Hiya,

What is the best Oil for my 1991 240GLE Sedan?

The mechanics aren't really interested and just say 'normal' Oil.

I do very little driving and many many short distances. Was told to use Synthetic Oil?

I'm just a girl so any help would be greatly appreciated.

One easy tip - every week or so, after a ride, I smell in front of the grill. The grill should smell a bit of heat with a slight bit of petroleum..

If you smell sweet, you have an antifreeze leak, if you smell gas, quickly find out why, if you smell burnt, possible electrical issues or something touching a hot spot.

If something smells funny, investigate.

Hi, Gina,

Since you do a make a lot of short trips, I would say as others have to follow the severe service schedule as Volvo describes in your owner's manual. It will also tell you the viscosities of oil to use based on your area's climate.

I know it is a big expense, but investing in a stainless steel exhaust system would be one of the best long term investments you could make if you plan to keep your Volvo for a long time. I look back on all the mufflers, resonators, and tail pipes I've replaced over 34 years and think if I could've bought a stainless exhaust back then I would've.

Andrew

To me, as important as what oil to use is - Are your oil changes timely and what do you get along with an oil change?

Timely oil changes are determined by mileage and TIME. Are you following the schedule determined by Volvo?

A recent oil ad tells us that 70 percent of wear happens during the first 20 minutes. If all your trips are short and you take no longer trips each week, you should shorten your intervals by 50 percent.

On our Volvos with normal short/long trips, I favor 3300 mile interval, that way every third change lined up with the 10,000 mile intervals for other services.


As for what you get with your oil change - my dealer gives me a written service report each time I get our Volvos serviced. This includes various inspections, including measurements of brake linings and tire tread and pressures. They also lubricate hinges and latches.

Your car does not get that kind of attention from many repair shops. I would not even park my Volvo across the street from a quickie lube shop. Actually, my daughter took her 745 to a quick shop, and thery bent the stick on the transmission so they could work faster - when I confronted them, they apologized, but did not deny that they had done that!

I beg that you change oil by Volvos time, or every 3300 miles, and get your car serviced according to your owner's manual at a dealer that you build a relationship with. If you do not have an owners manual, you can download one from Volvo's site - that's where I got mine for my '91

When you go for service, ask to see the service manager and ask him to have a tech show you where the drains are on the car, body and door drains - also check to see if they spray lube on your door, hood, and trunk hinges. Blocked drains have destroyed many cars.

Consider purchasing a Haynes manual for your car and reading the maintenance and other generic chapters - keep it in the car, it might even help a decent mechanic repair something if you are away from home, like how to read computer codes.

PS - a dealer can get the pin number for your stereo.

Just a girl...

I have run synthetic oil in my car since I bought it in 2008, plenty of short-distance driving as well but i also take her out on the highway for an italian tune-up every month or so.

Some might tell you that synthetic oil will cause your gaskets and seals to shrink, which is complete nonsense. My car is 26 years old with 165,000mi and it does not leak a drop of oil from anywhere.

Every oil change, take some of that synthetic oil you put in the motor and keep the hood hinges oiled.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

No, there are no dumb questions... just a surplus of those put without much thought.

There is a website, bobistheoilguy.com, where they just submit oil samples that have been analyzed by a lab and rate/discuss them. Exciting, right!

My conclusion is the best synthetic oil for the price is Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30. available in the 5 quart jugs at Meijer's and Wal-Mart. There is usually a rebate from Pennzoil if you Google it.

I, too do not put on many miles do a once a year change with a Mann filter is all I do.

I am assuming you will be doing your own change. If not it is a very achievable and fulfilling start to learn.
--
Paul NW Indiana '89 744 Turbo 190 K/ '90 745 turbo 145 K

If you have a Walmart nearby, you can buy a 5 quart jug of full synthetic 10-30 oil that meets the current specifications for less than 18 bucks. Look for the Supertech brand.

