What oil for 97 Volvo 850 & 08 Corolla in 100 deg?

[grndslm]

Here's the deal....

- Two cars ('97 Volvo 850, 2.4L, non-turbo && 2008 Toyota Corolla, 1.8L)
- Temps (Will have gotten down to 32 deg F just four days this winter, but pretty much stays in high 90s for half the year)
- Want full synthetic
- Know somebody who deals Amsoil and can sell it to me for the price they get it for (15% off?). Is Amsoil worth the price that the reseller pays?
- Is the German Castrol really worth hunting down? I'd more than likely prefer something I can pick up anywhere locally.
- When, if ever, is 0W-30 or 0W-40 a bad idea??

- Toyota recommends 5W-30 in my Corolla's manual, but I've seen that they also started recommending 5W-20 for these same 1ZZ-FE engines, and they even recommend 0W-30 and 0W-20 in certain cases.
- I've heard that 0W-30 works just as well if not better than 5W-30. What about for my temps?

- Volvo recommends 10W-30 in my 850's manual, but I've seen that they also started recommending 5W-30, and perhaps other weight oils.
- I've compression tested this Volvo and got 212 psi, which is quite healthy of the preferred 189-219 psi range (non-turbo).
- I've only been running regular dino oil in this car up until now because it was leaking oil, but I've figured out why it's leaking and am in the process of fixing it now.
- Thinking about using the Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 in this car. Maybe a different 5W-30 or 0W-30 would work just as well, tho??

 

[Astro14]

Corolla and a Volvo, eh? Clearly a wise and thoughtful car buyer...

Quality 5w30 or 0w30 would fit both cars well...choose one that is locally available, one that you can get at a good price, Pennzoil Platinum ($23/jug at Walmart) for example...

Skip the 10w30. Synthetic is better if you stretch the OCI...the Rotella is a fine oil, but too thick for both cars....wouldn't hurt anything, except MPG...

I used to own an 850...it was totaled or I would still be driving it, great car. Keep an eye on the Volvo's flame trap...if it gets plugged, that engine will start all kinds of expensive leaks...

 

[skyship]

Just stick to the Volvo OEM oil, which is Castrol Edge 5/40 (Check the oil finder) for both cars if you really want to use a full synthetic.
A cheaper dino option that would work in both is Castrol GTX 10/40, OR if you have oil consumption issues then GTX HM 10/40.
German Castrol 0/30 would also work in both if you can find it at the right price as it tends to stay in grade well.
If the Shell Rotella is listed in their oil guide, then that is another real good oil for both cars. Going up one grade is no problem, as it would be good to pick just one oil and a 30 is too low for an old Volvo. It's not cold down South, so that does work in favour of a thicker oil.

 

[Astro14]

Castrol 5/40 is not the Volvo OE oil in the US...and it's too thick for the Corolla...so, I wouldn't do that...

My 850 had 190,000 miles on it, running a Dino 5w30, and it had great compression...5w30 or 0w30 is a good choice for both your cars. We've owned the Corolla for 100,000 miles...and we've put several times that on our Volvos...

When I lived in Meridian, MS years ago, I ran my '85 TransAm on 5w30 Mobil 1...always had good oil pressure, even in those lovely Mississippi summers...you don't need anything heavier...

 

[skyship]

Much hotter down South, so there they will use less oil with a 40 grade than a 30. Can't think of anyone with an older car using a 5/30 and it's not even as warm in the EU, although we do like longer OCI's so some room for shearing down a grade makes sense.

32 Packard 15W40
90 4Runner 10W30 Edge
92 300E 5W40 Syntec
02 Volvo V70 T5 5W40 M1
02 Volvo V70 XC 5W30 PU
05 MB S600 M1 0W40
06 Corolla 5W30 Edge

Looks like a few 40's in that list along with Castrol Edge!

 

[eljefino]

Watch amazon for deals on mag1.

 

[mongo161]

IMO...You could also try blending some oil in the same family. That would also help you to get 1 predominant oil for use....in both vehicles.

 

[grndslm]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Corolla and a Volvo, eh? Clearly a wise and thoughtful car buyer...

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Quality 5w30 or 0w30 would fit both cars well...choose one that is locally available, one that you can get at a good price, Pennzoil Platinum ($23/jug at Walmart) for example...

Skip the 10w30. Synthetic is better if you stretch the OCI...the Rotella is a fine oil, but too thick for both cars....wouldn't hurt anything, except MPG...

On VolvoForums.com a number of people are still recommending 10w-30 in the winter and 10w-40 in the summer.

I think they're wrong about needing the 10w winter weight, and a synthetic 40 weight (T6 5w-40, in particular) might not necessarily be as thick as other 40 weights. Was kinda hoping to see some viscosity numbers....

