Oil Like Thick Black Paste

Aidy P

Aidy P

Don't play that 'What If?' game, you'll never win!
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1,035
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204 4Motion
Has anyone had to get their oil changed before it was due?

After c. 19k Miles the oil in my Ocean had turned to a thick black paste. VW suggested that it could have been caused by changes in temperature on our 2.5k road trip last year where we went from c. 5’c and 9000ft in Austria to 35’c on the coast in Italy within 12 hours. I’d topped up the oil as suggested by VW after the trip. I’d serviced the van in March.

The van was driving quite sluggishly until the change. Drives fine again now.

Anyone else experienced this with their oil?
 
Has anyone had to get their oil changed before it was due?

After c. 19k Miles the oil in my Ocean had turned to a thick black paste. VW suggested that it could have been caused by changes in temperature on our 2.5k road trip last year where we went from c. 5’c and 9000ft in Austria to 35’c on the coast in Italy within 12 hours. I’d topped up the oil as suggested by VW after the trip. I’d serviced the van in March.

The van was driving quite sluggishly until the change. Drives fine again now.

Anyone else experienced this with their oil?
I have never heard such a ridiculous explanation.
I’m surprised you didn’t have any warning lights, oil pressure etc:. This is not normal and I have driven through such extremes of temperature etc: on many occasions over the years and never come across this.

http://www.syntheticoildistributor.com/Factors-For-Motor-Oil-Failure.html

Too Thick

When it comes to oil, although it may seem like "the thicker, the better," oil that is too thick is just as detrimental as oil that is too thin. Excessively thick oil is the most commonly discussed oil failure and the subject of many big oil company marketing campaigns.



When oil becomes too thick to flow to engine parts, these areas are starved of oil, resulting in metal-to-metal contact that can lead to catastrophic engine damage. The precursor to sludge is oil that has become much thicker than its original design. The cause is a complex chemical reaction involving heat, combustion byproducts and oxygen combining to create chemical attack on the oil molecules. The resulting chemical reaction creates a much thicker substance that does not flow or protect as well as the original oil. When the reaction continues, sludge begins to form in areas of higher localized temperature and low flow. While some varnish is normal, sludge is a sign of excessively degraded oil that needs to be replaced. In order to inhibit sludge and varnish, the oil must resist attack by oxidation forces. Synthetic base oils have a much higher level of saturated molecules that inherently resist this constant bombardment. Additionally, antioxidants are added to either reduce the formation of free-radical oxidation precursors or soak up these precursors once they form.



Another cause of oil thickening, primarily affecting diesel oils, is excessive soot loading in mechanically unsound engines. Diesel oils are designed to handle some soot contamination, but when the soot overloads the available dispersants in the oil, the oil thickens. The agglomerated soot particles reach a critical size and cause excessive wear commonly seen in diesel liners.
 
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Thanks @WelshGas. Very informative. At least after the old change everything seems normal.
 
I’d be tempted to change the oil and filter again in a few hundred miles and hope you can get rid of any residual crud, probably drop the sump to clean this and the oil pick up as well.

I know I sound like a broken record but these long service intervals are just not suitable for the majority of Cali owners.
 
I’d be tempted to change the oil and filter again in a few hundred miles and hope you can get rid of any residual crud, probably drop the sump to clean this and the oil pick up as well.

I know I sound like a broken record but these long service intervals are just not suitable for the majority of Cali owners.
Interesting that this is with a T6 204. Never have this problem on my 180. Oil changes at 20,000 miles annually. Could it be excessive soot? Time will tell but the excuse given by VW beggars belief.
 
Interesting that this is with a T6 204. Never have this problem on my 180. Oil changes at 20,000 miles annually. Could it be excessive soot? Time will tell but the excuse given by VW beggars belief.

Your Cali is used properly, with mileage more typical of a commercial vehicle for which the service intervals are designed. It doesn’t sound right though, even if it’s had a lot of stop start use. I think I’d be getting it properly inspected whilst under warranty.
 
My 204 came up with a calendar indication to change the oil. Barely 13 months old.
Only 7,500 miles but the oil was much blacker than I've seen in previous diesels with higher mileages.
Previous EOS 2.0ltr TDi 150 never seemed to 'foul' the oil to that degree.
 
This is what mines telling me from Carnet back on the 7th March when Cali just short of 14 months.

Mileage: 7,695.06 mi
Next inspection due in: 17,300 mi/308 Day(s) Next oil service due in: 4,800 mi/332 Day(s)

Mine is on the long service but considering this thread and as I am off for a 5000+ Trip starting in September I shall be booking mine in for its first oil change.

Edit: For the record my oil looks fine.


Mike
 
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I’d serviced mine after a year and circa 10k miles. It was fully loaded with four of us when we did our big 3 week road last year but it shouldn’t have affected the oil. Will be keeping an eye on it more frequently from now on.
 
This is what mines telling me from Carnet back on the 7th March when Cali just short of 14 months.

Mileage: 7,695.06 mi
Next inspection due in: 17,300 mi/308 Day(s) Next oil service due in: 4,800 mi/332 Day(s)

Mine is on the long service but considering this thread and as I am off for a 5000+ Trip starting in September I shall be booking mine in for its first oil change.

Edit: For the record my oil looks fine.


Mike
I have a 2012 model, and in 6 years I have done just 36000 miles. Apart from the repairs to prangs (which you can't see) it looks and feels like new
Last week I rang the garage re an annual service/oil change and the services guy said that it was unnecessary. He went further and he thought that it was a waste of money! After reading this I have been out and checked the oil. Nearly full up on the dipstick, oil looks thin and, as you would expect, black.
Accepting what everyone has said I probably still won't have it changed. ( i am expecting some good natured abuse for this post!)
 
I change my oil within in 3000 miles looks like new it can be done easy by your self Lidl oil pump kit warm oil up to 60c pipe straight down dipstick tube sucks it out job done
 
Wish we'd all briefly mention the specific model we drive. Could it be that the 204 power is reached partially by VW having modified the fuelling programme to increase fuel supply but to an over-rich extent so that the combustion process blowby, albeit should be little on a newish engine, is soot loading the oil rather rapidly?

Unashamedly old school myself, the modern engine not requiring an early oil & filter change from new, I still view with suspicion. & then there's that other debate about the differences in "running in" diesel engines compared with petrol ones! But please. let's not go there!!!
 
I change it every 10k kilometres (6k miles). The cost is insignificant compared to the worth of the van and it takes about an hour.
 

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