Synthetic oil in my 850t :evil:

[Southbay850]

I recently switched my oil from the usual reg 10-30 to a synthetic following the suggestion of the person helping me out at the local auto parts store. After switching to synthetic I now have major leaks and a possible blown turbo. I am suspecting this is why I went from bad to worse. I see oil on all cooler lines coming from radiator. I pulled the heat shield above the turbo and discovered a nice seepage of oil on turbo where the waste gate rod arm rotates. I was trying to see why my 850 was smoking on idle in witch I have not fixed just made it not smoke as bad. But it still is blowing the smoke except now it went from thick white smoke to a faint blue. I am sure the volvo gods are getting a good laugh at me now.

[jblackburn]

Use a high mileage synthetic that will help to swell up the seals.

[lk250f]

Even though it is the same weight, synthetic is thinner. Burns easier. So if you have high miles especially, that thinner oil will uncover those issues when you switch. LIke the guy above said, there is a high mileage formula that helps prevent the leaks and burning associated with synthetic for high mileage. I heard that still doesn't help though...

[tridents65]

I don't know what is right or wrong . My daughters 850 has 160,000+ miles on it. Have changed oil twice in it now with high mileage synthetic with no known problems so far. Started using it in my wifes 04 Grand Prix and I swear it's using more oil now. My 06 S80 Volvo runs synthetic too. Have had synthetic in it since I bought it used. No leaks, doesn't seem to use any. Go figure.

[mercuric]

I've never had sythentic "create" a leak, only make an existing (and sometimes unnoticed or barely notable) leak worse.

make sure your PCV system is working as intended, then clean up as much of the leakage as you can so you can identify exactly what is leaking. most external leaks can be remedied with new seals, lines, etc.

most synthetics, compared to most conventional oils, do generate less smoke when burned.

i'd get the external leaks cleared up and the PCV system in proper shape, and then see what your actual oil usage is like. it's not really unusual for higher mileage turbos to burn some oil, often they will do so for a long while before real damage necessitates a rebuild.

also, contrary to what your local volvo/eurocar specialist will tell you, neither R&R'ing the turbocharger or rebuilding it is a huge affair. Yes, they're a pain in the arse to remove, but not because of any need for special tools or skills, just have to get to all the bolts. At least you don't have to remove the entire exhaust manifold on the FWD cars. in my experience the best solution is to R&R the turbo yourself and have your local turbo shop rebuild it. This spares you from the sensitive work (turbochargers have close internal tolerances, and should be tanked to remove coking and then properly balanced) as well as the often inflated labor charges and marked-up turbo shop work. Many will also want to replace it with an entire rebuilt unit. if you're lucky and have a fair, honest mechanic, you might find it's not that cost prohibitive to have the whole deal done by the shop. but, most will make as much $$ off turbo problems as they can. Also remember the TD04 is a widely used turbocharger, you don't need a volvo specialist to rebuild it. Pretty much every turbo shop worth their name has been over many of them.

[Klausc]

Switching to synthetic with an older engine will cause leaks. The synthetic will help clean up old gunk that caused seals to dry up and then minor leaks happen until the seals swell back to normal size. The white smoke at the exhaust could be from a turbo seal that was allowing oil to go directly into the exhaust - like stunt air planes.
Depending on how handy you are, turbo seals cost $100-150, and can be replaced on your work bench. The hard work is removing the turbo, and knowing that the top nut for the impeller is reverse threaded. There is a UK site that has great pictures for a DIY. Before you decide to replace the seals, remove the air intake hose and try to wiggle the impeller with you finger - it must not move sideways!
As for the other leaks, let them leak for a couple of weeks and see if the leakage stops by itself.

[rspi]

My car had 190,000 miles on it when I switched to full synthetic high mileage oil. I now have 224,000 and have no leaks. You can drain and fill with 10w-40 to see if that helps, I would not go higher than that.

If the seals have totally hardened or dried out, no oil will soften or swell them, they just need to be replaced.

[rmmagow]

My Mazda 929 which had 60K miles on it when I bought it didn't leak at all. I went to synthetic and created some leaks, the worst being a rear main. I never have been able to get that to stop leaking even with going back to dino. On the other hand, my 190K volvo was converted to full synthetic at 155K miles and still has zero oil leaks other than an ooze at the oil dipstick tube. My kid's Saturn was converted to semi-synthetic at 125K miles and no leaks so far. I think it is the luck of the draw, synth just does a better job of cleaning and keeping the engine clean, an important consideration given the ridiculous PVC design.