2005 Volvo S60 2.5T Oil Recommendation?

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GC 0w-30 is perfect for that engine for virtually any street use. Redline 10W-30 is also excellent, and even better if tracking, provided that short trips are not excessive.

Any high quality 10W-30 synthetic is also good. You won't need anything heavier than that where you are. Save the 40 weights for the pre-'99 white blocks. I wasn't a huge fan of M1 0w-40 in these, but it's been a few years and I don't know what the formula is anymore. None of them should hurt you, however.

The most important thing with any white block turbo is that it be FULL SYNTHETIC. The VCNA recommendation does not require that, and dealers may (and have) pump(ed) bulk conventional 5w-30 into them. At the 7,500 warranty interval, that can spell sludge. That's why you may see so many dirty white blocks here in the US.

AutoRX it if it's dirty; avoid the solvent cleaners on the turbo.

Unless you have the benefits of UOAs, baseline the change interval at 5k; 7,500 can be too long on a turbo with the wrong oil. All else equal, the interval is harder on a T5, harder still on an R. I recall even M1 0w-40 getting chewed up pretty quickly on a hard driven R from past UOAs posted here.

FWIW, I run GC in my R, and had run Redline previously for more spirited driving. No problems and spotless inside.

A Mann or Mahle filter is fine in these. The OEM is a Mahle.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
My b-i-l just picked up a 2005 S60 non-turbo with 90K.
I have some Mobil 1 TUV 5w40 SL rated that I got on clearance.....Is this a good fit?


A little heavy, but fine. You can run just about anything in the NA white block, provided it meets the warranty spec.

We run RTS (also a 5w-40) in our '97 855 (also NA), but only because the earlier ring design does better on a heavier weight. You don't have that issue. Creeping up on 250k with zero issues, leaks or consumption, so something must be going right.
 
I am running the 5W40 M1 TDT in the car in my sig...just got 29MPG on a trip back from DC...so, it's not hurting the engine that much...it's a great oil...I would use it (oh, wait, I already did!)

I am with Volvohead, go synthetic for the factory 7,500 mile OCI...you should really be using an ACEA A3/B3 oil...but that's not what's in the owner's manual, it's in the TSB on cleaning up sludged engines (which are common...and often the fault of dealers who know little about oil...).
 
German Castrol - a much (some would say overly) revered product on BITOG...and a good choice for a variety of Euro cars...
 
There is a lot of experience running Mobil 1 10W-30 in these if you look around on the 'net. That is what I ran in mine with no problems. A 40 weight is not necessary in the white block Volvos.
 
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Well I planned on pushing the oil to about 7500 miles. I would have put about 1400 miles when I finally get back on the oil. I might keep running PU until I manage to clean out the engine some. I bet its pretty sludged up in there. :p

I have to mess with the car some to fix other things first though. IE: transmission flush and buy new motor mounts. The vibration is getting somewhat annoying while sitting in drive.
 
So for my Turbo saab which also is known as a sludge prone engine - I feed it Liqui-Moly 5w40 full synthetic. Around $35 for 5L at NAPA. The purple Jug.
 
Originally Posted By: r34dy2fly
Well I planned on pushing the oil to about 7500 miles.


On a lower pressure turbo, 7500 'should' be ok with a full synthetic. On a more aggressively driven T5 or R, you could be pushing the ragged edge going that long.

On any turbo white block, regardless of the synthetic formula used, I'd try to start at a 5k OCI, and do a couple of UOAs to confirm stretching out to 7,500.

If the engine is already dirty from past abuse, you should focus on shorter OCI cleaning runs first, as you have suggested. AVOID SOLVENT-BASED CLEANERS on the turbos.
 
PU 5w40 is the ticket in my T5 in southern MS.

GC was loud on cold mornings and it seemed to use a little much oil on short (3-4k) ocis. Pennzoil sent me a case of the 5w40 way back and was lucky enough to score a customer from it.
 
Why the 5w40? Manual recommends 5w30 no? I know the T5 has a slightly bigger turbo but I figured they were the same all around. I'll keep running PU for now. I still need to break the engine down and do some cleaning but that will come with time. :p
 
If you read my first post, then go back and read the fine print in your OM...you'll see where the 5W40, or 0W30 is recommended...and read the TNN link here:

http://www.volvoxc.com/resources/how-to/pdf/01-23-09/TNN,%20Lubrication%20System%20Contamination%20Cleaning.pdf

You really want an ACEA A3/B3...your choice of the PU 5W40 Euro is excellent...I had a great UOA on my XC with that oil...7,500 miles with very low wear metals and plenty of TBN left...it sees mostly city driving.

Just stick with what you've got...
 
