few quetions about servicing incl...

[SC02 FFF]

-Cambelt & Tensionor change is every 40,000K miles correct?

-Spark plugs, how often do they need changing and what Nm do you tighten them by?

-My engine check light has been coming on, and is due to the lambda sensor on my down pipe. im convinced its a wire fault as the check light comes on and off can anyone confirm this?

if and when i change the lambda sensor, how tight do i need to do it, and is there any oil sealing / lubbing needed for the seal?

[i have been reading over old threads]

it had a service at 25,400K miles, and then an oil & filter change at 35,000K miles, at 42,000 going to do an oil change and engine flush (change oil from 10W 40 Quantum silver) --> 0W 30 Castrol (edge i think) ) and change spark plugs, anything else that needs doing?

Edited December 21, 2008 by SC02 FFF

[Joel]

sure its every 60k or 5 years for cambelt mate. I know it is for audi's and they are vag so yeah.

Generally its oil, fuel, air, sparks for a full service as you've already had a lube service.

If you do your cambelt make sure you also change your waterpump as a precaution as they can go after you put a new belt on. The bearing isn't used to being in the position it was in before you took the belt off so when you put a new belt on it can potentially break and seize up which involves pretty much doing another cambelt so do it whilst you are there to save the hassel in the long run.

Your sensor could be on its way out hence it being sproradic. Easy job to change, don't need to lube or anything just screw it in to about 20nm (nip it up with a ratchet) and it should be fine. If your problem persists maybe think about getting its faults read. Will be able to tell you if its the sensor or an open circuit but do it after changing your lambda.

Don't know what oil you should be using. Refer to your handbook for reccomended oil.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Joel

[simpo]

The belt is 4yrs or 40k, fact.

The check light can be a-lot of different things. But being it may well be one of the lamba's and was the second lamba on my car, when I had the same problem. Early sports had one sensor and later ones had two. If you have two sensors it might be a bit of trial and error in solving the problem, unless Vag-com can diagnose the culprit.

What needs to done is personal preference and depends on how much of a perfectionist you are. Really, fresh oil and filter will probably be ok. But never hurts to take good care of the motor, im sure you ought to consider brake fluid if it hasn't been done in a while, same for coolant. Gearbox oil if your fussy (like me). Maybe fuel filter but I never bothered as mine lupo wasn't very old.

As for 0W 30 oil, although it will be good for cold starts over the winter, id be dubious about the oil pressure with it being so thin. Also the number on the end '30'

is the temperature rating so 30 maybe a little low especially if you drive hard over the Summer.

5W 40 is what's recommended for gti's so Id use that.

[SC02 FFF]

thanks mate brilliant, going to do sparks, fuel, oil and filter and lambda

Edited December 22, 2008 by SC02 FFF

[Niche]

Synta Silver (10w-40) is a semi synthetic based oil and is what your dealer will instruct you to use however you can use a fully synthetic based oil...the main difference is that a fully synthetic oil doesn't need to be changed as often and has more properties to help protect your engine from wear.

If you don't want to use Synta Gold (5w-40) which is VW's own fully synthetic based oil and you want something a tad thinner I would suggest Castrol Edge (5w-30). Now from what I've seen it is substantially thinner that VW's own 5w-40 but it shouldn't cause an issue with leaking out the rubber seals.

Since you are changing from a semi based oil to a fully based oil you should run an engine flush from Forte products. You can get it delivered off the bay of e for under a tenner. This will help to thin out the semi based oil you have in your car before changing.

As Simpo said about the cambelt & tensioner...what the handbook says is outdated and irrelevant. VW did send out a letter to all the original owners stating the necessary changes.

[Defcon5]

5W 40 is what's recommended for gti's so Id use that.

Who says this, as in the manual it doesnt state a grade?

[simpo]

Its what VW themselves use if you go for a service they will normally use Quantum Silver 10W 40 or Quatum Gold 5W 40 Fully Synthetic. Id go for gold as im a snob and believe its better.

Its a vag group specified oil and carries their approval on the back of the bottle, = VW 502 00/505 00

[Defcon5]

Last time my car was serviced at VW they used Shell Helix 10-40, now they have changed to magnatec. I have concerns as to why they dont use their own oil, and the fact it is so cheap. I assume it is made by someone else and rebranded?

VW502 and 505 are VWs most basic standards, 504 and 507 are the more recent ones.

[SC02 FFF]

think ill use the gold full syn. the only reason i wanted a 0or5w 30 is for less resistance in the engine so a better mpg obv wont be a big diff. and to get rid of the tappy sound the engine has mainly on cold start up. ill give gold a go as i can get it alot cheaper than castrol,

my cambelt was done at 25.500 so im cool for now ill do it at 60k

so why use Forte products i always like explinations not that i dont trust you, i just like to ask

very informative thank you:)

[Niche]

Well I can't say why people use Forte products...but I used it in the Sport. Ran the engine for 30 mins at low revs and the oil came out pure black and quite thin.

