Well I am ashamed – I am going to get the oil tested a couple of times as I check the cam for wear. I did add 6 qts. over the 12m, so in a way that’s why I justified it. Actually I holed the pan about 2,000 mi. into the cycle, so it got a quick fresh change – you would not believe the roads I drive this car on, which is why I’ve got it. The pan was absolutely clean, and I was impressed. Guess it was clean because I’d managed to move some of the gook back up into the engine with the flush or syn.
If this were just a soot issue I would think that the scouring would have been on all the lobes, but wasn’t. Every time I’ve gotten a new (read older) car I go through this flush routine, but this is the first diesel. You always hear about breaking crude loose trying to clean up an old motor, but it’s never happened to me before, and I’m only speculating that it’s the cause of this. I did this on a w108, but it pumped so much oil (syn) through that I had to go back to my old friend Delo. Even though this is my first diesel, I’ve always used Dello or Rotilla in everything I’ve ever owned other than VW’s and Porsche’s. I’ve heard that Castrol wicks away heat better in an air-cooled. Maybe the urban myth deal.
Anyway this is just something to consider for those that are switching to syn in an older car – it’s supposed to be great at breaking up all the crud.

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89 300E
79 240D
72 Westy
63 Bug sunroof
85 Jeep CJ7
86 Chevy 6.2l diesel PU

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
Marcus Aurelius