Castrol LL03

[Tac]

VW is using Castrol LL03 5w 30 (VW 50507). They tell me they use it in all Passat and Jetta TDI motors. I'm looking for a 10w 30 synthetic to run in my 1991 Jetta ME. I'm using Rotella 5w 40 synthetic and when it gets cold the oil pressure gauge tops out at 100 PSI. Anybody here using a 5w 30 that's CJ-4 API rating for diesel motors? Does any one think that I can use a 5w 30?

Thanks
Tom

[Tac]

I just got of the phone with Castrol 1 (800) 462-0835. They were pretty helpful. Castrol LL03 is a European rated oil ACEA, so the answer was no, because VW in 1991 States a API rated C rated motor oil (CI, CH, CJ-4 ect.). I'm still interested to see if anyone here is using a 5W 30 CJ-4 rated oil in any older motors.

Thanks
Tom

[EcoTX]

There's nothing wrong with cold oil pressure @ 100 psi, it is quite normal.

That T6 5w40 synthetic is an excellent oil to use for your engine.

[Tac]

Ya, T6 is what I been using. I think it's a good oil. Just wanted to try a 10w 30 full synthetic. It maybe also will still start up at a high PSI. I almost tried Royal Purple. They told me that there HPS 10W 30. But what scared me off was that no where on the bottle did it say meets CJ-4 specs (or any other C type rating). There diesel 15w 40 is the only one that I seen that makes a reference to CJ-4.

Thanks
Tom

[surfcam]

I would be careful buying oil. Specially when it's on sale. You have to read the whole lable and make shure it's not a blend. I like the Shell oil because I've never seen any blends that they have made. There was a flap over at the TDI Club about dealers using blends and not spec oil.

[Tac]

I Like the Shell Rotella stuff also. Shell Rotella T5 is a 10W 30 blend of synthetic that is API rated CJ-4 and conventional motor oil. I'd use it but I want a full synthetic.

Tom

[82vdub]

Just asking a question to make sure my logic is right. If you're using a 5w-x oil and think the oil pressure is too high at cold temp startups, won't going to a 10W-x oil yield a higher pressure reading with the slightly thicker cold weight?

[Tac]

I don't know, that's why I was asking if anybody is using it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking that it would be lower. I've been wrong plenty times before.

Tom

[82vdub]

I don't know either. You could take a quart of 5w-x and a quart of 10w-x, put them outside in the cold, and see how long it takes each to pour a certain amount. I think the 10W-x is thicker when cold than 5w-x.

Well, I did a little reading. A couple links below. First link, read the post by 64Impala. It's for a bike, but the thought applies to really any engine.

In the 2nd link, that's to Amsoil and you can see the centistokes numbers for the oil weights. 3.8 is very close to a 4.1 (7.5% difference) for the difference between a 5W and 10W oil, but the difference is much greater when you go from 10W to 15W (36% difference).

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/show ... ve-a-read!

http://www.upmpg.com/tech_articles/motoroil_viscosity/

In the end, I don't think you're going to see much of a difference on the pressure gauge with a 5W or 10W oil at cold startup.

[Tac]

Pretty good link 82vdub. Both links do explain a lot. Thanks. Well I just ordered Amsoil 10w 30 synthetic API rated CJ-4 Part number OECQT-EA. I'll have it at the end of the week, I'll let you know what the start up psi is and outdoor temps at start up. Temps are all over the place hear lately. Last Sat it was 19 degrees in the morning. Today it was 50 this morning.

Thanks
Tom

[Tac]

Pick up the oil I ordered yesterday. It was a real mild day here. This morning was pretty nice too, so this really doesn't give me a good idea yet what the start up pressure is going to be at cold temps. NOAA records show the low last night was 37 (wich is nothing and pleasant) my out side temps was the same. When I started it up it was 38 and the oil pressure went to 90. The 5w 40 use to top out my gauge at 100. So I can't tell what the real reading was. When I take it out later I'll post what the warm idle pressure is.



Tom