Special Oil Explained..........
http://www.alientech.net/nbinfo/tdiinfo.html
Fred Voglmaier has some useful info and a chat board for TDIs:
http://users.uniserve.com/~fred_v/
The factory training manual states a 45 cetane minimal rating.
Volkswagen's oil specification for its diesel engines is called VW 505. 00. Very few motor oils in North
America carry the VW 505. 00 rating. Volkswagen calls for API CD rated oil for the North American
market. The problem is that API CD is so out of date that the API forbids the CD rating from being used.
Volkswagen has not been quick to upgrade its oil specification because of a new rating system being
developed by ACEA in Europe. Volkswagen has now upgraded its oil for diesel engines and aligned it to
the new European specs. The old VW 505. 00 specification never had a direct crossover to any API oil
ratings. With Volkswagen's new upgraded diesel oil specification with a direct ACEA rating, there will now
be a direct crossover to an API oil rating. It will be at least a year before the new ACEA B4-98 will have an
API equivalent, probably API CH-4. The following article can be found at
www.lubrizol.com in the June
Newsline. ACEA Issues New Engine Oil Specifications Test protocols include new and updated tests.
ACEA has issued upgrades to its specifications for gasoline and diesel passenger car engine oils, and
heavy-duty diesel engine oils. First allowable use of the sequences was March 1, 1998. By March 1, 1999,
all new claims to meet ACEA sequences must conform to the 1998 issue. Claims against ACEA 96
sequences will not be permitted after March 1, 2000. The specifications include both increased test
severity and updated technical requirements with no intent to increase severity. An example of this latter
change is the replacement of the OM 364A engine test with the OM 364LA. This engine, which is the int
rcooled/low emissions version of the OM 364 engine, is used to evaluate bore polish and piston deposits.
For passenger car diesel engine oils, the following changes were made: •B1-98 — Additional parameters
were added to the OM 602A test, and the M111E fuel-economy test was added. •B2-98 and B3-98 —
Additional parameters were added to the OM 602A test. •B4-98 — This is a new category for oils used in
direct injection diesel engines requiring special quality oils. The category includes a new engine test, the
VW TDI. This four-cylinder , 1. 9 liter direct-injection diesel engine is turbocharged and intercooled.
If you call VW Customer assistance, they will advise you to use a CG-4 rated oil. I'm currently using Mobil Delvac 1300,
and plan on switching to Delvac 1 at 15K.