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I used to own an 850...it was totaled or I would still be driving it, great car. Keep an eye on the Volvo's flame trap...if it gets plugged, that engine will start all kinds of expensive leaks...

The flame trap is precisely what was causing my leaks. Getting the PCV kit, OEM camshaft seals and a few others, timing belt kit, & water pump.... for like $400. Was gonna skimp and just do the PCV and seals, but once I compression tested, I figured I'd try to keep this car going to 3 million miles.

Originally Posted By: skyship
Just stick to the Volvo OEM oil, which is Castrol Edge 5/40 (Check the oil finder) for both cars if you really want to use a full synthetic.

Umm... what "oil finder"?

Originally Posted By: skyship
German Castrol 0/30 would also work in both if you can find it at the right price as it tends to stay in grade well.

And where do I find it? Haven't looked for long, but I see this oil more often than most when searching for a 0w winter spec'd oil.

Originally Posted By: skyship
If the Shell Rotella is listed in their oil guide, then that is another real good oil for both cars. Going up one grade is no problem, as it would be good to pick just one oil and a 30 is too low for an old Volvo. It's not cold down South, so that does work in favour of a thicker oil.

Considering the compression numbers and such, I don't think a 40 weight oil is absolutely necessary, and I'd probly prefer a 30 weight (or, my Volvo might prefer it anyway).... but I certainly want good flow and protection.

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Castrol 5/40 is not the Volvo OE oil in the US...and it's too thick for the Corolla...so, I wouldn't do that...

I don't necessarily have to use the same oil in both these cars. Just made one thread so as to not push others' threads off the front page.

Originally Posted By: Astro14
When I lived in Meridian, MS years ago, I ran my '85 TransAm on 5w30 Mobil 1...always had good oil pressure, even in those lovely Mississippi summers...you don't need anything heavier...

We're far closer to New Orleans hot and humid summers than Meridian summers. So perhaps the 5w-40 would be preferred in the summer.

 

[KitaCam]

AS everyone says...full syn and 5w-30 would do the trick all-year-round...Pennzoil Platinum and get a good night sleep...

 

[grndslm]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Watch amazon for deals on mag1.

Never heard of it.

Originally Posted By: mongo161
IMO...You could also try blending some oil in the same family. That would also help you to get 1 predominant oil for use....in both vehicles.

Meh... I've just read today that Mobile 1 doesn't blend well with other oils, so I'm not to keen on that idea of blending various brands. Just not for me.

And to repeat what I just typed out for someone else... I'm not necessarily looking for the same oil for both of these cars. Just they both need to be synthetic. Looks like I'll try the Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 in the Volvo, as of right now.

Still undecided for the Corolla, tho. Kinda want to *try* a 0w-30. But if that means more shearing versus a 5W-30... then I might just stick to the latter. Or do synthetics shear less?

Is there an oil that is preferred over Amsoil, in terms of having a longer OCI?

One more note about the Corolla that I didn't mention in the first post is that this car will see far more short trips. Like 67% of the trips in this Corolla will actually be a mile or less. VERY frequent short trips.

 

[grndslm]

Originally Posted By: KitaCam
AS everyone says...full syn and 5w-30 would do the trick all-year-round...Pennzoil Platinum and get a good night sleep...

I don't hear Pennzoil's name being mentioned as the "best" very often, altho I am a very amateur BiTOGonian.

Names I hear often.... Amsoil, Redline, German Castrol, Shell Rotella, Mobile 1, Valvoline.

Do any of these choose from purely base 5 stocks?? I'm guessing no.

 

[KitaCam]

I'm running PP in Kitacamry's 4cyl and it runs very quiet and smooth...with no burn-off or loss...

Dealers here use dino in older Toyo 4cyl...Castrol, Mobil, Pennzoil yellow bottle as well as Toyo oil...using 5w-30 synthetic is my conservative choice as it's the same weight "range" as the conventional...PP is regularly available and as I said it runs my Camry beautifully.

I'd also recommend you use a premium oil filter, such as Purolator PureONE

An undercover shot after 100k miles with 5w-30 dino...don't know if PP will change the gold to platinum, but it should clean it up...

 

[Bill in Utah]

For the Corolla any 5w-30 changed OFTEN since you don't get it warmed up. Do NOT run the oil longer than 5,000 miles or 6 months.

Syn will not help you at the least with the Corolla.

Changing the oil will.

As far as the Volvo no idea.

Pablo can help you as far as Amsoil and I'd recommend him highly!

Take care, Bill

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
For the Corolla any 5w-30 changed OFTEN since you don't get it warmed up. Do NOT run the oil longer than 5,000 miles or 6 months.

Syn will not help you at the least with the Corolla.

Changing the oil will.


My 4cyl Camry runs smoother and quieter with PP than it did with PYB...and I'll be changing it @ 5k miles...oil is cheap enuf.

