Various VW Questions: pinking, octane levels, oil and a noisy 5th gear

I'm running a 1.4 Polo (2000), it is my first car and I am not exactly
an expert - any help and advice would be fantastic.

I think I know what pinking is, and I think the card pinks - like a
tiny tapping (almost purring) sound? Is this really bad? Should I
avoid it, and if so how?

My car manual says the fuel type is Super 95/Normal 91. I have been
using Super unleaded - should I be using Premium (which has higher
octane?)?

The oil level doesn't seem to be going down at all. Colleagues of mine
have said that 'these days, cars hardly use any oil and wont need
re-filling more than once or twice a year'. But I am concerned.

And finally, I recently travelled a few hundred miles (on the
motorway) getting the car up to 100 mp/h. It never felt strained,
shakey, nor any loud noises, but it has started a low whine sometimes
when I accelerate in 5th gear (it's about as noisy as the plinking,
but gets louder the faster I go).

Sorry for all the questions!

I did look for some FAQs (and got diverted onto the LTV site and
such), but it all looks a bit technical for me.

Thank you.

PS: The mail address aove is a spam trap, switch 'google' with
'vwpolo' for email replies.

-+= graq =+- wrote:
> I'm running a 1.4 Polo (2000), it is my first car and I am not exactly
> an expert - any help and advice would be fantastic.
>
> I think I know what pinking is, and I think the card pinks - like a
> tiny tapping (almost purring) sound? Is this really bad? Should I
> avoid it, and if so how?
>
> My car manual says the fuel type is Super 95/Normal 91. I have been
> using Super unleaded - should I be using Premium (which has higher
> octane?)?

Under normal conditions you should be able to use the range indicated
91 - 95 What is the octane of the fuel you have been using?

I suggest that you try a couple of tanks of the higher grade and see
what happens. If the pinging goes away then you could continue to use it,
but if you are using fuel in the recommended octane range, and it is pinging
and it goes away with higher, you may have an engine problem. A compression
check may indicate carbon build up for example or the engine may be running
hot or other possibilities.

>
> The oil level doesn't seem to be going down at all. Colleagues of mine
> have said that 'these days, cars hardly use any oil and wont need
> re-filling more than once or twice a year'. But I am concerned.

Actually many modern cars use more oil than the older cars. Not using
oil is not bad, it is good. That does not mean you should add oil once a
year. You should change oil based on the time or miles (which ever comes
first) recommended by the manufacturer in your owner's manual.


> And finally, I recently travelled a few hundred miles (on the
> motorway) getting the car up to 100 mp/h. It never felt strained,
> shakey, nor any loud noises, but it has started a low whine sometimes
> when I accelerate in 5th gear (it's about as noisy as the plinking,
> but gets louder the faster I go).
>

That's great, but I don't think your car was designed to travel that
fast for long periods. It is likely to damage the engine, and it is likely
to be unsafe, not to mention illegal in most places.

> Sorry for all the questions!
>
> I did look for some FAQs (and got diverted onto the LTV site and
> such), but it all looks a bit technical for me.
>
> Thank you.
>
> PS: The mail address aove is a spam trap, switch 'google' with
> 'vwpolo' for email replies.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"-+= graq =+-" > wrote in message
om...
>I'm running a 1.4 Polo (2000), it is my first car and I am not exactly an
>expert - any help and advice would be fantastic.
>
>I think I know what pinking is, and I think the card pinks - like a tiny
>tapping (almost purring) sound? Is this really bad? Should I avoid it, and
>if so how?

It's a "car" (not card) and it's "pinging" (not pinking).

>My car manual says the fuel type is Super 95/Normal 91. I have been using
>Super unleaded - should I be using Premium (which has higher octane?)?
>
>The oil level doesn't seem to be going down at all. Colleagues of mine have
>said that 'these days, cars hardly use any oil and wont need re-filling
>more than once or twice a year'. But I am concerned.

You refill based on the dipstick reading, not a time component. If the
dipstick indicates oil is needed, you refill.

Oil won't really have anything to do with pinging though.

