NOOB with 2001 Volvo V70 T5 could use help

[barker]

my head is spinning and I could use some help!

I've been reading the forum for days -- searching on every combination I could think of to educate myself regarding oil for my wife's car. Here's the dilemma:

- always felt 3000 mile OCIs with a decent Dino oil was more than fine for NA-engines

BUT:
- wife's driving habits have changed
- I've never owned a turbo vehicle
- I'm trying to get her in the habit of "idling down", but who knows how diligent she'll be
..so, I'm nervous/wary...

The guy I bought it from always had it dealer serviced, and I think he did changes at 5k (now 66k miles)-- I assume Dino oil. He had a decent commute to work.

New driving style by my wife:
-Car has 66,000 miles
-turbo is Mitsu 16T factory pressure (11.7ish?)
-Mostly Short trips
-generally low rpms (rare redline)
-CT weather; averages 20-40F Winter, 70-85 summer
-6000-7500 miles annually

I have some ideas after all my reading here, but don't want to bias anyone just yet...

What do you folks think would be a good oil/filter and what OCI?

after some feedback...I'll share what I was thinking and you can laugh at me, or give your blessings

Thanks for the help!

[ June 27, 2006, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: barker ]

 

[Quattro Pete]

See this older thread to find out what dino is capable of in this engine at the standard recommended OCI.

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005123#000000

As for what oil to use, AFAIK, dealers in Europe use Castrol TWS 10w-60 in it. Now, you probably don't need to get this particular oil, but I'd strongly recommend a good synthetic. If it takes you a year to do 6-7K miles, then I'd replace it once a year.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

If it is a turbo engine, you really ought to run synthetic oil in it. You can get Mobil 1 EP which is guaranteed to last 15,000 miles, but I would change it out every 10,000 miles just to be safe.

 

[barker]

yeah... I had come across that "situation" a couple of times and it definitely added to my caution...

I was thinking of running a treatment of Auto-RX then following up with:

-1 year OCI (7000 miles or so)
Mahle filters
Maintenence Auto-RX
Rotella-T Synthetic or Supertech Synthetic (though I realize they're not a "full synthetic", they seemed to hold up well)

Would Penzoil Platinum for instance be a better choice? If so, why? I certainly don't mind spending a few extra $$ a year if it's better. I just mainly want to avoid something that's tougher to get.

Thanks for your help. I was starting to get "analysis paralysis"...

 

[barker]

another vote for a Synthetic -- and I assume full Synth, since you mention Mobil 1...

I was hoping to get away with a 1 year OCI, but it's very doubtful we'll be anywhere above 7500 miles/yr

 

[Buford T. Justice]

A yearly change with Mobil 1 EP should work well for you.

 

[ktm525]

I'm running GC 0W-30 in a 06 V70R, similar conditions/use. Car seems happy. I will change every 10k kms.

 

[Big Jim]

Nice car.

Back about then, Volvo recommended 5K oil change intervals with dino oil for the T5. Volvo also said that synthetic was preferred. As I remember, 10W30 was recommended. One of the dealerships I worked in used Castrol 10W30 and the other used Pennzoil 10W30, both dino.

I concur that a good synthetic once a year should meet your needs. Mobil 1 is tried and true. Pennzoil Platinum should also work fine. I would prefer either of these to the Group III synthetics. (Castrol Syntec, Valvoline Synpower, etc.) The better Group III oils will also probably be satisfactory, but you're looking for the best.

Your choice of filters is fine. The factory Volvo filter is a Mann, and the Mahle seems to be a pretty close match. For this application, Mann or Mahle are superior to Wix, Purolator, K&N, etc.

One of the things I remember most about those cars is the need to change the trans fluid often. Every 30,000 miles is probably fine. The turbo models that believed the factory hype that they never needed the fluid changed seemed to drop transmissions at about 80,000 miles. Those that changed the fluid regularly held up fine.

Enjoy your car.

 

[barker]

Thanks for the feedback.

What about the Auto-RX? A good idea to run that through considering the history, or am I being overly cautious?

Also... as far as the tranny fluid... should I be doing a full "flush" or just draining most of it and refilling to "full". (Is there a filter to clean out/replace?)

Looks like I'll probably go with one of the full Synthetics like Mobil 1 then... it's not much more $$ at 1 year OCIs.

 

[The Critic]

I'd use Mobil 1 EP 10w-30 and change it every 7500 miles with an OEM or similarly high quality filter.

Use Auto-RX to clean-up the deposits, if any.

The transmission in this wagon is the Aisin Warner AW55-50SN unit. I'm not familiar with this particular unit, but the recent Aisin Warner transmissions in the Toyotas have been extremely reliable, though they did have some failures with the early (99-01) RX300s with the U140 transmissions. Not sure about the AW55-50SN unit though.

I'm not sure if there's a user-serviceable filter in this transmission, but a transmission fluid exchange with a T-Tech unit with 12-16 quarts of Toyota T-IV fluid would be a good idea. The recommended fluid is AW T-IV, which is avaliable at any Toyota dealership under the "Toyota T-IV" label for $5.00/qt.

