New member. Oil questions on Saab turbo

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I'm new to this forum and was brought here by an oil question. Here are the basics:

1. 2003 Saab 9-5 4 cylinder turbo
2. Syn blend or full syn 5w-30. (0w-40 is recommended for towing and high strain applications in parts of the world). API SM. 5-7k recommended intervals. (I change every 3k regardless of need)
3. Kansas, USA
4. Mixed highway and city. Definitely "spirited" driving style
5. Daily drive is usually short. 5 miles or less in suburban conditions
6. A few small oil leaks.. but nothing big enough to be noticeable.

The dealer put in Valvoline syn blend from new till 75k when I blew a turbo, since then I've had nothing but Mobil1 full syn 5w-30.

I've been told that Motul ESTER based oils leave Mobil and AMSoil in the dust... true?

Any thoughts would be appreciated
 
Changing the oil and filter every 3K miles is a waste of money and might even be counter productive, as oil filter works far better when dirty than clean.
If you are using a good quality full synthetic oil then 5K would be perfectly OK.
Synthetic blends or part synthetic is one category of oil worth avoiding, as all it is just dinosaur oil plus some extra additives. In general terms you should either use a good quality dino and do shorter OCI's or use a full synthetic and stick to the manufacturers recommended OCI, unless your car is subject to severe service considerations, like lots of time at idle or dusty off road driving etc.
 
Originally Posted By: bornfromjets03

I've been told that Motul ESTER based oils leave Mobil and AMSoil in the dust... true?

Any thoughts would be appreciated


Welcome to Bitog!

Probably true. lol But.........
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The Motul "ester" oils (300V? that's the ester-rich line) are very stout but I suspect they are overkill for your app.
 
As others have said....3000 OCI is a waste of $$$.

IMO....stay with a full synthetic....either M-1 5w30..OR..PP 5w20...and go to a 5k to 6k OCI. That will save you time and money.
 
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
As others have said....3000 OCI is a waste of $$$.

IMO....stay with a full synthetic....either M-1 5w30..OR..PP 5w20...and go to a 5k to 6k OCI. That will save you time and money.


+1 and
welcome2.gif
 
Seek out oils that meet Honda HT-06 Spec. That is the only oil spec from Honda and its for their turbo engine in the RDX.

M1 5w30 is a great option. So is Synpower with its low NOACK scores. PP 5w30 and QSUD 5w30 are also good options as they both meet HT-06 spec.

The only synblend that I have liked has been Maxlife. Which wouldnt be a bad option either if all you want to do is 3k OCI.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
Seek out oils that meet Honda HT-06 Spec. That is the only oil spec from Honda and its for their turbo engine in the RDX.

M1 5w30 is a great option. So is Synpower with its low NOACK scores. PP 5w30 and QSUD 5w30 are also good options as they both meet HT-06 spec.

+1
 
welcome2.gif
Your getting all kinds of recommendations,
mostly wrong. 5w20 ! are you guys kidding me. Your engine
needs synthetic oil meeting the GM LL A 025/ ACEA A3/B3.
Two oil's that meet this are: Mobil 1 0w40 or Castrol 0w30.
 
I also have a Saab 9-5, it's a 2004 aero. I change the oil every 5k miles with synthetic 5w40. I've used Mobil Delvac 1 and right now I'm using Champion Syntolube (it's a Belgian oil, made by Wolf oil corporation).
Our engines are very hard on oil, specially the ones with low pressure turbos. They use an oil cooled Garret turbo that cooks the oil. The aero is a little bit easier on oil because it uses a TD04 water cooled turbo.
I'll recomend you to use only synthetic oil, 0w40 or 5w40 and change it around 5k and 7.5k miles.
 
K here is the Saab says about the requirements in the Owner's Manual. Maybe this will help everyone make a recommendation :