 

[Astro14]

Let's slow down a second...everyone has their favorites...mine happens to be what is specified for the vehicle.

For the OP, this means a 10W30 for the Volvo and a 5W30 for the Corolla. It's a myth that hotter weather = hotter oil temps. My experience is that engine load is responsible for oil temps that exceed coolant temps...so, in Mississippi, if the coolant temp is normal, then the oil temp will be too, unless you're hard on the car. If you're hard on a Turbo car, that can really increase the oil temp above normal. It's the high oil temps that drive a higher viscosity recommendation...and your Volvo and Corolla are unlikely to ever experience high oil temps, so there is no benefit to going heavier on the oil.

More important for your Volvo, is to run an oil that meets the ACEA specification for that car, likely A1/B1.

for Skyship, I run what is specified...for the Packard, it's a medium cylinder oil in the winter...15W40 provides good cold start and good warm oil pressure...a lot has changed in 80+ years... For the Turbo Volvo that gets driven hard, 0W40, which is in fact what Volvo recommends for that car if it's driven hard. You'll note that the other Volvo has 5W30 Pennzoil Ultra, the Corolla has a 5W30 that gets changed every 5,000 miles because, 1. it's driven only in the city and 2. that's what is specified. From a thread that I started a long time ago, the Corolla's engine is spotless under the valve cover, no staining...looks brand new...so, I would stick with Toyota's recommendation of 5,000 miles.

The MB specifies a 0W40 or 5W40 for the twin turbo V-12, and that's what it gets. The 4 Runner specifies a 10W30 or 10W40...but right now, 5W30 provides good pressure at hot idle and the truck runs great at 240,000 miles. The MB 300E specifies a wide range of viscosities...since the car is with my stepson at College, and I am unable to anticipate the next change, a 5W40 covers all possibilities...

For the OP, it's a myth that New Orleans, or the coast, is warmer than the interior of the state, I don't know who told you that...the water tends to mitigate the temps a bit...but strictly speaking, the highs in Meridian are a bit higher, on average, than New Orleans...

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/39301

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USLA0338

But as one who lived through those kind of summers, I can tell you that the 5W30 that was specified in my SBC provided good oil pressure at hot idle, in 100 degree heat and stupid humidity, with the AC blasting in heavy traffic...

So, I stick with my original recommendation, based on personal experience with your climate, and with your two cars. Pick a quality oil (I like synthetic too, but it's not required) and change it on time.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
For the Corolla any 5w-30 changed OFTEN since you don't get it warmed up. Do NOT run the oil longer than 5,000 miles or 6 months.

Syn will not help you at the least with the Corolla.

Changing the oil will.


My 4cyl Camry runs smoother and quieter with PP than it did with PYB...and I'll be changing it @ 5k miles...oil is cheap enuf.


And your point is? Oil is cheap "enuf" (I guess you meant enough) is a real valid fact...

 

[grndslm]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
For the Corolla any 5w-30 changed OFTEN since you don't get it warmed up. Do NOT run the oil longer than 5,000 miles or 6 months.

Syn will not help you at the least with the Corolla.

Changing the oil will.

This sounds reasonable. The Corolla has just been purchased for my mother, and it is replacing a 2000 Civic. She only averaged about 5,000 miles a year... and might be driving even less now. She only got an oil change a year, I'd guesstimate... but her car was leaking pretty bad before we got rid of it. Not sure where it was leaking from, but I knew she wasn't treating it properly.

If synthetic won't help her on the short trips....

Would a 5W-20 help? Less shearing?
Or would a 0W-30 help? Easier flow, better lubrication at startup?
Or even a 0W-20, perhaps???

The benefits of synthetics might not be realized when traveling only 5,000 miles a year or less... but I feel it'd be the better option for a forgetful, old retired woman. Surely, there would be some benefit for synthetics on a car with 5k miles a year...

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Let's slow down a second...everyone has their favorites...mine happens to be what is specified for the vehicle.

For the OP, this means a 10W30 for the Volvo and a 5W30 for the Corolla. It's a myth that hotter weather = hotter oil temps. My experience is that engine load is responsible for oil temps that exceed coolant temps...so, in Mississippi, if the coolant temp is normal, then the oil temp will be too, unless you're hard on the car. If you're hard on a Turbo car, that can really increase the oil temp above normal. It's the high oil temps that drive a higher viscosity recommendation...and your Volvo and Corolla are unlikely to ever experience high oil temps, so there is no benefit to going heavier on the oil.

More important for your Volvo, is to run an oil that meets the ACEA specification for that car, likely A1/B1.
What?? I'll have to Google that, I guess.