But like I say...your switching from a semi synthetic based oil to a fully synthetic based oil, and when you do an oil change its near impossible to get every drop of oil out...the engine flush did exactly what it said on the bottle.

[Unheard]

Synta Silver (10w-40) is a semi synthetic based oil and is what your dealer will instruct you to use however you can use a fully synthetic based oil...the main difference is that a fully synthetic oil doesn't need to be changed as often and has more properties to help protect your engine from wear.

If you don't want to use Synta Gold (5w-40) which is VW's own fully synthetic based oil and you want something a tad thinner I would suggest Castrol Edge (5w-30). Now from what I've seen it is substantially thinner that VW's own 5w-40 but it shouldn't cause an issue with leaking out the rubber seals.

Since you are changing from a semi based oil to a fully based oil you should run an engine flush from Forte products. You can get it delivered off the bay of e for under a tenner. This will help to thin out the semi based oil you have in your car before changing.

As Simpo said about the cambelt & tensioner...what the handbook says is outdated and irrelevant. VW did send out a letter to all the original owners stating the necessary changes.

The earlier lupos had semi then they went over to fully later on as i understand it. The recomended fully is 5w/40 . There is no problem with mixing fully and semi synthetic oil and you don't really need to flush the engine unless the oil is a pure synthetic and they are almost exclusively used in gearboxes. Almost all Synthetic oils are actually mineral derived oils .

You can flush the engine but it is debatable weather it is beneficial or not. Flushing the engine with a flushing oil can actualy break down the carbon that helps to form the seal for the piston rings. Some experts actually recommend on VAG cars to swap out the fully synthetic and put in mineral oil when the car is new to help ware the engine in and build up the carbon that seals the piston rings after a few thousand you can then swap back.

One of the things that is recomended when changing from semi or mineral to fully is to stick to a simalar weight as that is what the engine has worn to so on that bases it may be better to go with a 5w/40 rather than 0w/30

Despite their name, most synthetic derived motor oils (ie Mobil 1, Castrol Formula RS etc ) are actually derived from mineral oils - they are mostly Polyalphaolifins and these come from the purest part of the mineral oil refraction process, the gas. PAO oils will mix with normal mineral oils which means Joe public can add synthetic to his mineral, or mineral to his synthetic without his car engine seizing up (although I've heard Mobil 1 is actually made by reformulating ethanol).

The most stable bases are polyol-ester (not polyester, you fool). When I say 'stable' I mean 'less likely to react adversely with other compounds.' Synthetic oil bases tend not to contain reactive carbon atoms for this reason. Reactive carbon has a tendency to combine with oxygen creating an acid. As you can imagine, in an oil, this would be A Bad Thing. So think of synthetic oils as custom-built oils. They're designed to do the job efficiently but without any of the excess baggage that can accompany mineral based oils

technical question posed on the Shell Oil website.

There is no scientific data to support the idea that mixing mineral and synthetic oils will damage your engine. When switching from a mineral oil to a synthetic, or vice versa, you will potentially leave a small amount of residual oil in the engine. That's perfectly okay because synthetic oil and mineral-based motor oil are, for the most part, compatible with each other. (The exception is pure synetics. Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils.)

There is also no problem with switching back and forth between synthetic and mineral based oils. In fact, people who are "in the know" and who operate engines in areas where temperature fluctuations can be especially extreme, switch from mineral oil to synthetic oil for the colder months. They then switch back to mineral oil during the warmer months.

There was a time, years ago, when switching between synthetic oils and mineral oils was not recommended if you had used one product or the other for a long period of time. People experienced problems with seals leaking and high oil consumption but changes in additive chemistry and seal material have taken care of those issues. And that's an important caveat. New seal technology is great, but if you're still driving around in a car from the 80's with its original seals, then this argument becomes a bit of a moot point - your seals are still going to be subject to the old leakage problems no matter what newfangled additives the oil companies are putting in their products.

[Tigz™]

You can flush the engine but it is debatable weather it is beneficial or not.

Good post

I'm also on the idea that a flush is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

[SC02 FFF]

when u flush u empty oil content (leave sump bolt open or screw back in? add the flush leave running on (idle?) then undo bolt? after i've done the engine flush, i wack some oil in there again, and flush it through again just making sure itll get any extra bits out

Edited December 22, 2008 by SC02 FFF

[Tigz™]

I take it you didnt read the above post? lol

Dude, just make sure the engine is hot so the oil is nice and thin and it'll drain perfectly.

the other time when you'd 'need' engine flush is when the oil is completely filthy and it is gunky, all the engine flush will do is help thin it down.

Your just wasting your cash.