It does a an engine good to take it on the highway every so often to heat up the oil and boil out the moisture and combustion products from all those grocery getting and tavberna trips. Maybe a 40-mile round trip or so on the highway non-stop.

Ditto to do so for exhaust systems as they'll rot prematurely. Engine exhaust condensates inside the not too heated up exhaust and condesates as motsly corrosion causing (slightly acidic?) mix in chamber low points like the catalytic converter, front resonator, and rear muffler silencer. Amazing how much liquid moisture can come out of a tailpipe!

Also be sure your engine coolant mix is good at 50 antifreeze (Zerex G05 is best) and use deionized-demineralized water. Never tap water. Though coolant is solution and so should make no difference whether use on short or long trips occasional or daily. Refer to coolant change interval as the antifreeze maker recommends.

So long as your brake fluid in the reservoir is a pale clear golden to slight tan color, all is well. If black brake fluid, all that short distance driving and sitting will cause corrosion in the calipers and do no good to the flexi brake lines. So, Motive power brake fluid or like bleeder. Never the brake pedal, unless bench bleeding.

Else, 10W30 or 10W40. I use Mobile 1 10W40 'old engine' or whatever. Though quality mineral oil is fine. Mann W917 filter. It would be nice to know your climate or nation. Brasil? Maine US?

Though rare for me to clock up 1200-2000 miles on any three of my 240s the last three years annually. Pathetic, right?

Other on this brickboard clock up like 50k miles and more, annually, on their 240s.

Questions?

Hope that halps yooooooooo.

Naptime Boy.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert.

hi kitty g- haven't heard from you in a while, worried that you had blown a gasket or your clutch was slipping, maybe you need to upshift into overdrive. sorry for my metaphors, me bad. always appreciate your mechanical sagery. this oil debate has been ongoing since at least 64. have always used 10-30 name brand with no trouble. critical item is to change oil by 5k miles. on filters have mostly used the original maker, Purolator with no problem. have used wal mart super tech which I suspect is made by Purolator. problem is wal mart has discontinued some of their auto products for older tanks e.g. they no longer have listings for 01 Saturn and 92 Volvo. only frequent negative I hear on filters is on frams. don't think clogging oil filters has been a problem since late 60s when oil pumps and filters added a bypass valve which sensed excessive pressure caused by a clogging filter and passed the oil through to avoid starvation. my 2d cup of coffee club composed mostly of geezers and barracudas with old cars meets a few days a week at 9A at local dunkin(starbuck drinkers/ elitists not allowed).frequent topic is cars. one old gal (looks like annie greensprings in paisley print long dressesfrom Woodstock) who knows more about cars than some of the old fuds like me.drives an old sunfaded red 245 wagon. agrees with me on the oil and filter issue. think its an 88 with about 290k. says engine and auto trans have never been apart. have never used synthetic oil. don't know of a car manufacturer who approves of longer oil changes with synthetic as some advocate- voids warranty. still frequently hear that the synthetic cleans so well it causes seals to leak. what has your experience been? thanks tons oldduke

Hiya Uncle Old Duke,

Sure Happy it's Tuesday (all day long)!

No blown head gaskets, yet the 1990 240 DL (li'l red) Wagon, no roof rack and M47 II does seems to drink some coolant. And then not. Got some Zerex (Xerex?) G05 concentrate to top it off. So far, all's well. Will use the Zerex G05 from now on. No more Prestone.

The 1991 Volvo (kittys grey) 240, with out a kitty as chauffeur (Ha-hA), yet with M47 II and and moon roof, and using snow tires as one of the 12 year old Michelins tires went flat, seem to eat the engine oil. No exterior leaks, PCV clean and clear, all cylinder at 195-197 PSI cold engine with throttle wide open, all spark plugs out and fully fattened (charged) battery.

Thank you. Though more of a mechanical onion-ry, like yellow onions, or maybe on good dayze, shallots? Lots shallots. The usual performance level like that of cheap gas making garlic. Ha-hA!

