What kind of Motor Oil does my vehicle take? 1997 volvo 850

[charleskennedy23]

Chris,
I had a similar issue when I got the oil changed on my V70 T-5 at Goodyear the day I purchased it. Goodyear put 5W-20 in it and I got leaks everywhere! So frustrating because you would think that a PAID mechanic would know to check the owners manual! My guess is they purchase only one weight at a place that does general repair like a Midas or Goodyear and put that in every car because it keeps costs down. I did just as others have recommended and I drained that 5W-20 as soon as I figured out what was going on. I replaced it with a high mileage synthetic blend (I run 10W-40 Valvoline Maxlife because I don't take my car anywhere where the temp goes below freezing) and my leaks went away.

With regards to the synthetic vs dino oil debate, my gut tells me that with the N/A you would be best off running some kind of high mileage synthetic blend. The high mileage oils put seal conditioners in the mix that help prevent leaks. When I started running the Valvoline Maxlife, my leaks went away. My car is a turbo so I need to make the switch over to full synthetic which I plan on doing once I use up the 12 quarts of synthetic blend I have in the garage.

Last point...with regards to fuel... the general consensus around this forum is that these cars need premium fuel. That's what the owner's manual recommends and some around here suspect that the lower grade fuels eventually lead to burnt valves. For me, a burnt valve = dead car because I'm not pulling the engine apart at that level and I'm not paying someone to do it either. So an extra $2-$3 for premium fuel on the fillups is good insurance against harming the engine in my car.

[scot850]

Well written Charles!

Like you I agree with the premium fuel. I can justify it as not all regular blends up here use cleaning agents in regular fuels. When we had a 93 GLT 850 I used regular gas until I found out about the lack of cleaners. As my cars are usually doing a low mileage and town driving with long winters, I feel I can justify using premium to hopefully have the car engines run cleaner.

However, if I was going to use the 850 GLT (NA) on the highway I always used premium gas.

On turbos I only use premium. It may be folklore, but I firmly believe in the use of regular gas when using these cars hard is the reason for valves getting burnt. I have no info to back this up, but small price to pay for some piece of mind!

Happy driving!

Neil.

[polskamafia mjl]

Synthetic and then use the weight appropriate for your climate.

Places like MIDAS can be used for oil changes but you do have to make sure the correct fluids are used. In your case they used the wrong oil. It happens. Remove it and refill with the correct weight.

So frustrating because you would think that a PAID mechanic would know to check the owners manual!

Generally at places like that the car is scanned using the VIN number and a spec sheet is pulled up on a computer. From there various fluid requirements are checked so the mechanics usually don't go through the owner's manual to see what fluids a car takes.

[abscate]

The difference between the Jiffylube mechanic and an indie is about 90 bucks an hour....

[IG-88A]

If you visit the "quick oil change" places, also pay attention to how much oil they put in your vehicle. Check it when you leave. The data in their systems can just be plain wrong. In my old GTI, I had an argument with one of the guys who insisted their system said my car took almost a quart more than it should have. I even fetched my Bentley service manual from behind the seat to prove he was wrong, and he still wanted to argue with me, and still overfilled it using their computer controlled pump thingamajig. Not to mention these places love to charge you way more for synthetic than it should ever cost. The best bet is to do it yourself. If you can't do it yourself, don't want to, or are simply in a rush, try build a relationship with a certain shop that can get to know both you and your car. And a shop that doesn't have a problem with listening to the customers' input or honoring customers' requests. If they insist on something you know isn't right, don't hesitate to speak up.

[pkc303]

RSPI,

You run full-synthetic 10W-30 in your T5-R?

[pkc303]

Why is 5W-40 better than 10W-30, both synthetic?

[polskamafia mjl]

Just depends on temperature really. For warmer climates the 5W40 would be a better option I think. I recently switched to 10w40 for the summer months.

[pkc303]

I live in Texas, where we watch trees melt in the summer. Texans have no fear of going to Hell, as it may be cooler than some parts of west Texas.

I'll need to run the coolest thickest oil possible.

[charleskennedy23]

Pkc303... I live in the San Fernando valley which can get pretty toasty as well and I run 10w-40. Temps here frequently exceed 100 degrees so the thicker weight is appropriate. If you are going to be driving your car in places where the temp gets below 10 degrees then you will want to consider running a different weight. My guess is that in west Texas the only time you ever see a 10 on the temp gauge is when there's a 1 in front of it so this would most likely be a non issue for you.