I have a '96 850 GLT with 149k. I've noticed recently that during hard braking or tight turns the oil light and sometimes the coolant light flash for a moment. They never stay on for more than an instant and the two do not seem to be related in any way since they don't always flash at the same time. I had my oil changed about 2k miles ago and wonder if I'm just running low on oil. Could my engine be burning so much oil that it's already low after only 2k mi.?

As for the coolant, I have no idea other than it may just be low since I don't know the last time it was checked. I've only owned the car for about 6 months so I'm scared that I may have an oil burning problem that's going to plague me for the life of the car.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Kurt

12 posts for checking your oil and coolant? God I love this board! Very entertaining.
Mark '94 855T 141K.

You've already been read the riot act, so I'll pull a few punches here.

You've got a very high mileage car here--whether it's a Volvo, or a Honda, 150,000 miles is a high mileage for a car.

With any high-mileage car, YOU have a responsibility to attend to it's maintenance requirements with a greater degree of care than if you were driving a new car.

Whether, or not, the oil change shop filled your oil properly is immaterial, in my opinion. The fact that you had not checked you oil in the 2,000 miles since that oil change demonstrates a negligence that places the full blame squarely on your shoulders.

In my experience, and with the circumstances as you describe, your car, in all probability, will now burn oil at a greater-than-average rate. If you pay attention to the oil level, you can stay ahead-of-the-game and your car will run for another 100,000 miles.

But if you only check the oil when lights start glowing on the dashboard, you're going to be lucky to get 20,000 more miles on this car.

Take responsibility and take car of the car.

Ken

Ouch Ken. I've never been scolded over the internet before, but it's fair enough in this case. It's obvious that I'm just learning about cars from a mechanical standpoint, and for that reason, I always believed that having my oil changed every 3,000 miles was taking truly good care of my automobile. That's what my parents have always done and I never thought to do more than that. Now I'm starting to understand that driving a high mileage car, or any car for that matter, requires regular monitoring. I won't make the mistake again and only hope that I can get more than 20,000 more miles out of my 850.

-Kurt

Kurt,

Thanks for not taking my comments too presonally.

My '96 850 N/A Wagon burns about a quart every 300 miles, which is about a week's timeframe. This is because the valve guides/seals are destroyed. Come Spring ('cause I'm in Chicago), I'll be able to repair the problem. But until then, every Saturday morning, I check the oil in the car. It's always down a quart.

You will be in a similar situation.

If I were you, I would check your oil every weekend until you have an understanding as to how much oil your car is burning. You will probably be able to throttle-back on your checks to once every two week, or maybe even once a month.

But you are going to have to get into the discipline of doing this.

Best of luck.

Ken

I once changed my oil... and within a week (1k miles) it had all burned down to the bottom of the dipstick. I topped it up with some of the best branded oil I could find, and it was fine ever since...

Like others have suggested, it would make sense to top it up, and monitor it carefully.. especially any patches you may have on the driveway ;-) Check for oil leaks when the car is running too, as some leaks may not be present till after the car is running and warm.

Hope this helps you.

Tony Volvo 440 1.8i

P.s. Make sure the car is always filled with top quality oil. I was surprised the difference between brands of oil, relative to combustion rates... this may make a good point if your car was filled with (possibly) poor quality oil when it was last changed?

Tony.

Thanks for the tips. Should I go ahead and put in top grade synthetic, despite the fact that I don't know what oil is currently in there? Coulding mixing synthetic and traditional oil cause any problems in the engine?

-Kurt

Are you sure the low oil is not low brake fluid? There is no
low oil level indicator (there is a low oil pressure light which
is a bigger deal).

Volvos may burn a quart or two of oil every 5K miles and that is
considered normal.

Coolant needs to be topped up about every two years on my 1995 850
and 1998 S70. So thats not unuseual. Only do it when the car is
cool and I'd use Volvo brand coolant.

Brake fluid can drop as brake pads wear. Front brake pads are good
for about 35K miles (I mention this since it sounds like you
may need to do some general service checks on your car with that
high of a milage).

I guess the oil pressure light must be what I'm seeing if there is no low oil light. What serious problems does this often indicate?

In the meantime, I'm topping off the oil and coolant and seeing if the problem persists.

Thanks,

Kurt

You're jumping the gun a bit, no?

With the engine cold and off get your manual out and find the hood release, locate the oil dipstick, oil filler cap and coolant reservoir. With the hood open, rag in hand, pull the dipstick out and check the level on the stick. It should be in the range shown in the manual. Somewhere on the flat part of the stick, prefferably 1/2 or above. Add oil in the recommended weight a little at a time until you get it up to the upper mark.

As far as coolant, look at your expansion tank on the fender. There's a min and max mark embossed on the tank. Coolant should be somewhere between the two. If it's low, add the approved type in a 50/50 mix with distilled water.

Close the hood. Get in the car and reset your trip meter. If you are losing or burning oil you can get an idea about how much by checking it weekly and noting the mileage on the trip meter when you reach say, the halfway point on the stick. Same for the coolant.

The manual makes good reading and will instruct you on the owner service items you should be checking weekly or monthly. Oil, coolant, trans fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, tire pressure etc. Ignore this stuff and you'll be walking at best or paying a serious repair bill at worst.

Good luck,
--
Erwin in Memphis, '88 745t 193,000 miles, '95 855t 96,000 miles

Thanks for the tips. I have to plead ignorance...I don't know much about cars and am trying to learn as I go. I did check the oil and the coolant and both are low. I had this problem along with a leaking main seal on my last 940 Turbo when I bought it and it gave me serious headaches. I'm just afraid that I've walked into another oil burner. I also learned pretty quickly with my 940 that I'm kind of a putz with engines since I spilled some engine oil when refilling in the side of I95, and it resulted in a small engine fire. Yup, real smooth on my part...I'm trying though.

Anyway, I'll try checking it weekly to see if I can guage how much oil I'm losing. I'm more concerned about what I'll have to do if the car is burning a significant amount of oil...other than continuing to check and refill on a regular basis.

Thanks again,

Kurt

No problem. If your oil is low enough to have the pressure light flashing, you need to do something about it NOW. I don't have my 850 manual with me but I'm guessing that in your climate, 10W30 will suffice. A lot better than NO oil. If your car is a turbo synthetic is recommended but again, for now, just run down to the local car parts or Wal Mart store and pick up several bottles of Valvoline, Kendall, Castrol, anything in 10W30.

The oil filler cap is the dead center at the top of your engine. If you don't see anything on the dipstick, add a quart and measure again and it takes about a quart from the bottom of the stick to the top line.

By the way, leaking and burning are two different problems though. The 850's rear seal is something complained about here regularly but if it's just seeping you'll likely be fine for some time. Just keep an eye on the level.

If you know someone good with cars trade them a dinner or beers for a quick class in taking care of your car.

Good luck,

--
Erwin in Memphis, '88 745t 193,000 miles, '95 855t 96,000 miles

I don't want to sound like I'm being sarcastic and maybe I'm missing something here but why can't you just pop open the hood and check the oil level and coolant level???

-Sam

I love sarcasm, and in this case I deserve it. I did however check the oil and coolant and both are low. I'm just wondering now if I have an oil burner, or if the engine wasn't filled properly at my last oil change.

-Kurt