New 08 XC90 3.2 AWD - Stage 0 - Oil viscosity in HOT climate Topic is solved

dandan · Post by **dandan** » 03 Jun 2018, 15:39

Long time lurker here. Former S80 addict, still in recovery but I believe I have relapsed.
Just got my hands on a 2008 Volvo XC90 I6 3.2 AWD
Purchased 4/28/18 - mileage @123484

I live in a very hot climate Oklahoma, USA temps in summer time are 90-110F. With the burning heat and the unknown oil from a dealership oil change I feel I may need to change whatever oil they put in there for this summer. There is so much information online about what oil viscosity to use during winter or summer months. But summer in Oklahoma vs Sweden are two different seasons. I understand its more common in Europe to use 0W, in US we mainly use 5w/10w. I've always wondered why my BMW pals always bought 0W for their cars, thought they were being chic getting the euro oil. In the owners manual it lists 4 different oil viscosity's...

0W-30 (up to 104F?)
0W-40 (up to 104F?)
5W-30 (under 86F)
5W-40 (up to 104F?)

I've found many opinions online, I'm really looking for stock performance and gas mileage.
-I've heard 5w40 decreases gas mileage a bit and 5w30 has no place in my climate.
-I'm not exactly sure of the argument for the 0W.
-The Volvo manual doesn't even mention 10W.
-For the full synthetic debate, i'm not hauling anything so I may just stick with semi-synthetic(is this naive?).
-The oil cap also states Castrol oil recommended, is this a paid advertisement?

Please help me before I lose all my hair on damn oil viscosity.

I'm working on getting it to or close to stage 0

Here is what i've done so far...

spark plugs changed @ 123900
fuel filter changed @ 123800
cabin filter changed @ 123600
air filter changed @ 123600
oil & filter @ 123485 (oil type unknown - changing again soon)
coolant/condenser fan @123800

Needed as of 123k miles
transmission flush
rear differential oil? (Is this a reference to the haldex oil or seperate?)
angle gear oil? (really?

)
haldex filter & oil
brake fluid flush
steering fluid flush
coolant flush
accessory belt & tensioner

I'm about to change the oil, got a new oil filter housing and oil pan bolt and crush washer.
Anything else I am missing for stage 0?
Sorry about the 1,000,000 questions within this post. Thanks for reading!

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Post by **Rattnalle** » 03 Jun 2018, 16:01

The 0w part is only relevant when cold starting. Getting a 10w just means you can't use it when it's as cold and that it's probably a cheaper oil. The 0w oils will be much more likely to be proper synthetics. It's the 30 or 40 part that's relevant for actual driving with a hot engine. Either will probably work just as well. The 30' km OCIs for European cars call for an Acea A5 0w30. If you're doing the short US OCI you can get away with a wider range of oils.

And yeah summer in Sweden is record hot if we reach anywhere near 35C but we do leave the North sometimes with our cars and the oil recommendations are the same for Europe so if you're in Italy or Spain where its routinely 40C the manual will suggest a *w40 to us for early P2 cars and a 0w30 no matter what for cars after -05.

The castrol bit is just paid advertisement though.

dandan · Post by **dandan** » 03 Jun 2018, 16:16

Rattnalle wrote: ↑03 Jun 2018, 16:01 The 0w part is only relevant when cold starting. Getting a 10w just means you can't use it when it's as cold and that it's probably a cheaper oil. The 0w oils will be much more likely to be proper synthetics. It's the 30 or 40 part that's relevant for actual driving with a hot engine. Either will probably work just as well. The 30' km OCIs for European cars call for an Acea A5 0w30. If you're doing the short US OCI you can get away with a wider range of oils.

And yeah summer in Sweden is record hot if we reach anywhere near 35C but we do leave the North sometimes with our cars and the oil recommendations are the same for Europe so if you're in Italy or Spain where its routinely 40C the manual will suggest a *w40 to us for early P2 cars and a 0w30 no matter what for cars after -05.

The castrol bit is just paid advertisement though.

Thanks for the info, 0w-30 sounds easy to obtain. Full synthetic or no? I am looking for longevity and fuel economy.

Post by **abscate** » 04 Jun 2018, 08:12

If its a turbo car, for longevity use full synthetic. OIC of 7500 works on my turbos, the best way to settle what is right for you is use 5000 miles if you don't want to test, use Blackstone after 5000 miles and then adjust per their report.

Your hot climate isnt that hot to the motor, which runs at a constant 230F or so. People usually overestimate the impact of climate on modern motors.

dandan · Post by **dandan** » 04 Jun 2018, 16:46

abscate wrote: ↑04 Jun 2018, 08:12 If its a turbo car, for longevity use full synthetic. OIC of 7500 works on my turbos, the best way to settle what is right for you is use 5000 miles if you don't want to test, use Blackstone after 5000 miles and then adjust per their report.

Your hot climate isnt that hot to the motor, which runs at a constant 230F or so. People usually overestimate the impact of climate on modern motors.

