Oil for 2007 Volvo xc90

[jimbob533]

In Dec 2012 I purchased a used, one owner xc90 3.2 v6 with 112k and after driving1500 miles it used 1 qt of oil. The oil was changed by used car dealer and I do not know what brand or weight was used. The question I have is according to the owners manual for the 2007 they recommend you can use 5W30 for temperature range from -22 degrees to 86 degrees. If the outside temperature is over 86 degrees they recommend 0w30 or 0w40. For 2008 xc90 same engine they change their recommendation for 5w30 use from -22 degrees to 104 degrees. They also recommend you can use 0w30 or 0w40 for temperatures up to 104 degrees. Do you think this is a misprint as far as using 5w30 for temps up to 86 degrees for 07 and 5w30 for temps up to 104 degrees for 2008. I am looking for some guidance as to what viscosity to use since the vehicle used 1 quart of oil in driving 1500 miles. I live in Pennsylvania and plan on using a full synthetic but have no knowledge about which brand to use and if the engine uses 1 qt per 1500 miles at what mile interval would one change the oil if every 1500 miles I am adding a quart. thank you in advance for any input. jimbob

 

[cascivic]

Someone will chime in with more experience than me. But what' I was thinking right of the bat is all 0w30 is a blend or full synth. Usually mfrs make a recommendation on the first number due to cold starts not the upper temp range. Could they of possibly recommend the ow30 for above 85 degrees just based on the fact at that point it was full synthetic ?

 

[randomhero439]

Try Mobil 1 0w-40 and see if that helps with the consumption, its cheap and easy to get at some walmarts. If consumption is still an issue, Mobil 1 makes a 10w-40 high mileage you should try (wouldnt us the 10w-40 in winter). Finally, just change the oil when the manufacturer says to. Since your burning so much oil, your constantly adding new oil effectively EXTENDING your oil change. Just make sure you buy a new filter!

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Try Mobil 1 0w-40 and see if that helps with the consumption, its cheap and easy to get at some walmarts. If consumption is still an issue, Mobil 1 makes a 10w-40 high mileage you should try (wouldnt us the 10w-40 in winter). Finally, just change the oil when the manufacturer says to. Since your burning so much oil, your constantly adding new oil effectively EXTENDING your oil change. Just make sure you buy a new filter!


I always thought 10W-40 was the thickest oil you COULD use in the winder, as long as temperatures do not get below 4 degrees.. have heard report of people using M1 15W-50 down to about -8 and it was fine (!! Probably synthetic and that M1 15W-50 is actually a 10W-50.)

The Volvo V-8. Maybe a high-mileage 5W-30?

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: jimbob533
In Dec 2012 I purchased a used, one owner xc90 3.2 v6 with 112k and after driving1500 miles it used 1 qt of oil. The oil was changed by used car dealer and I do not know what brand or weight was used. The question I have is according to the owners manual for the 2007 they recommend you can use 5W30 for temperature range from -22 degrees to 86 degrees. If the outside temperature is over 86 degrees they recommend 0w30 or 0w40. For 2008 xc90 same engine they change their recommendation for 5w30 use from -22 degrees to 104 degrees. They also recommend you can use 0w30 or 0w40 for temperatures up to 104 degrees. Do you think this is a misprint as far as using 5w30 for temps up to 86 degrees for 07 and 5w30 for temps up to 104 degrees for 2008. I am looking for some guidance as to what viscosity to use since the vehicle used 1 quart of oil in driving 1500 miles. I live in Pennsylvania and plan on using a full synthetic but have no knowledge about which brand to use and if the engine uses 1 qt per 1500 miles at what mile interval would one change the oil if every 1500 miles I am adding a quart. thank you in advance for any input. jimbob


I just had a Volvo but let me offer advice specific to your situation.. I would honestly try any kind of high mileage 5W-30 first, whether or not you want to use full synthetic such as Mobil 1 is up to you, maxlife would be a fine Syn Blend 5W-30 and is always a good default oil. if the consumption improves, great! If it doesn't you could try a 10W-40.

You won't find any high mileage 5W-40s, only 5W-30, 10W-30, and 10W40. I almost want to say to give a HM 10W-30 a shot..

I know you are in PA and I am unsure if it gets cold enough there for 5W or 10W to matter. Has to be BELOW ZERO A LOT for 10W to be "too thick or heavy for the winter," and with synthetic oil the difference is even less. Seems similar climate to Boston, MA.. cold, yes, but too cold for 10W? debateable, if the oil is otherwise good. Something to think about.

If it was below freezing eveyr day fora month or more than absolutely 10W would be too thick, though again I have heard people say they use M1 15W-50 year round including down to -8F and it works absolutely fine, because again M1 15W50 is actually a 10W-50.

