New owner of Volvo diesel

EvoStevo · Mar 17, 2009

Hey guys, so yesterday I bought an '84 Volvo 240 Diesel. It's got a little over 300K on the chassis and has a newer engine block and rebuilt head and injection pump installed. The previous owner was running Rotella synthetic 5w-40 and changed the oil and filter "regularly" (he didn't say exactly what mileage his OCI was). The motor burns oil and has a slow leak somewhere. Should I stick with the synthetic? How about this weight? Thanks.

For those interested, here's a pic of the car right after I bought it:

addyguy · Mar 17, 2009

If its leaking/burning, you'll save money with a cheaper 15W-40.

You don't see those up North much anymore w/o major rust on them - nice find! Years ago, a friend of mine's om had a blue 1979 version of that car - floor rusted right out of it.

oilboy123 · Mar 17, 2009

Looks pretty good.

Auto-RX it.

EvoStevo · Mar 17, 2009

Originally Posted By: addyguy
If its leaking/burning, you'll save money with a cheaper 15W-40.

You don't see those up North much anymore w/o major rust on them - nice find! Years ago, a friend of mine's om had a blue 1979 version of that car - floor rusted right out of it.

Thanks! This one's originally from Texas. There's some surface rust where the paint has worn thin, but nothing completely eaten through that I've seen. So should I even bother with synthetic? Who makes a good 15w-40?

addyguy · Mar 17, 2009

I wouldn't bother with synthetic - it 'might' makes the leaks worse ('might' is the key word).

Take your pick of whatever 15W-40 you can get on sale - Rotella 15W-40; Delvac 1300 15W-40; Delo 15W-40...you can't really go wrong!

If I 'had' to make a choice, I'd go with Delo 15W-40, just 'cause I like Chevron/Havoline products.

Steve S · Mar 17, 2009

How much oil does it leak or burn? Cool car!

Stanley Rockafeller · Mar 18, 2009

my first car was an 81 240DL (245)

It was ok as a first car, but like the other poser noted, mine also had the floor rust thru at about 18 years of age.

I was glad to get rid of that car!

ac_tc · Mar 18, 2009

wow...82 small ponies packed in a vw diesel six.
Can use any oil but id use a good hdeo, even syn are cheap if
you by it at a truck/tractor supply store in bigger volumes.

mrausch82 · Mar 21, 2009

I owned and serviced MANY of these Volvo diesels. Very few folks know how to properly maintain and service them, basically because they don't have the right tools from Volvo or the right information. I always used/recommenced Mobil 1 5w30, yes 5w30. Rotella T synthetic may be fine in them too. I used it but not long term like with the M1.

bullwinkle · Mar 22, 2009

The nice thing about those old diesels is most are rated for "CF"-just about any HDEO would work fine, including passenger car Mobil 1, Valvoline Synpower, and a whole host of others.

JHZR2 · Mar 23, 2009

In LA, youll get along just fine with a 15w-40 HDEO. I suggest chevron.

ChiTDI · Mar 24, 2009

Great car. I had an '83 sedan and helped put over 300k on it using 15w40 with 3 to 5k OCI depending upon season in the midwest. For cost reasons in your case, I'd go with 15w40 in LA, but you could run the RTS 5w40 just as well. It's probably an Audi-made inline six, so when you go looking for manuals or parts, keep that in mind.

EvoStevo · Mar 24, 2009

Thanks for all the input, guys. I think I've got a pretty good idea of what oil to run now. After driving it for about a week, I haven't experienced any significant oil loss yet. I have seen some oil spots in the space where I park my car (none larger than a quarter). Yes, the engine was made by Volkswagen, which has made my parts search increasingly difficult. I haven't even seen any junkers in scrapyards to scavenge parts off of yet. I want to eventually slap a turbo on it to make it drive more like a normal car and then when everything's running right I want to convert it to WVO with a kit from Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems. Wish me luck!

Tornado Red · Mar 24, 2009

Originally Posted By: EvoStevo
I want to eventually slap a turbo on it to make it drive more like a normal car and then when everything's running right I want to convert it to WVO with a kit from Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems. Wish me luck!

Too many people want to run WVO in newer turbocharged direct-injection diesel engines, and that's a huge mistake.

But older diesel engines with indirect injection are suitable for conversion to a two-tank veggie oil system. And as long as the turbo you install is not lubricated by engine oil, that should work out okay too. Just figure on doing oil changes about 2 or 3 times more often than when running straight #2 diesel.

EvoStevo · Mar 25, 2009

hmm. Are there turbos out there that aren't lubricated by engine oil? Why would it be a bad thing if I used one that was? I do plan on doing a two-tank system and I'll perform extra long purges before shut off just to be safe.

ac_tc · Mar 25, 2009

Get he engine out of Volvo 760 diesel, same engine with turbo.
Everything fits with just minor mods. (125 hp i think)
The diesel originated from VW light truck buisness (LT series)

Tornado Red · Mar 25, 2009

Fueling with veggie oil risks contamination of the engine oil. This is not as risky as in direct-injection engines, but still... Turbos are very sensitive to proper lubrication.

EvoStevo · Mar 25, 2009

Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
Fueling with veggie oil risks contamination of the engine oil. This is not as risky as in direct-injection engines, but still... Turbos are very sensitive to proper lubrication.

Wow, I had no idea. What would be the effects of contaminated oil? Would the additives be compromised?

Tornado Red · Mar 25, 2009

I'm an opponent of fuels made from vegetable oils, so am hardly an unbiased source of information about the potential dangers of vegetable oil conversions.

If you are planning on doing a conversion, then you are responsible for getting all the information. I'm not interested in doing this work for you.

EvoStevo · Mar 25, 2009

Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
I'm an opponent of fuels made from vegetable oils, so am hardly an unbiased source of information about the potential dangers of vegetable oil conversions.

If you are planning on doing a conversion, then you are responsible for getting all the information. I'm not interested in doing this work for you.

Sure, that's cool.

New owner of Volvo diesel

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