Hello, I'm on my 2nd 5 cylinder Volvo engine. Alas, they're non-turbos in which I run either Mobil1 10W-30 or WOLF'S HEAD 5W-30 conventional on 7,500 OCIs. In the family's 3 turbo-charged engines I've run only Castrol GC, the 0W-30 or Mobil1 0W-40 on strict 5,000 mile OCIs. I've never had a problem. I think you're in the right ballpark with your oil considerations. I agree with the suggestion of accelerating the OCI in any engine with a questionable maintenance history. Try running an inexpensive scope through the drain hole and look for sludge. In the Saabs, dropping the oil pan is a standard inspection for a used prospect. On both the Volvo boards I read and the Saabnet Seafoam, as well as other "run-'em-for-the-final-1,000 miles-of-an-OCI" cleaners get a clean bill of health. Don't over think this one. Kira
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, I'm on my 2nd 5 cylinder Volvo engine. Alas, they're non-turbos in which I run either Mobil1 10W-30 or WOLF'S HEAD 5W-30 conventional on 7,500 OCIs. . . .


The NA white blocks will run practically forever on a much less robust oil than the turbos need.

I currently run RTS in our NA 855 at 5k OCIs, which is lubrication overkill for it, but it just loves that viscosity. In the past, I've run oils as basic as Mobil Clean 5000, and a variety of other conventionals and semi-syns that I would never put in my R. You can just about eat off the valve train at approaching 250k miles.
 
Its about that time again so I'll probably be heading in to change out my oil. This will be my last "sooner than later" oil change to clear out any doubts I've had about the motor and clean it up a bit.

It was either the PU or Kreen that did a [censored] of a cleaning regarding varnish on the car. A part of me wants to keep running PU because of it but I just found GC at a local Advanced Auto Parts and was tempted to give it a try.
 
Since i have a S60 2,5T 2005 i can post something about my service history...

The first 3 services is done with approximately 18000 miles intervals
and now i drive much less per year so its enough to change the oil once per year.
I know that in the U.S its considered insane to run 18000 miles between oil changes but i guess that my car is an example that its possible to do it here in Europe.
The most expensive mistake that can be done with a whiteblock turbo is to run it on a cheap dino oil, Stay with high quality synthetics and the PCV system will stay clean even if the service intervals are long. The PCV system on those engines gets clogged easily with a low quality oil and is horrible to clean. Price at the Volvo shop here is about 800-1000 USD for a full cleaning.
My PCV still works excellent and have never been cleaned.

This car had approx 88000 Miles when the pics was taken and its spotless inside and runs great.

1st service interval 31 745 kilometer = 19725 miles with same oil
2st Service interval 29 609 kilometer = 18398 miles with same oil
3st Service interval 28 428 kilometer = 17664 miles with same oil

Only Castrol Edge 0W30 A5/B5 have been used while it was serviced at the Volvo shop ,Its the only approved oil for the 2005- whiteblocks here in Sweden.
At the moment i do the oil chnages myself and i use Redline 0W30 in the engine and will continue to do so.

I had a very limited amount of paper to wipe off the oil
from the oilfiller hole so the yellow on the pic is only oil and not varnish.

bild0017b.jpg

bild0019rx.jpg
 
Looks very clean!

Honestly, I have so much random gunk on my engine oil filler that it gets depressing. I almost want to just start scraping at it. :p
 
You have demonstrated the value of high quality synthetics better than any post I have read yet. Thank you.
 
I own an old Volvo V40 1.9D and do know what Volvo use for engine oil and I would recommend you read the handbook, as it will list exactly which oil type is best. For most older Volvo's it lists 5/40 Castrol Magnetec which is now available as an HC synthetic, BUT for more recent cars it lists Castrol Edge 5/30 or Longlife 0/30. You can look up the exact spec on the Castrol oil finder chart.

If it does not list 5/40 or 0/40 in the guide, DON'T USE IT, because a 30 weight oil will get pumped around the engine faster than a 40 and that may have cooling implications for your engine type. For some reason I don't fully understand Volvo do not recommend 0W oils for some engine types, although I suspect it is because an oil with a narrower difference between cold and hot viscosity does not break down so easily when used for long service applications.
Most Volvo owners in Germany do not use Castrol Edge or the newer Longlife oils because they are too expensive and use fully synthetic Liqui Moly Synthoil High Tech 5/40 or one of the other LM HC synthetic oils.

If your engine has a dodgy past, it might be worth removing the sump and cleaning it and the oil feed pick up, but if you don't have hard evidence of bad sludge, then just use an idle only flush additive before the oil change and switch to a quality fully synthetic 5/40 (If that range is listed) and always use a real Volvo filter. Change oil and filter at half the service interval for the next few changes and then decide on your final service schedule.

Always DYOR and read the good book, as the owners handbooks are the most under read but most widely published books in history.
 
Originally Posted By: skyship


If it does not list 5/40 or 0/40 in the guide, DON'T USE IT, because a 30 weight oil will get pumped around the engine faster than a 40 and that may have cooling implications for your engine type. For some reason I don't fully understand Volvo do not recommend 0W oils for some engine types, although I suspect it is because an oil with a narrower difference between cold and hot viscosity does not break down so easily when used for long service applications.



There are plenty of Xw30s that are nearly as thick as Xw40s. I don't see it being a big problem. Lots of people here have run the 40-weights in the Volvo turbos.
 
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