentle' driver.. i don't particularly like to rev the engine but after all that i've read, babyying it will have its consequences so i'd rather be 'cruel' to be kind.

any help is greatly appreciated i sitll get a bit scared when i drive it- i feel like i'm going to choke it if i strain it too much but i just have to learn how to change my driving style...

Labouring, or putting an engine under load at very low RPMs is not good for it in any situation. Labouring it causes too much of the charge to be combusted before top dead centre and this does a number of things. It increases blow-by, which can over heat your rings and they can lose their radial tension (the tension on the ring forcing it out against the bore). It is also hell on your rods and pistons, it can cause the rods to crack and the pistons to fatigue. Also, at low RPMs your oil pressure is lower, which doesn't do your bearings any good.

You don't have to beat the balls off it, just use a decent throttle percentage and rev it a bit. Up hills (unless the engine is at a comfortable RPM), you're better off to knock it back a gear or 2 and rev it to 4 grand and get the boost pumping into it than you are to chug along and labour it. Engines have rev limiters for a reason, so aslong as you are sensible, your engine will that you for sticking the throttle into it a bit and bumping it up in the RPMs now and then.

So like i said, don't bounce it off the limiter in every gear and screach the wheels at every intersection, but just lean on it, make it work a little, and it'll last for a long long time.

[wiking]

The recommended run in for Heavy diesels used in modern day prime
movers ( 500 hp + ) is to drive it out the dealers yard and hook
it onto a 62 ton B-Double and go straight to work.

[Buller_Scott]

you guys, this forum has been a huge source of knowledge for me (i have a polo tdi), however i have a question that alludes to a little bit of driving from column A, as well as B.

my pogo was a demo, so we can presume that it was given a decent work out during the first 5000k's of its life (after which i picked it up).

but then, i picked it up and during warm up, i would never rev it higher than 2000rpm, and once it was warm i had the (deadly, i now understand) tendency to drop it into fourth at 60km's an hour and let the engine lug at 1300rpm, because i was stupid in thinking that aslong as im within the torque range, then its all good.

since 6700k's or so, however, i have been following the guidelines as per this forum.

so my question is- given the youth of my car, is the close-to 2000k's that ive been doing that to the engine, in all reality, going to have scarred it for life/ contributed to a lower km engine life? or as long as i follow the guide in the context of how to warm up etc, will my pogo's engine still be able to lead a full life?

im in my mid twenties and i have no idea about these things (expat kid turned foreign student living in japan= never owned a car before last year), so any experience, however positive or not-so-positive, will be well recieved.

thank you.

[Pumpe-Düse]

Aren't the engine bench run for a set period prior to installation into the vehicle?

Yes they are. This is part of the reason why VW diesel and petrol vehicles do not have a 3000km "complimentary," service like say, every Ford vehicle, for example, does.