Oh, yeah, in the last few threads, with some research, the Purolator filters do well in tests. Wish I'd not used Fram (Phram?) all those miles. Yet all three engines sound the same, and my hearings is as good as thirty years ago in spite of all the rock and roll and loud blues music.

That sounds like fun to have a rejoiner at the nearby Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin' has good coffee. I don't do overhyped / shyster overpriced Starpucks. Make the earl grey tea at home. Though the WAL-MART coffee is not very good, though I had a few shovel-fulls of the ALDI baking cocoa for the theobromine of which coffee is bereft mostly.

It would be swell that Dunkin Donuts had good Bavarian Custard filled Doh!nuts. More like a twinkie frosting filly they use when I visit and that is rare.

Annie Green Springs? The flavored wine from the 1960s / 1970s?



Want me some? Though mixed wine, beer, and cider in one carousing happy hour last week. OMG, recovery was awful. I had walked to the downtown suburb bar and grille district and the 1/2 or more off happy hour. Stupid of me to do so. I know better. Cider and beer mixing in WA-state did not ever make me so ill. Cheap wine in a box also. On Sundays in the residence cheering on the Seattle Seahawks and the women's Pacific NW soccer teams. (Womyn's USA won a few years ago in the World Cup with many Pacific NW soccer team members.)

Anyhoo, sorry, back on topic ... not an issue with synthetic. The 90 red wagon 240 DL had 10W40 Rotella in the sump during prior owner use and the 1991 grey saloon / sedan had Mobile 1 10W30 and 10W40. Though I expect to press them into service as a daily work commute car and roll the miles on again. Not leaking or anything other than the 1991 grey 240 saloon eats engine oil.

The synthetic flows like 10W30 when cold and hold viscosity better at operating temperatures so says the info, so I'm letting it roll as is.

I dunno the abused (they are all abused, like abused children when you buy them) 1992 240 GL history other than much silver and a gear tooth when draining the brown, brown gear box oil. Amsoil SuperShift in their now. Compression on that engine is 185 cold, wide open throttle, spark plugs out on full battery in all four cylinders.

Yet I do not use them as a grocery getter save for rare occasion.

Though mineral oil on a grocery getter driver diet may form PCV clogging stuff, dirtier throttle body, and maybe combustion chamber crud build up? Yet these have so-called detergents in them. So, a modern 10W30 mineral oil should be able to take it if changing oil and filter every year at least.

Would be good to know how many miles Rat Gyrl puts on it grocery getting.

If new and under warranty, well, you don't want to void warranty. Doubt I'll ever have a warranty to void on anything I ever own.

With modern oils, mineral or synthetic, using a grocery getter driving practice, sump oil moisture build and exhaust chamber moisture build up can be of concern.

Yet so long as you heat up the oil, mineral of synthetic, to boil out the moisture, not an issue. Yet on mineral oil you may want to inspect and service the PCV and EGR more regularly if grocery getting.

Else, I have the Mann W917 filters on all three. Goodness knows what got through in the Frame PH-8A era. Purolator makes a PH-8A type in several performance versions, like that used on B30, and has a bypass in there that is about spec for any oil filter by pass valve on 240 stock redblock. Though you'd have to buy online more normally priced Mann W917.

The three I bought were like over 8$ each at the local shyster parts store.

I like going to a store and paying cash. Not a fan of the online shopping.

I also have a box of vacuum electron tubes and no place for them to go anymore.

Does that halps?

Luddite Boyeeeeeee
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert.

hi kit- as always good essay. better if you laid off the cider, wine and beer combo- you might get a bad case of the uncle charlies. better if you sipped a glass of thunderbird. think its still 1.69 for a pint bottle. besides its more cultured. for now sticking with my quaker state 10 30 and a Purolator filter. remember annie greensprings wine which was good as a chaser if you had a short belt of boones farm apple vino. as bogie once said don't trust a man who doesn't drink and cuss. thanks tons oldduke

So as I no longer have to commute to a job, driving 250m/week, down to 3000 a year, I've looked at this. Keep the Volvos going. Minimal miles/per drive...AKA to the grocery store and not much else. Besides weekend trips--200-300m, and not that many/month.

