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Synthetic OK?[200/84Ti] posted by Rob Hanley on
Thursday, 26 October 2000, at 12:04 a.m.
What is the general consensus on using synthetic oil in an old 200-series oil-cooled turbo? Mobil 1 seems to be "the stuff" around here, but I can't see throwing away that kind of money every 3000mi. The owner's manual recommends changing the earl 'n filter every 3500mi for the turbo engine (b21ft). Is it OK to change at 5000mi intervals or greater if you run a syn oil? Does Mobil 1 come in 20w50? All I've seen on the shelves at the local Checker's are 10-30 and 10-40 weights. Doesn't ever get cold enough here in No. California that I would need that kind of protection.
Also, why does there seem to be this general bias on the BB against Fram, Pennzoil, etc. filters? I've been told to use Mann filters if I'm really serious about maintenance, but these damn things are smaller than the original Volvo OEM filter, and smaller still than the equiv. Fram part I can get at Checker's. How can the filtering area possibly be 10% greater as IPD claims??
Re: Synthetic OK?---oops, long rant[200/84Ti] posted by JohnB on
Thursday, 26 October 2000, at 7:23 a.m.
If the truth be told that environmental impact costs of disposal were added to the price of every can of dino oil, I believe the costs of synthetic oil would be far less than dino oil; of course this would have to include the extended drain periods possible with synthetic.
I believe the extended drain interval is a no brainer...the real issue is leak control and lubricant contamination. If you can't keep the engine sealed, then changing the lubricant every 90 days or 3K miles is a good maintenance practice. OTOH, my new 2000 Audi A6 V8 4.2Q came from the factory with first oil change specified at 8000 miles on dino oil! It takes 8.5 quarts, and didn't use more than 1/2 quart by the time we took it in at around 8500 miles (and put Amsoil 15W-50 diesel/marine in it). It now has around 13K on it and hasn't used any oil and is still almost the same color as when it went in...an amazing engine.
I've done spectrometric oil analyses on several of my own cars and seen the results on literally tens of thousands of Army vehicles (OK, it's been ten years since, but I was there when Army Oil Analysis Program was implemented) that consistently confirm extended drain intervals, even with dino oil. We even ran tests at Fort Hood on 0W-30 arctic (synthetic...yes the army uses synthetic but only for arctic) oil vs straight 30W dino on a 1760 in3 V12 air/oil cooled tank diesel engine...virtually no wear in 110F heat in summer vs light scuffing with the dino oil. The reason the Army didn't go to synthetic was purely cost (it also didn't help the analysis that the general (get it?) consensus was that the stuff would simply get stolen and used in pov's too...something like the silicone brake fluid issue which exhibited remarkable shrinkage for the first few years...now everyone knows its problems....as well as contamination/leaks.
The general consensus is that synthetic is superior in every way to dino...run your own spectrometric oil analyses. Significantly less wear metal contamination, better viscosity control, better detergency, etc. I think the European nearly wholesale move to factory fill with synthetic is particularly signicant, not to mention Corvette ZR-1 and GM Syclone/Typhoon factory fill. Mastercraft ski boat engines were (are?) warranted for life to original owner, loaded with Mobil-1.
Only you can make the decision.
Re: Synthetic OK?[200/84Ti] posted by Skip on
Thursday, 26 October 2000, at 7:39 a.m.
Rob,
There is an overwhelming bias towards Volvo (same as Mann) filters. They're just better. The same can be said for most Volvo parts.
Synthetic oil is recommended for any turbo, especially the oil cooled ones. Most use 10W-30. The heavier weights are not needed and may actually delay oil reaching everywhere on startup. The only turbo I had to replace was my first 240T where I used the 10W-50. One case doesn't make for a scientific study but I have had a half dozen others on 10W-30 without problems.
Skip
'80 242GT ProRally
'93 850GLT