The main thing I've heard from people I know who run VW diesels, TDI and NA, is to avoid overheating them as the aluminum head does not tolerate the heat and will warp allowing the gasket to blow in short order. This seems true for any engine that has a cast iron block and aluminum head.

Yeah, I know that no engine should be overheated, but some engines, like all cast iron designs, "tolerate" it better than others, and the VW diesels definitely don't.

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- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D