What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by doctle »

Stickyfinger wrote: 22 Sep 2017, 21:10
doctle wrote: 22 Sep 2017, 19:24 By flushing oil I meant an oil that you use for say 100 miles or so. The new oil will pick up stuff and hold it in suspension. After say 100 miles/a week change the oil and filter again. Like I said oil is cheap, engines aren't. It's all down to personal preference but the old guys had the right attitude, oil everything. When was the last time you saw an oil can in a workshop?


This afternoon.....I was in my workshop all afternoon :)

Re the flush.....as said, I do this the first time I get a car, I see no reason to do it any other time as I have short changed anyway and used an flushing agent.

Touche! I meant in you don't see oil cans in garage workshops any more not many mechanics either only fitters. Friend of mine had sticky brakes on the rear of his Skoda superb, dealers diagnoses was new calipers, discs and pads. Total bill was huge, had he asked me I'd have got two caliper rebuild kits, his discs were good pads only 7 months old, I could probably have did the lot for an eighth of the dealers charges.

I thought the OP had just purchased the car, ooops!
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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by Stickyfinger »

LOL, the reason I was in my workshop this afternoon (after a morning waxing the underside of my AX) was "fixing" the front brakes of "Her next door's" VW Golf. Dealer said new pads/disks, I added some copper slip behind the good pads on the car which worked on disks that were changed 12 months ago !

I agree with you 100%
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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by Andle »

My car is:

Picasso Xsara
1.6 HDI VTX
92 bhp
9HXC
DV6TED4
2007
80,000k

Interesting note: Spoke to one of the Chemical engineers over at Total oils.

Engine flush aims to dissolve the oil crud - and hopes to act in the way solvent would to paint. It dislodges old crud - which is then suspended in the oil and hence is transported around the engine - potentially reaching places you'd rather it didn't. Ideally it would fully dissolve the crud immediately. It doesn't.

The flushing agent does not do an adequate job of thoroughly dissolving the crud - quickly enough - to prevent large flakes and deposits being transported around the system - seeding future problems in the engine.

Also - it is impossible to get every ml of the flush out - even when you drain the mix. A small amount of flushing agent will always be left all over the engine - so even when you put in fresh oil - you are changing the composition and qualities of the fresh oil from the get go - as the amount of residue left - is enough to effect significant change.

Bottom line - on older engines - as the forum says - regular oil changes. Avoid flushing agent.

Next best alternative - put in new oil and filter - drive for 500 miles - ensure a significant portion of that mileage - is of the type that gets the oil very hot - then change oil + filter again - for the next 6-10k. You don't need to do this every time - just when there seems to be an oil quality related issue with the car - or when you first buy it. Yes this is a sunk cost - but as a wiser one said - oil and filter is cheap - engines are expensive.

To add one thing - he did say - if the car was bought new - using a flushing agent from the beginning - and regular oil changes as prescribed - that would be the best way to make competent use of flushing chemcials.

This is my understanding and it's a nice logical progression - but that doesn't mean that it's correct.

I welcome constructive criticisms and discussion - so we can explore this topic fully as a community.

I only spoke to one of their chemical engineers - who has 30 years in his particular post. But one - is only one.

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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by EDC5 »

That makes a lot of sense to me as a Chemist to be honest. I can't imagine the flushing fluid has much lubricating properties so it may cause accelerated bearing wear while it's in the engine.

I think the best policy would be to keep the oil changed frequently to avoid this gunge building up in engines. I'm not sure if an engine flush would do a well maintained engine any good really.
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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by Andle »

EDC5 wrote: 23 Sep 2017, 19:56 That makes a lot of sense to me as a Chemist to be honest. I can't imagine the flushing fluid has much lubricating properties so it may cause accelerated bearing wear while it's in the engine.

I think the best policy would be to keep the oil changed frequently to avoid this gunge building up in engines. I'm not sure if an engine flush would do a well maintained engine any good really.


What is the current thinking about the benefits of EGR valve blanking on oil longevity?

I'm reading that some are convinced that it's the EGR that blackens (read contaminates) the oil - whilst others seem to disagree?

Does blanking off the EGR - bring benefits in terms of oil quality.
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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by GiveMeABreak »

This article was written in 1999, but with the engine design and oils available at the time. I quote the last section:
This has significant implications for Euro IV, or similar emission levels, which are achieved through the use of EGR. To meet these emissions, soot levels will be significantly lower than those of the test engine. This will substantially reduce the soot level in the cylinder and reduce the oil ageing effect. It is therefore possible that future low emission engines, using high levels of full load EGR, may not produce the levels of soot seen in this study and therefore may have no EGR wear problems for the piston ring and liner.
So in the last 19 years engine design has come a long way and I would suggest that this is not such an issue.

http://papers.sae.org/1999-01-0839/
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Re: What Oil - Picasso Xsara 1.6 HDI VTX 07

Post by EDC5 »

Am I right in thinking that the only way for dirty EGR gas to contaminate the oil is theough piston blow-by so the contamination should be minimal?

I'd be far more concerned with Diesel getting into the oil caused by frequent FAP regenerations myself.
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