 

[hominid7]

Member "Volvohead" might be a good person to consult about this. From what i've read, some volvo engines are prone to sludge, and need to have their oil changed more often, rather than less often, even if synthetics are used.

 

[ALS]

Turbo? Synthetic such a Mobil 1 or Castrol Syntec. 5K oil change intervals are a must with a Turbo.
Even with a maintenance dose of Auto-Rx my M1 is done by 5K in my 87 745 Turbo. Most of my driving is short trips.

At the dealer the owners that are using dino and following the 7,500 OCI Volvo recommends ALL have a sludge problem. Remember most car owners don't change at the recommended intervals.
You may be fine running 7.5K with a synthetic but not a dino.
Many of the Techs have told me they would like to see the OCI's go back to 5K.

 

[hominid7]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ALS:
Many of the Techs have told me they would like to see the OCI's go back to 5K.

---

A friend of mine owned a 850 turbo (Possibly '87 i'm not 100% sure). He put approx 260,000 miles on it using nothing but pennzoil dino 10w30. however he changed it religiously every 3000 miles and had no turbo or engine problems.

The 3000 mile oil change may be a thing of the past with some modern oils and engines, but in "some" engines it seems to still be wise.

 

[Pablo]

I've been doing 10K changez on my 1996 850 using a whole variety of of Amsoil's products. It seemed to like the 5W-30 ASL that I went 20K on once as well. Right now I have ACD 10W-30 in it.

 

[barker]

Yeah, Amsoil was another option I was considering, but the Mobil 1 (or PP) just seems easier due to their "normal" distribution channels.

Have you been having UOAs done with the Amsoil at then 10k mark and is your 850 a turbo?

I can't see doing more than the 7500 and I don't really feel comfortable leaving it in more than 1 year.

ALS -- when you say your oil is done at 5k are you talking about color or results from a UOA?

As far as the ARX I don't know if there are any deposits...my main concern is turbo cooling and any coking that might be in the lines.

I usually do all my own maintenance, but doing the tranny fluid seems like a pita... how much do you think they'd clip me for the job with the T-tech?

I'll also check with Volvohead... thanks again to all for your input.

 

[chrome]

Fuel dilution might be a problem with the short trips your wife is doing, I would suggest going for synthetic, and sample the oil after 3000 miles and see what the report suggests. Based on that, you can then safely determine how long an OCI you can do with a decent synthetic oil based on your wife's driving habits.

 

[ALS]

I was talking about UOA's. The TBN on the M1 was down to 1.2 by 4500 miles. Again my oil almost never gets up to temperature between home and work. My maximum speed for the three mile trip is no more than 30 mph. This is the main reason I use the Auto-Rx so religiously. My 97 960 (M1 10W30 also) on the other hand is a garage queen and dedicated highway car. It never sees less than a 200 mile trip on the interstate. This car gets started and runs straight through to Fl. 1170 miles. 19-20 hours only being shut off for rest stops and fuel. That is why that car gets Lube Control LC20 instead of the Auto-Rx.
I flushed my transmission in the 960 when I bought it with 66K last year. I am glad I did it when I did. The fluid was shot to say the least. I refilled with Redline and I'm glad I did that also. The shifts improved dramatically across the board. Now at least all I have to do from now on is a 30K transmission service which includes a filter and pan drop.
I think the dealer charged me for an hours labor ($72). Of course it cost me $7.99 a quart for the Redline times 12 quarts to do the flush right. So with tax it cost me a little over $100 for the fluid. Yes it was expensive but from now on it is only going to cost me a filter, gasket, a 4 quarts every 30K miles which will be every 4 to 5 years.
If I drove the car more I would have gone with a less expensive fluid such a Mobil One.

[ June 27, 2006, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: ALS ]

 

[John Hilmer]

barker,

IMHO chrome has given you a gem on this issue.

You have concerns about the wifey's use of this car and rightly so I think because of the turbo.

So my thinking is that sampling and getting a UOA is the way to get this sorted out. This will give you a good idea about how the engine is performing *as she drives it* and takes the guess work out of the analysis. If you get the UOA done at some mileage you will have a much better handle on how to proceed.

My guess is that a good synthetic will perform well and if you sample the said syn at 5K (and leave it in) you should be well within the safty margin. Then you can decide how to proceed, let it run longer or drain and try something new for instance. This last bit is just my speculation though. But how could you decide what to do if you don't have a measurement on the condition of the oil?

Heck, if you don't do the UOA it seems to me that you are just guessing and that isn't a good place for an old f*rt like me to be. John

 

[Pablo]

20K run

 

[barker]

I've decided to run a 5,000 OCI with a Mahle or Mann filter.

Just haven't finalize my oil decision. It will be a synthetic, but I don't know which. I'm tempted by recent pricing on Quaker and Penzoil, but we'll see. As for the tranny, I'll likely do a drain and refill...maybe a few at short intervals.

Thanks again to everyone for the input.