General fluid replacement question

Durenol · Post by **Durenol** » 13 Sep 2019, 08:33

Excluding oil and windshield washer, can I get a rundown on other fluids? I've asked scattered questions about these before but they're buried deep in threads I can't find so I'd like to have them collected all in one place.

We have a 2007 XC70 and the manual is rather vague, saying outright that several of these fluids never need replacing and not even giving specs on what to buy if we wanted to. I don't really believe this, so I'm trying to get a list of common knowledge / best practices for the following:

Engine coolant:
- How often should it be flushed/replaced
- What kind am I supposed to buy
- What does "healthy" fluid vs "bad" fluid look like
- How do the MIN and MAX lines relate to engine temperature (when is it ACTUALLY low)

Transmission fluid:
- How often should it be flushed/replaced
- What kind am I supposed to buy
- What does "healthy" fluid vs "bad" fluid look like
- This is supposed to be checked when the engine is hot and after the transmission has been rotated though all gears a few times, right?
- You're NOT supposed to get this 'power flushed', right?

Power steering fluid:
- How often should it be flushed/replaced
- What kind am I supposed to buy
- What does "healthy" fluid vs "bad" fluid look like
- Our tank appears to be overfilled (it reaches the 'hot' line when the engine is cold) but it hasn't caused any apparent problem. Should it be drained slightly?

Brake fluid:
- How often should it be flushed/replaced
- What kind am I supposed to buy
- What does "healthy" fluid vs "bad" fluid look like
- Are you supposed to replace this every time you get new breaks?

Post by **matthew1** » 13 Sep 2019, 08:55

http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/200 ... nance.html official

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forum ... =9&t=30306 what I did at 90k miles

Durenol · Post by **Durenol** » 13 Sep 2019, 09:23

OK thanks, that 2nd link sorta helps since it at least gives me an idea of which brands are possible to use, although I would really like to find a list explaining what the options are and how and when to tell when you need to do this stuff. The first link to the 'official' images is what I'm complaining about, it says basically nothing.

Post by **matthew1** » 13 Sep 2019, 11:30

Transmission fluid. Yes, do some drain and fills rather than a flush.
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forum ... =9&t=26863 fluid drain and fill steps, I'm looking for the photos, sorry they're not there (Image Shack

)
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forum ... hp?t=81911 level, temperature, min/max marking difference

Post by **abscate** » 13 Sep 2019, 12:14

Brake fluid every 2 years. Bad looks like good, ergo, every 2 years

Coolant every 30,000 miles. If you have some coolant in the reservoir you are fine, unless you have to keep adding coolant to keep that condition. Also , you can’t visually tell good/ bad

Power steering fluid?

ATF...this is complex

Post by **velorider** » 13 Sep 2019, 22:30

I didn't response to what good fluid looks like, once they looks bad it's overdue or the system has a problem. Follow the maintenance schedule, if you don't know the history, it less the $100 for all fluids. What schedule and brands will be a debated topic. I've had 2 Volvos for over 17 years, '02 S60 2.4T 04-15 and a '05 S60 T5 17-Present. There are DIY posts here on MVS for how each procedure is performed.

Engine coolant
* Every 2 year if drain and fill
* Every 5 years if complete flush. Drain and fill with water multiple time until fluid is clear. Then drain and fill with full strength coolant, this will produce slightly less then 50/50 mix

Transmission fluid
* Every 30K if drain and fill
* Every 60K if using Gibson method

Power steering fluid:
* Pentosin CHF202
* Lift front wheels off ground, suck out fluid from reservoir and refill. Disconnect return line and while turning wheel lock to lock fluid will pump out, fill as reservoir as level drop. Don't turn on the car, don't let reservoir completely empty.

Brake fluid:
* Every brake job
* Pentosin Super Dot 4

Below is a cart I created on FCP Euro for everything you asked about. Double the transmission order if using the Gibson method.

Post by **amblerman** » 14 Sep 2019, 16:26

velorider wrote: 13 Sep 2019, 22:30 I didn't response to what good fluid looks like, once they looks bad it's overdue or the system has a problem. F

I had started a post about how if some fluids look bad, it's already too late. I got distracted and never posted it.

For example, if coolant looks bad, it could mean it has lost all its corrosion protection and any iron bits exposed to the coolant are rusting. But that will only happen if the coolant is left in past any recommended change interval and it has deteriorated. The reason the coolant would look bad is because of rust now contaminating the fluid.

I just bled the brakes on two of my cars. 2006 honda accord and 1999 s70.
New brake fluid generally has a clear, ginger ale or slight green color to it but in all cases it's quite clear. Easy to see through.

The fluid coming out of my honda started out the color of maple syrup. Brown and barely able to see through. It definitely needed to be changed. Whether it was still safe or doing its job properly is unknown to me but I am glad I decided to change it.
The fluid coming out of my s70 was still quite clear (slight green tint to it). I suspect the brakes were changed on the car just prior to me buying it due to the thickness of the pads but that is still two years ago so I wanted to bleed the brakes anyway.

My s70 uses ATF for it's power steering fluid. That fluid is red in color but easy to see through. When I last changed my power steering fluid, it had become a dark red and was hard to see through. Whether or not was "bad" I can't say.

However, I agree with veolrider's statement that it's better to change the fluids on schedule to avoid reaching the bad state.

_A