Hi -
I've been reading BITOG quite a bit over the past few months and am starting to feel like the woman in this clip from "Airplane" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvPugcb7QGE
We just added a 1994 Volvo 945 (naturally aspirated) with the B230FD (Redblock) motor and 150k miles when we bought it. I've since put about 3,000 miles on the car. The prior owner advised it had regular conventional-only oil changes, the valvetrain visible through the oil cap looked good with no visible sludge, and the dipstick oil didn't look terrible. Other areas of the car showed regular maintenance appeared to have been performed.
After I bought it, I dumped whatever was in the car and replaced with Valvoline Synpower 5w30 and a Bosch Premium FILTECH filter - these supposedly have good anti-drainback valves - on sale at Autozone. After about 2000mi on the SynPower, I replaced the Bosch filter with a Mann filter specified for the engine (in case gunk or other deposits worked loose).
The Volvo mainly does highway driving - either 100+ mi freeway slogs or a 15 mile freeway commute (ranging from 70mph to 20-40 mph). At around 70-75mph, the engine spins at about 2800-3200 RPM, so I assume it produces a decent amount of heat.
After reading a number of posts, searching the forums, and other peoples' experiences, I have some questions about what my next fill should be. My goal is to reverse any issues there may be and keep the Volvo in good running shape.
1. The valvetrain and dipstick look somewhat varnished - should I switch to something like Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra to clean the engine? Or just stick with a quality synthetic? I've put about 3000 miles on the car and can't detect any oil consumption yet. Should I add something like Kreen/MMO as well? FWIW, my fuel economy is in line with similar cars and the oil on the dipstick now isn't tar black.
2. In 1994, Volvo recommended 15w40 only for 'severe' use, however, would sustained high RPM driving require the use of a 40 wt. oil? Is it a good idea to use a modern 0w-40 or 10w-40 in the car for my next fill regardless? Or is a thinner oil better to increase the flow of oil throughout the engine? Would a thicker 30 wt oil like GC be worthwhile in this application?
3. Should I be using a diesel oil like Rotella T5 or T6? I've definitely gone down the rabbit hole of gas vs diesel oils and am unsure as to whether to use it or not. My gut is telling me that if Volvo wanted a diesel oil in the crankcase, they would have spec'ed it but many others swear by it.
4. Is synthetic even necessary for a Redblock (I read in a post somewhere that one person thought feeding expensive synthetic to a Redblock is like bringing Johnny Walker blue label to a frat party)?
Thank you for any input you may have.
My other cars are much simpler. I run Pennzoil Conventional in a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan under warranty (Pentastar engine and meets Chrysler's MS6335) and Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w20 in a 2009 Honda Fit (went to syn at 55k, no issues as of yet, always changed conventional oil early at 30% of OLM to hopefully prevent any issues)
I've been reading BITOG quite a bit over the past few months and am starting to feel like the woman in this clip from "Airplane" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvPugcb7QGE
We just added a 1994 Volvo 945 (naturally aspirated) with the B230FD (Redblock) motor and 150k miles when we bought it. I've since put about 3,000 miles on the car. The prior owner advised it had regular conventional-only oil changes, the valvetrain visible through the oil cap looked good with no visible sludge, and the dipstick oil didn't look terrible. Other areas of the car showed regular maintenance appeared to have been performed.
After I bought it, I dumped whatever was in the car and replaced with Valvoline Synpower 5w30 and a Bosch Premium FILTECH filter - these supposedly have good anti-drainback valves - on sale at Autozone. After about 2000mi on the SynPower, I replaced the Bosch filter with a Mann filter specified for the engine (in case gunk or other deposits worked loose).
The Volvo mainly does highway driving - either 100+ mi freeway slogs or a 15 mile freeway commute (ranging from 70mph to 20-40 mph). At around 70-75mph, the engine spins at about 2800-3200 RPM, so I assume it produces a decent amount of heat.
After reading a number of posts, searching the forums, and other peoples' experiences, I have some questions about what my next fill should be. My goal is to reverse any issues there may be and keep the Volvo in good running shape.
1. The valvetrain and dipstick look somewhat varnished - should I switch to something like Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra to clean the engine? Or just stick with a quality synthetic? I've put about 3000 miles on the car and can't detect any oil consumption yet. Should I add something like Kreen/MMO as well? FWIW, my fuel economy is in line with similar cars and the oil on the dipstick now isn't tar black.
2. In 1994, Volvo recommended 15w40 only for 'severe' use, however, would sustained high RPM driving require the use of a 40 wt. oil? Is it a good idea to use a modern 0w-40 or 10w-40 in the car for my next fill regardless? Or is a thinner oil better to increase the flow of oil throughout the engine? Would a thicker 30 wt oil like GC be worthwhile in this application?
3. Should I be using a diesel oil like Rotella T5 or T6? I've definitely gone down the rabbit hole of gas vs diesel oils and am unsure as to whether to use it or not. My gut is telling me that if Volvo wanted a diesel oil in the crankcase, they would have spec'ed it but many others swear by it.
4. Is synthetic even necessary for a Redblock (I read in a post somewhere that one person thought feeding expensive synthetic to a Redblock is like bringing Johnny Walker blue label to a frat party)?
Thank you for any input you may have.
My other cars are much simpler. I run Pennzoil Conventional in a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan under warranty (Pentastar engine and meets Chrysler's MS6335) and Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w20 in a 2009 Honda Fit (went to syn at 55k, no issues as of yet, always changed conventional oil early at 30% of OLM to hopefully prevent any issues)