Plenty use conventional 5W-30 year round with no issue, maybe just maybe a high mileage conventional is best, just some ideas jimbob in PA

 

[skyship]

First of all you should try and find out why the engine is burning oil, just in case it can be fixed. I don't know the exact engine type but it might have a crank case vent of some type that should be checked, then it might be worth doing a compression check to see what the rings and valves are like. If the rings are poor there is a chance you might reduce the oil consumption by using a piston soak or direct application cleaner. If the valves are poor then it might be worth fitting new guide seals etc.
If fixing the oil consumption problem is too expensive, then just change to a major brand HM oil and keep the first OCI short just in case the engine is dirty. There is not much difference between the major brand HM oils, but you might look at Castrol GTX HM 5/30 for the winter and GTX HM 10/40 in summer. I would not use a full synthetic unless you get the oil consumption issue resolved, as there is a slight chance that if your seals are in poor condition that you will start some type of oil leak, changing to an HM oil is a much better move.

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool

Plenty use conventional 5W-30 year round with no issue, maybe just maybe a high mileage conventional is best, just some ideas jimbob in PA


Yeah, Volvo doesnt give any oil specifications aside from grade ( like LL-01 or VW502). So a 5w-30 high mileage would be fine too if you wanted to get some cheap stuff.

 

[Ibrahim]

you may find this thread helpful as well!
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...316#Post2889316

 

[Doog]

MAxlife 5w30

 

[addyguy]

GC 0w-30 or M1 0w-40.

 

[Clevy]

I'm betting your consumption is due to ring coking,as is common in higher mileage motors. If you really want to find out where the consumption is occurring I suggest a compression test first. Then see what you have vs what it's supposed to be. If its low or there are inconsistencies then I would address that first with an piston soak with an additive such as mmo. Kreen is supposed to be good for that too.
If compression is good then my next guess would be valve guides,so a high mileage oil or a seal conditioning additive such as liqui-moly motor oil saver and see if that curbs consumption.
If these methods fail you have to either live with it,or fix it,but I would try the cheapest route first using an additive made to address the issue.
If an additive works then its money well spent,if they don't then at least you glean info and can cross possibilities off the list of possible causes.

 

[bigjl]

I would use a good quality full synth myself.

In Europe the 3.2 from 06-10 (24v engine) is specced for Mobil 1 ESP 0w30. Castrol say use an A5/B5 Edge oil (reduced HTHS fuel economy oil)

As the quality and viscosity of the oil fitted by the car dealer is not known it could be due to a poor quality oil choice.

I don't consider 1 quart over 1500 miles to be excessive.

Probably a bit more than your average Volvo 3.2 but it has a highish mileage and is likely to have been run on dino oil for at least some of its life.

Any quality full synth 5w30 or 0w30 for me. From what I have read you can use low HTHS oil and the more regular HTHS oil.

Not sure how that translates into your APi specs though.

 

[Astro14]

JimBob - you've got a 3.2L Inline 6 (not a V-6)...it's the same architecture as the I-5s in my 2 cars.

So, first, Volvo requires a ACEA A1/B1 5W30 but recommends a synthetic any time the car is used for towing, high speed, etc. and that's why you're seeing a 0W30 recommendation. I've had excellent UOAs in this type of car with Pennzoil Ultra 5W40 and Mobil 1 0W40. Those two would be my preference, and Castrol 0W30 would be a great choice as well...the key point is this: use an oil that meets ACEA specs in your manual, not just the viscosity numbers.

Next - what the used car dealer put in this poor thing is likely not going to meet specs. I would change it and change it soon (personal opinion)...Volvo had quite a few sludge issues in the last decade when their own dealers used bulk 5W30. More here:

http://www.volvoxc.com/0/resources/how-to/pdf/01-23-09/TNN,%20Lubrication%20System%20Contamination%20Cleaning.pdf

Next issue - did it already have the timing belt changed? I know that this is required on the I-5 at around your mileage...and this is an interference engine...lose the belt, you lose the motor....you see a lot of Volvos for sale at about 110,000 miles, just about the time that the original owner gets a quote for the cost of a t-belt replacement...

Finally, Volvo engines are known to have issues with the PCV system (aka "Flame Trap")...they get plugged up (usually because the oil didn't meet ACEA specs, or wasn't changed on time) and then force oil through all sorts of places that it wasn't intended to go...leading to high oil consumption. Since you don't know what was in this thing, I don't know that you have high oil consumption, it may simply be poor oil that burned off after a good highway run, but the Flame Trap should be checked. If it's plugged, component replacement is your best bet...hose/parts sets can be found on FCP Groton or from www.IPDUSA.com

This engine has VVT on both intake and exhaust as well as issues with PCV sludging up...oil that has good detergent properties and is formulated for extended drain is worth every penny in avoiding future problems with your new car.

Cheers,
Astro