1) Regular Oil
2) Synthetic
3) Blend --- the marketed 75,000 miles on your car Synth Blends.

As Advertized Synthetic Oil "lasts" between changes - 10,000miles.

Normal Oil will absorb water if the engine does not reach normal operating temp for X number of "miles"...is that more or less miles in a cold or a hot climate?

Changing your Oil Filter when driving 3K to 5K miles per Year is a waste of money.

Does Full Synth NOT absorb moisture, when compared to regular oil.
If Synthetic Oil does not absorb water when compared to regular oil...or not at all.

Then Use Synthic Oil and once a week or twice a month go on a long drive and dry out the moisture.

Change the oil...at 10K or less.

DISCUSS

NOT changing the oil filter ??Are you insane,,oil needsto circulate& ifthe filter is clogged you get little oil & it will be dirty,,
this advice above should be disregarded

I guess I wasn't that clear in that list of considerations.
It started with the idea that Synthetic Oil has a recommended change cycle to 10,000 miles VS Regular Oil - 3-5 thousand miles.

What follows that idea is that changing the filter at 3-5K when using Synthetic oil is a waste of money. There are some who propose that this is the way to use Synth --- don't change the oil at 10K but change the filter according to the Regular Oil schedule.

Note: I did not write Never Change the Oil Filter.

Yes, a point I forgot to mention. When using synthetic, oil change intervals are much longer. When I used conventional oil I changed my oil and filter every 3-5k. With synthetic I now change my oil and filter every 7-8k and my leaky engine seals have dried up. Added bonus - I actually save money using synthetic...:)

Also, as others have already suggested, occasionally take your car for a ride at highway speeds. If you have a tachometer, make sure you get engine speed up to 2500 RPM's or more and keep it there for awhile. That will burn off the moisture and help keep sludge buildup at bay too...

To Ratgirl - One final thought. Due to the type of driving you do it is imperative that you take your car out a highway speeds once in awhile to clean out any moisture and sludge buildup.

hi gina,
i use regular castrol 10-30, replacement at about 5000 miles. no need the higher-priced hi-mileage motor oil.

i don't know if it really matters as long as the oil meets volvo standards.

to note, always good to use a top quality oil filter, such as mann.

regards,
byron golden
86 245
92 245
94 940

Hi Gina,

In the unlikely event you live where it is often below -20F, you might use 5W30 in the winter. Otherwise, any type of 10W30 will do.

Volvo considers short trips to be those of less than 7 miles. If that's you, then the problem is that you will get condensation (water) in your crankcase. The only way to remove this is to change the oil, or do as I recommend to my daughter who also drives only short trips, and take every opportunity to get the car out on the highway until it's fully warmed up. This will evaporate the water.

I think I would agree with Joe and put my money into more frequent oil changes with 'normal' non synthetic oil, rather than into the more expensive synthetic.

Either way, the engine will likely outlive the car.

Happy motoring,
Peter

Most on this board, myself included, would agree that synthetic oil is superior to conventional oil. You can switch at any time to it. After you do so, it is probably advisable to change your filter within say 1000 miles, in order to remove any sludge. After that, you should be good to go.

However, if you are doing a lot of short trips that preclude the engine from getting properly warm, you should change any oil at more frequent intervals. Check your manual – this is considered "Severe Service". Good luck.

Whatever oil you use should be changed at least yearly. Synthetic will be a waste of $$

Disagree. If nothing else synthetic will keep the PCV system clean and and help prevent seal leaks.

Whatever oil you use should be changed at least yearly. Synthetic will be a waste of $$

thats the stupidiest opinion ever.synthetic even if seals leak a bit is well worth the engine not seizing,&&In anyy case an oil change under severe service should be 3000 miles or less w regular && synthetic will easily double or triple that.