Pinging is caused by too low octane in your fuel or maladjusted timing or
both. Also, a car that runs too hot might also ping.

I recommend getting your timing checked first, then use the proper octane
fuel.

"Matt B." > wrote in message news:<YpF7d.11768$pN6.7047@fed1read06>...
> It's a "car" (not card) and it's "pinging" (not pinking).

Ah, yes. Maybe I was thinking of 'plinking'?

> You refill based on the dipstick reading, not a time component. If the
> dipstick indicates oil is needed, you refill.

I am checking the dipstick and the oil marker has barely moved in the
last 3 months.

> Pinging is caused by too low octane in your fuel or maladjusted timing or
> both. Also, a car that runs too hot might also ping.

How do Octane and RON relate?

> I recommend getting your timing checked first, then use the proper octane
> fuel.

So the slight noise that sometimes occurs when accelerating in 5th is
not someting to worry about? Driving today (in the rain) I only heard
it once.

Three months is not an interval for checking oil level. 300 miles or
every fuel up is. 6 months or once a year is an oil change interval if
you do not drive 10,000 miles a year. Of course that depends on if
your car has the 10,000 mile per year oil change interval and if your
car does not fall in to the severe oil use plan. Driving mostly trips
of less than 5 miles puts your car in the the severe use oil change
interval in my book. Oil does not get hot enough to burn off cold
engine condensation and byproducts so the oil gets nasty. Nasty is an
official technical term. Driving 100 mph regualarly will put the
engine in a severe use classification for oil changes for some
engines.

>How do Octane and RON relate?

www.google.com with keywords of RON and octane will get you tons of
reading material.


(-+= graq =+-) wrote:

>"Matt B." > wrote in message news:<YpF7d.11768$pN6.7047@fed1read06>...
>> It's a "car" (not card) and it's "pinging" (not pinking).
>
>Ah, yes. Maybe I was thinking of 'plinking'?
>
>> You refill based on the dipstick reading, not a time component. If the
>> dipstick indicates oil is needed, you refill.
>
>I am checking the dipstick and the oil marker has barely moved in the
>last 3 months.
>
>> Pinging is caused by too low octane in your fuel or maladjusted timing or
>> both. Also, a car that runs too hot might also ping.
>
>How do Octane and RON relate?
>
>> I recommend getting your timing checked first, then use the proper octane
>> fuel.
>
>So the slight noise that sometimes occurs when accelerating in 5th is
>not someting to worry about? Driving today (in the rain) I only heard
>it once.


Jim B.

-+= graq =+- wrote:
> "Matt B." > wrote in message
....
>
> How do Octane and RON relate?
>

http://www.factorypro.com/tech/octane_measurement.html


--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, -+= graq =+- wrote:

>
>How do Octane and RON relate?

http://www.triumphrat.net/modules.ph...=2953&forum=14
has somebody saying "89 is fine by the M+R/2 US method. The Triumph
Owner's Manual also recommends 89, US method. I do not know if
Canada uses the same standard.

95 RON will translate to roughly a little below 89."


I don't know if he is right.

http://www.refiningonline.com/Engelh...ep/TCR4_29.htm table 1
seems authoritative. I am not sure how applicable this is in
comparing R vs M+R/2 numbers, but it seems to be helpful. Does
somebody have a more relevant comparison table?

Methane Ethane Propane Butane Pentane Hexane Heptane Octane Nonane
Decane are hydrocarbons that have 1...10 carbons. The n- prefix
relates to whether the carbons are in a straight chain or are
branched.

>So the slight noise that sometimes occurs when accelerating in 5th is not
>someting to worry about? Driving today (in the rain) I only heard it once.

Is the noise a knocking/pinging noise?

If so, what's your RPM? If you're below 2000 rpm or so when trying to
accelerate, it's bogging the engine and you should shift into 4th to
accelerate. If you're moving at a reasonable RPM and it still makes the
noise, then yes something isn't right. But knocking/pinging is usually a
question of your timing being off or the octane in your fuel being too low
or both.