VW 1.8T "oil sludge" problems

[BlackEclipse]

Anybody here ever had this problem or know someone who went through this? The dealership is refusing to honor the warranty on my mother's 2003 Passat. Googling gives me a number of hits of frustrated people.

[RZRS614]

yes i had this problem with my 1.8t gti...... its not just passsats, but they are more prone to it because of the way the engine sits in the engine bay. If you dont use full synthetic oil, regular oil gets baked from the turbo and turns to a sludge and over time will clog the pickup tube. I was drivin down the road and my low oil pressure light came on so I had to put a new oil pump, pickup tube, and screen on, and clean out the oil pan.

[BlackEclipse]

How easy it to replace the oil pump? Can it be done from underneath the car? Is it driven by the timing belt? Who did your repairs?

[RZRS614]

the oil pump is driven by an internal chain.....http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2437797
i took my car to motorkars off of king ave. It cost 780 bucks to replace the oil pump pickup tube and screen, along with cleaning the oil pan, gaskets and whatnot......If i had to do it all over again i woulda done it myself, but they did REALLY good work and I trust them enough to take my car there again. They specialize in VW, audi, porsche.

[BlackEclipse]

Why did the oil pickup tube have to be replaced? If it is anything like a DSM one, one would think it could easily be cleaned.

[RZRS614]

It was replaced because that sludge turns rock hard and they only cost like 20 bucks for a new pickup tube and screen so would just replace it instead of spending hours trying to clean it.

[BlackEclipse]

Did they take the engine out to do this work? I'm wondering if this can be done laying under the car. Those pics on VWVortex show the engine completely out of the car.

[RZRS614]

you can do it from under the car, a lift would proly be very helpful though. heres a breakdown of the parts and labor charges...

oil pump 174.95
oil suction pipe 19.75
seal 3.90
oil switch 14.95
sealant (i think this is for the oil pan) 29.50
oil filter 8.45

labor 450.00 which includes de-sludge oil pan and re-install with new oil pan gasket, replace oil pressure switch, remove aftermarket oil pressure rail and hose (dont worry bout that part), check wiring to oil pressure switch, check oil pressure

they didnt list adding oil cost but thats a givin

[Blue92]

The sludge issue appears to be getting bigger not only with VW's but in almost every motor. I feel in years to come, synthetic will be the only oil available.

[BlackEclipse]

Originally posted by RZRS614

labor 450.00

How many hours is that?

Is that $50/hr for 9 hours?

or $75/hr for 6 hours?

[exlipsemike]

most labor rates around town are around 70-85 ish

[RZRS614]

didnt say, call em up and ask.... 614-297-1811

[manticore33]

Shhh... the A4 1.8Ts have that problem too. It gets extremly hot by the turbo and etc. My engine (AEB, Non-DBW, 150hp) is logitudinal mounted (front-back). I am not sure of the Piss-ant, Passat, is like that. The A4 could be different due to the Quattro AWD system (I know front-trak is the same way).

AOA (VAG) released a revised list of "approved" oils (only synthetic is recommended now). I personally use Valvoline 5w-30 synthetic (approved) with no complaints. I run Valvoline non-synthetic in the DSMs with great success.

Most of the Audi people seem to run Mobil 1 synthetic. I am not very impressed with the Mobil products (regular drive clean, synthetic blend, and synthetic) due to experiencing intermittent lifter tick in the Mazda and Talon. I switched to dino oil Valvoline and quit having the issue. I use it in the 1g, and it is pretty damn quiet.

Also, she might want to consider only using the revised OEM oil filters (~$10 @ MAG) for the future. The oil filter is FRICKING HUGE! It is about the size of a Ford 1 quart truck filter. It is more than double the size of the Purlator Pure 1 filter.

This is not on the AOA/VAG approved list, but Catrol Syntec 0w-30 European blend is suppose to be good. The odd thing about it is made in Germany and suppose to be better than regular Syntec. I have been running that in the bimmer for the past 100 miles. It meets the BMW LL-01 (15k) oil change intervals. Autozone carries it @ 5.49/qt.

[manticore33]

The Passat's engine is mounted the same way as the A4. I apologize and SEVERLY feel sorry for you if you have to work on it. It is such PITA thing to work on. It took me over two hours yesterday to replace an accessory belt. I had to remove the front bumper, disconnect the headlight washers, remove the upper radiator hose, A/C condensor, belly pan, and unbolt the whole front end and slide it forward to gain access! I liked this feature when I had to do the timing belt, but to it for an accessory belt!#*(!*(#!*#!)(*!()!#*()

[BlackEclipse]

My parents never got the letter from VW about the "sludge" problem that every one else got back in 2004. My parents have been using regular dino oil and have been changing it every 5,000 miles according to the original schedule in the original car manual.

I think they need more than just a new oil pump. They will probably also need a new turbo and a new head and possibly a new block. Dad's probably been using Fram oil filters too.

[manticore33]

Tripple ouch. Dino oil + fram+ super hot engine and baking turbo = sludgy. The exhaust side of that car gets HOT! A K03 (stock turbo) should be fairly inexpensive. Look on the Audi forums for people parting the turbo out. There is a K03 Sport that should be a little better. They could always upgrade to a K04. The information is here (http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng27.shtml). The K04 can be found off an Audi TT.

It is extremely cramped in that engine bay. I am not sure if the Passat has the same front suspension as the Audi, but the Audi has four-link front suspension which almost impossible to reach up from under the car (especially a PIA with an oil change). Upon some brief research, the A4 (both are similar cars), the subframe needs to be lowered to remove the oil pan.

[BlackEclipse]

Parents took the car to the dealership. It is completely out of my hands. My parents will pay whatever price the stealership will dream up. My parents had already given the go ahead to the dealership to rip them off before I was even told anything about the car breaking down on them. I was able to Google the problem within 15 seconds after my dad told me about it on the phone.

I think we should just get rid of the Internet completely if people aren't going to use it.

[RZRS614]

what exactly went wrong with their car? Did they get a low oil pressure light and they continue to drive on it? usually if you catch the problem right when it gets bad, u can save the motor.

[Insane99Eclipse]

tell your parents to call VW of america cus they know of the problem. They will work with them to pay off the dealership etc. Tell them to keep after em to get it paid for.