Volvo 960 - what is the best oil?

[geegee]

What is the best oil for a 1996 960 Volvo with 133k miles?

I've been taking the car to the dealer (no real choice in this area) and they put Havoline 10w30 in the last oil change and it's been running rough. For years, the shop that took care of my car used Havoline High Mileage, but I can't seem to find that oil locally these days.

I really want to keep this car running.

Can you recommend something else? Thanks!

 

[Pete60]

If you have a Fred's near you they stock the Havoline HM.

 

[Gene K]

Havoline HM is on the heavy end for a 30 weight. As stated many Fred's Dollar Stores stock it. Pennzoil HighMileage is also on the heavy end.

Unfortunately Vavoline MaxLife the most commonly available is a thinner oils than these. It is well formulated product but if you dont like the way the engine vibration/noise feels when "tuned" with a lower viscosity oil you likely wont like it either.

 

[geegee]

Thank you both Pete and Gene!

Woohoo,

I've been on various message boards asking the same question and am finally getting some answers to work with since I've found this board.

 

[rotellasyn]

Personally I would recommend Rotella Synthetic 5w-40. It is an amazing oil and available almost anywhere. I use it in my Volvo 244GL with 361k miles on it.

 

[Steve S]

Seems strange that the oil would cause the engine to run rough. Rotella syn 5w/40 is the best buy out there .

 

[wood_e]

I'm guessing there's an underlying issue thats making the car run rough.

 

[Gene K]

Believe it or not there are people that are very sensitive to changes of vibrations. A 10% change in viscosity at a given operating temperature can result in a change in vibration levels. I personally am not one of those people but I have met people that can tell the difference between a 10.0 cSt Synthetic and a 12.0 cSt Dino. Otherwise it is likely a "placebo" effect unless there is a underlying mechanical cause (Maybe they knocked off a plug wire). However the cause doesnt matter as long as he is once again happy with the perceived feel of the vehicle.

 

[geegee]

Thanks you guys!

The car normally is a smooth ride and when I checked my fluids 2 months ago, I needed to add another quart. With the Havoline HM I didn't need to add oil between changes. BTW, I get the oil changed every 3-5k miles. The car seems to do so much better with a thicker oil.

For what it's worth, I'm a she who will take any tips to keep my car running and to avoid getting ripped off.
Thank YOU!

 

[Mike242GT]

geegee: Try googling "brickboard" and pay a visit. Lots of Volvo experts on there. I've had good luck with Pennz HM in a couple of my Volvos, although mine are all 4-cylinder models.

 

[sw99]

Quote:

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geegee: Try googling "brickboard" and pay a visit. Lots of Volvo experts on there. I've had good luck with Pennz HM in a couple of my Volvos, although mine are all 4-cylinder models.

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Yup, http://brickboard.com/ is great for Volvo stuff. I miss my 91 740

 

[Pablo]

First make sure you didn't get a weepy block (casting problem). By 1996 it was pretty much cured. Also, make sure the fuel rail main cap is not leaking raw gas.

New plugs (properly gapped NGK's or Bosch), wires, cap and rotor makes these engines much more torquey and responsive.

The oils recommended are OK. I personally would run a double AutoRx clean and go synthetic with this engine. These white blocks can gum the rings up.

 

[geegee]

Thanks Mike and Sw99!

Thanks for posting Pablo, I understand just a tad of what you are saying. The plugs were replaced a few months ago (Bosch) along with the timing belt and the water pump. I'll google the rest to better understand what you are saying.

You suggest switching to a synthetic and I'm thinking that is probably the way to go since finding this oil has become so difficult.

I clearly need to find a local shop rather than the dealer to service my car. This is so frustrating!

 

[Gene K]

GeeGee what is your local area? There are very few parts of the country where you wont find a competent garage that has Volvo Experience. In larger cities you may even find specialist that do nothing else. As to small independent garages, the local one I use will do a oil change for $15.00 if you supply oil and filter.

 

[Gene K]

GeeGee, I missed your post about being female. If you dont care to give out your location (City, State) its perfectly understandable. I was thinking about the fact someone here might be able to direct you to a local shop (This site has 14,000 members).

 

[Pablo]

GeeGee - Volvo had a issue with the early 6 cylinder aluminum (white) engines - the engine block casting had enough porosity to actually weep oil. I suspect your does not have this issue for a couple reasons. It's made it this far and by 1996 the problem had tapered off.

Also - my small brain can't remember if the 1996 960 had cap/rotor/plug wires (850 NA did) or individual spark coils (later 960's and turbos). Either way the spark units can have electrical issues as well. Just a heads-up.

Auto-Rx can be found on a sponsor link on this site, or just ask/read about it in the additives forum. I just know from experience this Volvo engine, be it the 4-5-6 cylinder version can get sticky gummy rings. Auto-Rx is the only product I've actually witnessed that cleaned up the rings. Adding more power, longevity and cutting down oil consumption.

 

[geegee]

Thank You Pablo for all the info! I will check out the additives forum.

Hi Gene!
I live in Albany, Georgia. Any leads? Thanks!

 

[stuffinder]

You should definitely change to a Synthetic oil! I've been driving Volvo's for 25 years, somewhere around a Million miles. I'm just selling my '96 960 w/231Kmi to my mechanic in order to buy a '96 960 w/only 161 Kmi! I've met many experienced mechanics who have told me that these four valve per cyl Volvo engines are much happier with Synthetic. Volvo even issued a Service Bulletin years ago suggesting synthetic for these engines. They often develop valve sticking problems with dino oil especially if not given hard usage. I've been using AMSOIL for the past 130 Kmi with good results. AMSOIL also has a larger than stock filter available for the Volvo which adds about an extra 3/4 qt. caoacity to the system. I change the filter at 10,000 mi. and the oil at 20,000. I haven't seen any evidence of wear or increased oil consumption although this car has used about a qt. every 2000-2500 mi. since I've owned it.

 

[geegee]

This is really good news!

Thanks for posting stuffinder.

 

[ALS]

GeeGee I have a 97 that has 82K miles on it. I did an Auto-Rx treatment on it at 70K miles. The car was going through about 1 quart of oil every 3K miles. I change out the oil every 6K and I have almost zero oil usage now. I use Mobil 1 10W30 in the car.
If you haven't done it yet it might be wise to exchange the transmission fluid including doing a service which includes dropping the pan and cleaning the filter in the transmission. I would refill with a good synthetic transmission fluid.
Volvo's life time transmission fill stands for life time of the warranty. When i did mine at 67K miles the fluid looked nasty and smelled just as bad.