Quote:
Engine oil
Oil recommendation:
We recommend the use of Saab or Mobil oils, available from
your Saab dealer, for regular oil changes. These oils fulfil
Saab’s requirements as wells as the most stringent requirements set by API and ACEA classifications.
Basic recommendations for Saab engines:
SAE 5W-30 or 0W-30, 5W-40.
The oil should be semi or fully synthetic and fulfill grade requirements for ACEA A3/B3, API SJ or higher. In addition to API and
ACEA the ILSAC GF-3 specification is approved for use in applicable markets.
Fully synthetic oils with viscosity’s 0W-40/50 of well known
brands and fulfilling minimum ACEA A3/B3 are also recommended, especially for extreme driving conditions.
Oil specification.
Oil for gasoline engines is classified by the API (American Petroleum Institute) and ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers
Associations) standards.
API classifies engine oil into grade classes SH (since 1993) and
SJ (since 1996). The SJ class fulfils more stringent requirements
and has lower phosphorous level. A new grade API SL, introduced 2001, fulfils even higher requirements.
These grade classes are most often combined with corresponding classes for diesel engines. The class designations for diesel
engines begins with the letter "C" (Commercial). For example a
grade combination suitable for both types of engine could be API
SJ/CF or SL/CF.
Under the ACEA nomenclature, oils are divided into Class A for
gasoline engines and Class B for diesel engine passenger cars.
There is a further class for heavy diesel engines. Each class is
divided into grades: 1,2 and 3 where grades 2 and 3 normally
encompass semi- and fully synthetic oils. The diesel class also
has a fourth grade, B4, which encompasses tests and regulations aimed at improving the performance of direct injection diesel engines.
In the same way as in the API system, gasoline and diesel
engine specifications are combined for products that can be
used in both types of engine. For example, a grade designation
could be ACEA A2/B2 or ACEA A3/B3, B4
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id just run M1 0w-40...


+1


Good friend has had two Saab turbos. He takes his car to an indpendent Saab mechanic who won't use anything but M1 0W40. That regimen has served my friend extremely well, despite letting his cars get low on oil more than once. My friend uses a 7500 mile oci. IMO, you'd be well served by using M1 0W40 at that interval, especially if you actually made sure that your car always had enough oil.
 
Originally Posted By: oravla
I also have a Saab 9-5, it's a 2004 aero. I change the oil every 5k miles with synthetic 5w40. I've used Mobil Delvac 1 and right now I'm using Champion Syntolube (it's a Belgian oil, made by Wolf oil corporation).
Our engines are very hard on oil, specially the ones with low pressure turbos. They use an oil cooled Garret turbo that cooks the oil. The aero is a little bit easier on oil because it uses a TD04 water cooled turbo.
I'll recomend you to use only synthetic oil, 0w40 or 5w40 and change it around 5k and 7.5k miles.


Completely agree with ya. Mobil 1 0w40, Rotella T-6 5w40 or Delo 400 LE 5w40 are pretty widely used with great results by Saab owners. From what I've read, a lot of owners also tend to have slightly lower than optimal oil pressure when used 30-weight on Turbo'd Saabs. If you want to run a 30 weight, Redline 5w-30 would be an excellent choice (as it's more in line with most other brands' 40-weights.)
 
IMHO any Saab owner should get acquainted with the notorious Saab sludge problem in engines designed/built after appr. 1998 ie. models 9-3 and 9-5.

Consensus has been that:
- ventilation hose system should be of the latest version
- OCI around 5 to 6k miles max
- M1 0W-40 or equivalent fully synthetic oil

I know of several Saab-owners who have dropped the oil pan for cleaning it and oil pump pick-up of deposits.

strain1.jpg
 
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Yeah anyone who hasn't had firsthand experience with a 9-5 of this vintage needs to go find another thread, lol. I say in jest but this is one of those rare cars where mechanical/design defects trump thin is in, super long oil changes.

I used a lot of arx because of this car. I learned that synth (even redline) is no magic cleaning elixir for a sludger because of this car. Same with HDEOs, blah, blah, insert theory here.

If you've already blown a turbo, you have deposits somewhere. The Garrett turbo gets a bad rap but its the sludge damaging it, imho, and not the turbo itself. I'd pop open the turbo oil lines to get a sort of preliminary assessment.

Also, pull the valve cover if you haven't already. It's dead simple and the rubber gasket can be reused no problem. Dropping the oil pan is a slightly more involved process but if it hasn't been done and you've already had issues, you're really doing yourself a disservice. If you don't have the time or ability to do it yourself, you could at least take a straightened coat hanger and gently probe through the oil drain hole and see if you come back with any sludge cooties.

The best course of action, as was partially alluded to, is manually clean as much as you can (should you find deposits), TRY something like arx or Kreen or whatever if you have soome gookie looking stuff in there, make sure your car has the latest PCV update kit and that the hoses are not soft and squishy, and run something along the lines of M1 0W40 for no more than 5k miles. Perhaps 3k for the first change or two or whatever you need to do in conjunction with your cleaning regimen. Esters or not, no oil I've seen rapidly cleans up a b235 engine. Resist the urge to poke bigger holes in the oil pump pickup mesh. That's not the root of the problem.


Also, that 5 mile daily drive needs to be supplemented by at least one good weekend trip. PCV issues are the heart of the problem w/ this car so get the oil good and hot.

I've got a list of oils over on saabcentral that's getting a bit long in the tooth now but does have a lot of good oil info none the less in the NG900 maintenance forum, sticked to the top. BTW, there are a lot of folks that have posted on central and the other saab boards from the KC area. They might be good to seek out.
 
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