# MK4 Jetta eats oil like crazy...Oil out there that burns less?



## JoshStoryDesign (Sep 29, 2008)

Is there an oil that burns less for our cars? I have the issue where i burn a QT. or a little more every 1,500mi.....Its because of those upside down piston rings that good ol' VW did wrong...I'm just looking to see if there's an oil out there that burns less so it lasts longer. Let me know. Thanks guys.


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## Nicefeet (Dec 29, 2009)

What are you running for oil now?


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## finklejag (Apr 4, 2002)

You can try Castrol High Mileage 10W-40. It's the thickest 40 weight out there. It has a viscosity of 16.0 @ 100c. That's thicker then Delvac and Rotella 15w-40 diesel oils.


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## Little Golf Mklll (Nov 27, 2007)

Redline 20W-50:laugh:


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## cryption (Mar 28, 2006)

Wait ... upside down piston rings? I haven't been in the MK4 world in a while .... did I miss something?


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## animaniac (May 26, 2005)

You may want to try valvoline maxlife 5W/40 fully synthetic which is vw 502 approved!!!!


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## gehr (Jan 28, 2004)

JoshStoryDesign said:


> .....Its because of those upside down piston rings that good ol' VW did wrong....


 When did this happen!??!?


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## gehr (Jan 28, 2004)

JoshStoryDesign said:


> Its because of those upside down piston rings that good ol' VW did wrong.


No, really?


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## gehr (Jan 28, 2004)

JoshStoryDesign said:


> Its because of those upside down piston rings that good ol' VW did wrong....


No, seriously! What are you talking about? Is this some crap you made up or was there some manufacturing problem I luckily missed with 3 different generations of VWs. :sly:


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## TechMeister (Jan 7, 2008)

There would be no way to know if your engine has the upside down oil rings without disassembly and inspection.

1 qt per 1500 miles is not unusual in a higher mileage engine. Worn valve stem seals and guides can consume a lot of oil. If this is a wear issue then switching brands of oils isn't likely to help much in reducing the consumption issue. A heavier viscosity oil might help a little but nothing is going to significantly reduce the consumption short of repairing the root cause.


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## TheBossQ (Aug 15, 2009)

gehr said:


> No, seriously! What are you talking about? Is this some crap you made up or was there some manufacturing problem I luckily missed with 3 different generations of VWs. :sly:


Ha ha ha! This is the first I have ever heard of something like this. If you think about how piston rings are designed (speaking of their shape), you know right away this would never fly.

The chamfered edge of the ring would be facing down. The rings would never seat in the cylinders properly from the very beginning, you'd have major compression and leakdown issues.

I almost want to say the rings would rattle or vibrate in the ring lands. The initial cylinder pressure spike would send the ring upward in the ring land, instead of seating it downward. As pressure bled off under the ring, the pressure above would slam the ring back down and that little episode would play out over and over and over.

I call shenanigans.


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## TechMeister (Jan 7, 2008)

The compression rings were installed properly. Only the oil rings were installed upside down. They will still wipe oil off the cylinders when upside down but they will allow more oil to be dragged up the cylinder which allows it to enter the combustion chamber where it is burned. Thus installing the oil rings properly reduces oil consumption to normal. This problem only existed on a small qty. of engines.


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## AudiSportA4 (Mar 3, 2002)

15w-40 usually burns the least. Good down to +20f or so. 

Try some 2-cycle oil in the gas at 500:1


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