Originally Posted By: Astro14
for Skyship, I run what is specified...for the Packard, it's a medium cylinder oil in the winter...15W40 provides good cold start and good warm oil pressure...a lot has changed in 80+ years... For the Turbo Volvo that gets driven hard, 0W40, which is in fact what Volvo recommends for that car if it's driven hard. You'll note that the other Volvo has 5W30 Pennzoil Ultra, the Corolla has a 5W30 that gets changed every 5,000 miles because, 1. it's driven only in the city and 2. that's what is specified. From a thread that I started a long time ago, the Corolla's engine is spotless under the valve cover, no staining...looks brand new...so, I would stick with Toyota's recommendation of 5,000 miles.

The MB specifies a 0W40 or 5W40 for the twin turbo V-12, and that's what it gets. The 4 Runner specifies a 10W30 or 10W40...but right now, 5W30 provides good pressure at hot idle and the truck runs great at 240,000 miles. The MB 300E specifies a wide range of viscosities...since the car is with my stepson at College, and I am unable to anticipate the next change, a 5W40 covers all possibilities...

I'll keep that in mind.

Originally Posted By: Astro14
For the OP, it's a myth that New Orleans, or the coast, is warmer than the interior of the state, I don't know who told you that...the water tends to mitigate the temps a bit...but strictly speaking, the highs in Meridian are a bit higher, on average, than New Orleans...

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/39301

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USLA0338

But as one who lived through those kind of summers, I can tell you that the 5W30 that was specified in my SBC provided good oil pressure at hot idle, in 100 degree heat and stupid humidity, with the AC blasting in heavy traffic...

So, I stick with my original recommendation, based on personal experience with your climate, and with your two cars. Pick a quality oil (I like synthetic too, but it's not required) and change it on time.

Hmm... it appears you are correct. I've always heard that New Orleans was hotter than the Mississippi Coast, but it appears that is not the case. And nobody told me that Meridian was or wasn't warmer, but I'd just presumed that since you guys actually get weather that was colder by an average of 6 degrees or so, that you would get 6 deg colder temps in the summer, too. Like I said in the OP, we've had 4 days at or below freezing here. Not sure how many Meridian has seen, but it had to have been more than 4.

Anyway, I stand corrected on Meridian summers and will be sticking with 5w-30 in the Volvo.

But if there's any way I can help out my mother's Corolla with very short trips [in addition to a shorter OCI], I'm all ears. 0w-30, 5w-20, 0w-20, anybody?? Perhaps a 5w-40 with unexpected OCIs is what I need to "cover all possibilities"??

Kinda silly to get a Corolla for short trips with 40 weight oil, so maybe the only REAL solution is to trade cars.

 

[Bill in Utah]

5w-30 API rated SL or higher changed every 6 months.

No, syn will not help nor will 0-x weight. Again changing the oil will.

It does not take much to remind someone to change their oil every x months or x miles.

I would not even consider a 40 weight oil in the Corolla.

Bill

 

[KitaCam]

I guess I need to be more specific with my experience and why I'm replying to your post...
Like your mom...I run 4-mile trips daily and...
1. the camry's 4cyl engine gets to operating temperature in 2 miles....quicker with PP than PYB....the camry is a manual tranny and I run it @ 2500-3k RPM for most of the 4 miles.
2. it runs smoother at start up and at when accelerating to higher RPMs than PYB (both are the same 5w-30 weight)...interestingly, a Toyo mechanic recently commented that the 4cyl manually tranny engines he's heard sound different than the 4cyl AT engine...maybe quieter/smoother...hard to say exactly...
3. PP costs $5-7 more per OC than PYB (less than PYB actually when you get rebates such as the $10 x 2 rebates now available for two 5 gallon jugs.)...that's cheap enough @ 2x /year...(filter.)
4. I plan on 5k OCI with PP (rather than PYB) because oil is cheaper than all the parts it protects....and will use PP because experience with my engine convinces me that it's worth it...

....of course, YMMV, but my real-world experience is very close to your mom's and so I thought it relevant.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: KitaCam
I guess I need to be more specific with my experience and why I'm replying to your post...
Like your mom...I run 4-mile trips daily and...
1. the camry's 4cyl engine gets to operating temperature in 2 miles....quicker with PP than PYB....the camry is a manual tranny and I run it @ 2500-3k RPM for most of the 4 miles.
2. it runs smoother at start up and at when accelerating to higher RPMs than PYB (both are the same 5w-30 weight)
3. PP costs $5-7 more per OC than PYB (less than PYB actually when you get rebates such as the $10 x 2 rebates now available for two 5 gallon jugs.)...that's cheap enough @ 2x /year.
4. I plan on 5k OCI with PP (rather than PYB) because oil is cheaper than all the parts it protects....and will use PP because experience with my engine convinces me that it's worth it...

....of course, YMMV, but my real-world experience is very close to your mom's and so I thought it relevant.


Sorry but there is NO WAY your engine gets "to operating temperature" in 2 miles with ANY oil.. (or no oil)

How are you coming up with this data?

No need to address the others when the first one is so off.

Bill