2016 Volvo XC90 is consuming oil

[DrivinWest]

I’m back to report that the problem persists. I’ve done two BG EPR treatments before oil changes but it seems that the rate of consumption is consistent. Given the piston design change it seems that this is indeed a mechanical problem, not a coking one.

The vehicle is in exceptional condition and really looks a fraction of the 83,000 miles it has on the clock. If it were beat up, or there were something more compelling on the market, we might be looking to replace it. Alas, I suspect it’ll be with us well past 100K.

So, any recommendations on what to do, if anything? The dealer fill is Castrol Edge Professional Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30 which I’ll plan to buy to top off as needed. If it makes sense to try another oil I’ll gladly do so.

 

[Astro14]

Well, that's frustrating...

I still suspect the PCV system, and while I don't know your engine like I know my 3, Volvo tends to have a lot more than just a valve in the PCV. They call it a "flame trap" on some cars, and previously, someone had said "oil separator".

If that system is replaced (and checking usually doesn't do much good, neither do partial component replacements) and it's still drinking oil at this rate, then, yeah, it's mechanical and I would stop worrying about it and keep extra oil on hand. Mechanical repair beyond PCV system gets very expensive very quickly and the cost/benefit just doesn't add up when you consider the cost of oil...

Should be some epic skiing after all the snow this past month. Hope you're able to take advantage!

Cheers,
Astro

 

[K20FA5]

Volvo seems to have back spec’d the 0w20 VCC RBS0-2AE oil in all these engines. They specifically call it out for the 2016’s that have the pistons changed. I’ve been running the VCC RBS0-2AE oil in our 2017 T6 and we have 0 oil consumption (knock on wood). I think my wife has right under 60,000 on it now.

 

[nusho]

I'd recommend replacing the PCV system as Astro14 is saying. You can read more about it yourself, but it can also cause increased consumption. If the flushes aren't helping, that might be the problem. And ~75k is exactly the time I'd do this (I'll do mine around 80k).

My opinion is that if your coking is so bad that multiple flushes won't affect consumption, there's a mechanical problem or your rings or cylinder walls are already harmed. But your consumption doesn't seem bad enough to suggest that.