It's not turbo, the real reason i'm concerned about heat is the oil viscosity. I'm looking for engine longevity and gas mileage.
Not sure if I can have both...

Post by **June** » 04 Jun 2018, 18:18

If I were you I would not deviate from the warranty booklet or maintenance schedule booklet's recommendation on oil weight or change interval. Your engine has a READ Rear Engine Accessory Drive, and a metal timing chain both located between the engine and transmission and both kept lubricated with the engine oil. I understand both are costly repairs on the 3.2 and 3.0 T6. Putting a thicker or thinner weight than Volvo requires may affect both systems longevity. Something to think about before going with a 0WXX oil. June

Oh the Castrol thing is nothing new for Volvo. As long as I can remember Volvo has always used Castrol. The engines are tested by Volvo and come from the factory with Castrol.

Post by **Rattnalle** » 05 Jun 2018, 01:59

June: a 0w* will be thinner when cold starting compared to a 5w* or 10w* but the same when the engine is warm. It's not thinner at operating temperature. It's more fluid at cold temperatures which means less wear on a cold engine.

The second part, 30 or 40, is for operating temperature and it's what's important while driving, not the first part.

dandan · Post by **dandan** » 05 Jun 2018, 18:35

Rattnalle wrote: ↑05 Jun 2018, 01:59 June: a 0w* will be thinner when cold starting compared to a 5w* or 10w* but the same when the engine is warm. It's not thinner at operating temperature. It's more fluid at cold temperatures which means less wear on a cold engine.

The second part, 30 or 40, is for operating temperature and it's what's important while driving, not the first part.

I was thinking the same thing, this is the info I was looking for. this is what is really important for longevity most wear on engines happens at start up. the owners manual list 4 different viscosities and 5w30 is a no-go @ 30C/86F ambient temp, according to the manual. IPD suggested 5w30 semi synthetic and had me scratching my head.

: 2008 Volvo XC90 Oil Viscocity.PNG (101.69 KiB) Viewed 5323 times

Source: 2008 Volvo XC90 manual.

But 0W30 seems to be fine above 30c/86f, then there is 0W40 and 5W40 both of which can reach ambiant temps as high as or higher then 40C/104F.

I probably wont go with the 5w30 because of the manual.
But which out of the other three, 5w40/0w40/0w30

Also Volvo seems to recommend full synthetic here..

: 2008 Volvo XC90 Oil Viscocity Additional Info.PNG (181.35 KiB) Viewed 5323 times

Not sure how I feel about that. What oil do you use for your 3.2l?

Post by **June** » 05 Jun 2018, 19:12

I never upgraded to a 3.0 T6 which is the 3.2 cousin. I just didn't like the AWD as the only option with T6 and the READ system worried me. Just like the current 2018 T6 AWD mandatory, so I still drive my 2004 T6 daily. You found what I was talking about. Apparently 0WXX is listed.

The attached photos are my 2004 manual 2.9 and 2.9T specific which list 5W40 as a option (last photo) and the maintenance schedule booklet which is 2004 Volvo all models lists only 5W30 and 10W30 (second photo). Notice for 2004 10W30 is required for stable ambient temperature above 86degrees in both the specific 2.9, 2.9T owners manual and the 2004 Volvo all models maintenance schedule booklet.

Though one other besides myself on MVS believe that a shorter drain interval is key for longevity. My car still uses no oil between changes 14 years and 160K later. I do not hide the fact I have a heavy foot. Also this year when I had the pcv changed the box was completely clean though it was 14 years old and 155K worth of use. I have used synthetic from new.

I think I would choose the 0W40 if Iived in Oklahoma. I drive through Oklahoma occasionally. In July 2016 my last pass through my dash said it was 121° during the heat of the day flying down the interstate heading North through the northern part of the state. Opening the door was like opening the oven. June

Post by **oragex** » 05 Jun 2018, 19:29

Love the white color, quite rare. Was the timing belt already replaced ?

As for the oil, you don't have a turbo so a good mineral would be fine. Synthetic would be mainly for an extended oil change interval. But very important check first if the car did run on mineral before. switching to synthetic must be done with care: the car will start consumming a lot of oil - to be checked every week for the first 2-3 oil changes. plus the filter will clog up fast, replace it at 300 miles, then at 700-1000 miles (only the filter)

As for the oil grade, you don't need the 0W grade, plus, the smaller the difference between the cold and the hot grade, the better the oil. So either go with a 5 or even 10W-30, or same but in the -40 flavour. Don't think a -40 oil will change much in the gas mileage as these cars already don't do well in this department, but may try 1 year with 5W-30 and the next with 5W-40.

You don't mention the thermostat in your list, I'd go ahead and replace it right away at these miles - genuine only.

Maybe also read on this

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-xc9 ... 2-a-71741/

http://www.volvo-forums.com/t93114-2008 ... -l6-32.htm