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Owning a Tdi

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8K views 105 replies 28 participants last post by  Ohlins 
#1 ·
OK, so now that I actually have a running 300Tdi that may be coming home in the next 2-3 weeks. (Won't actually be driving for a bit, but I will be running it/getting to know it.)

  1. What type of oil do you all recommend?
  2. What type of oil change interval?
  3. Warm up on a cold start, or no?
  4. Common symptoms to look for?
  5. Bio fuel? What blend? And for any of the east Portland area plebs, where do you get yours?
  6. Anyone using a vegi oil blend of their own? As in filtering, storing, and using?
  7. Common maintenance items that should be looked at on a regular basis?
 
#3 ·
forget all those questions. STEP ONE: FIND A LOCAL OR NEARBY MECHANIC THAT KNOWS ROVER TDI'S AND KNOWS WTF HE'S DOING.

Do not wait for something to go wrong. If you are not located near a Rover knowledge center (aka Indy Rover shop with TDI experience), this would be my biggest concern.

In Africa, every corner mechanic knows Rover TDI's. In the US, if it doesn't have an OBD port, they don't want to touch it.

I'm giving you chapter 3 of my life memoirs pre-publication.
 
#4 ·
forget all those questions. STEP ONE: FIND A LOCAL OR NEARBY MECHANIC THAT KNOWS ROVER TDI'S AND KNOWS WTF HE'S DOING.
Yes, that is done. Which is why I am not doing the actual install myself. I want it to be done, set, running right from day one. If I need the pro, I know where to go.
 
#5 ·
What type of oil do you all recommend? - I use Amsoil diesel oil, 15w-40
What type of oil change interval? 5k miles
Warm up on a cold start, or no? If it's really cold I'll run the glow plugs twice, I don't let it idle because it won't get warm under 30
Common symptoms to look for? oil consumption, coolant consumption
Bio fuel? What blend? And for any of the east Portland area plebs, where do you get yours? I don't
Anyone using a vegi oil blend of their own? As in filtering, storing, and using? I don't
Common maintenance items that should be looked at on a regular basis? P gasket, doing valves, timing, oil changes
 
#6 · (Edited)
Run a search for Oil Analysis and Blackstone Labs on the forum. I recommend you do an oil analysis on the old oil the 2nd time you change the oil. Great way to get to know the engine. I went 7300 miles between oil changes last time. Mostly because Blackstone labs report recommended it. According my old report, my engine is very happy and loving the lubricating & solvent effect of the biodiesel. I use Mobil 1 Diesel Truck oil.

Running a cold engine to warm it up is a no-no according to recent articles and a discussion here on the forum. It's bad for the engine and it'll take forever to warm up by idle. If you're looking to warm it up get a Webasto Thermotop C, a block heater or an oil pan heater.

Jays Garage in SE has Biodiesel. B99 in the summer and B50 in the winter. Personally I don't think veggie oil is worth the effort. Lots of mods required to make it work properly. No mods required for biodiesel if you already have synthetic hoses. Lots of good threads on the forum related to 300tdi maintenance and performance improvements as well.
 
#7 ·
Just say no to biodiesel. A bad batch of bio is what International claims made my first HS2.8 a boat anchor. I will never touch the stuff. I still believe it was the front crank seal as Johan at Prins in Norway believed as well.

It won't warm up idling. But I idle 30 seconds to a minute to make sure oil has filled all the oil galleys and reached all moving parts especially the turbo.
 
#9 ·
Well, that's just bad advice. What do you know about the bio fuel quality in Oregon? We have one of the best bio refineries in the country here; Sequential Fuels. No bad batches. As I said, I've run B99 and B50 for the past 8 years with zero issues. I even ran it with Biodiesel that my father-in-law made, with no issues. Frankly, It's not rocket science to make so I wonder how bad you have to be at it in order to make a bad batch. Did you even confirm that the issues you had were caused by biodiesel? What blend were you using? Are you suggesting it destroyed the crank seal? I must be missing something because I don't see how biodiesel could be the primary cause of catastrophic engine failure.

Just say no to biodiesel. A bad batch of bio is what International claims made my first HS2.8 a boat anchor. I will never touch the stuff. I still believe it was the front crank seal as Johan at Prins in Norway believed as well. It won't warm up idling. But I idle 30 seconds to a minute to make sure oil has filled all the oil galleys and reached all moving parts especially the turbo.
 
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#14 ·
Biodiesel and vegetable oil are completely different things.

To run veg oil you need dual tanks, fuel heaters and a purging system. It is quite complicated to do.

Biodiesel can replace diesel directly. It's only downside is it can damage certain types of seals and fuel lines.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, I get that, I was referring to what they say on that web site I linked about where their B99 comes from: Made from local reclamation of waste cooking oil

I have no plans to install the special equipment to run pure vegi oil in this thing.
 
#23 ·
I run B99 in the summer, B50 in the winter. B20 if I'm going up into snow and regular diesel if it's going to be Arctic freezing temperatures. Never had an issue with gelling.
 
#18 ·
John, out of curiosity, which seals are at risk on a 300tdi?

Ben, any vehicle prior to 1995 will need synthetic fuel lines. Any vehicle after should already have it.
 
#25 ·
There is a shell station at 16? & Powell that has consistently low prices on B20. (1.86 the last time i went) Lately the Shell on 182 & division as been the same price. The one on powell doesn't gouge you for using your credit card not sure about the one on division.
 
#27 ·
[*]What type of oil do you all recommend?
Any good xW40 diesel engine oil will be fine. The "x" based on how cold the cold starts will be.


[*]What type of oil change interval?
10000 miles should be no problem, but as mentioned, oil analysis is a good idea for the first while to make sure everything is good.


[*]Warm up on a cold start, or no?
No


[*]Common symptoms to look for?
Symptoms of what? The best test is top speed. You should be able to pull up to 70 mph fairly easily and hopefully get up into the 80s, flat with no head wind.


[*]Common maintenance items that should be looked at on a regular basis?
See the manual. Nothing special, just follow the factory guidelines.
 
#32 ·
Also of great importance, but not mentioned, is to watch your coolant level, AND engine temperature. Get a guage with the actual readout in real numbers and keep an eye on it. The head is aluminum and the block cast iron, and those metals do not behave the same under high temperatures. The headgasket being the intermediary!
 
#34 ·
When you change to a VDO gauges, like everyone should, get a sender with a high temperature switch in it. Hook the switch to a buzzer. Makes overheating nearly impossible.
 
#36 ·
I'm about to order a Madman EMS-2 and use it to monitor (with programmable alarms, IIRC) EGT, coolant temp, oil temp, oil pressure, transmission oil temp, coolant level, and probably a couple other things I'm forgetting at the moment. The strong dollar (and the weak Rand) is making this way cheaper than it used to be,$360ish shipped last time I checked.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Coolant temperature
Tachometer
Boost
EGT
Voltage

Coolant and EGT have audible alarms.

If I was to start again, I would get a Madman EMS2. Oil pressure and low coolant alarm would be good additions.
 
#39 ·
Glad to hear that you'd do that if you had it to do over.
I believe the EMS2 can accommodate one pressure sender which can be used for oil pressure or boost. If that turns out to be the case I'll use the EMS for oil pressure (audible alarm is key) and just buy a separate VDO boost gauge.
 
#43 ·
Their prices are structured with discounts for X number of items, and it does get cheaper as the numbers go up, but I don't recall the discounts being dramatic enough to justify the hassle... We cut might be worth doing just to save on shipping (although the madman guys warned me about triggering a duty by having too many in one shipment --lemme take a look.
 
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