Oil consumption
 

Hello,

I have just registered as a new member of the forum and a new first time Volvo owner!

I have just bought an 06 V70 T5 with 120k. It drives beautifully and goes like a train.

The couple I bought it from told me they had bought it from a Volvo dealer about 60k ago and took it back as it consumed one litre of oil approximately every 3000 miles. They could find no fault and it was left. In the following 60k the oil consumption has got no worse. The specialist they used afterwards told them, and I quote.. "It is a 260 BHP T5, what do you expect!?"
I have no reason to disbelieve them. Is this normal consumption? I rang a Volvo dealer and they said this level of consumption was nothing to worry about and at 120k a T5 was just about run in..

I would love to know what is acceptable oil consumption for one of these.

If it is normal, I'm happy.

It has full service history. Either with Volvo or a specialist and the seller went to great pains to tell me that it needs "special" oil.

It has definitely been looked after. It drives beautifully.

To add, they told me the consumption had not increased in the time they had owned it. To me, this speaks volumes and probably implies there is nothing wrong with it.

I am looking for reassurance, that is all. I don't think it is unreasonable consumption for a vehicle of this performance.

A litre every three thousand is not bad, mine is on 183 k and probably uses that much , it hasnt increased usage and I have had it for about 90 k. Use a good synthetic and change it often.

Thank you very much, that is great to hear.

Another post that adds to the "no problem" indication.

Different engine designations but the same basic architecture as yours including turbocharging:

I have owned my 2003 V70 2.4T from new so can vouch for its history. It currently has 114k miles currently under its wheels and with a BSR software map that has been installed for ten years, still has its wonderfully flexible nature and the cavalry available on demand. There are no visible external oil leaks and consumption has been a constant 2500 miles per litre for several years now - probably since 90k miles.

My wife's 2008 C30 T5 has 108k miles under its wheels. It also has no visible external oil leaks and like my car has also consuming oil at the same 2500 miles per litre for several years - also since about 90k miles.

My Volvo independent service agent tells me that turbocharger seals are the almost certain culprit and that there is nothing to worry about.

Out of interest, at the V70's recent annual service I specified Mobil 1 New Life 0w-40 in place of 0w-30 grade Castrol Edge that has been used (in both cars) for some years now, simply to see if consumption reduces.

Enjoy your car.

Thank you for the reply. Very helpful. :)

They do use a little bit of oil, as long as there are no obvious leaks don't worry about it.

Guess it varies from engine to engine. Mine uses no oil between services. Previous T4 used to use about a litre every 5,000 miles if I recall and that was described as normal by the dealers. Guess so long as it stays constant it's going to be within tolerances.

Probably perfectly OK!

Oil consumption varies a lot with driver style. An old Granny pottering around town might use only 1 liter every 10K km, BUT a boy race using serious WOT and redline RPM for hours on end on the autobahn could burn 10 liters per hour. That's why folks in old VW TDI's often run out of oil crossing Germany on a Sunday.

The warranty limit for oil consumption is around 1 liter per 1,000 miles for a typical 2.0 diesel, cos that's about the most a boy racer has ever managed if you exclude leaks, assuming the engine is still in fairly good condition.
With a more powerful car engine that consumption limit is probably near double!

If you want to reduce your oil consumption, try the following:

1/ Make sure the CCV (Crank Case Vent) system is not blocked, cos it can cause real trouble.
2/ Check for any oil leaks.
3/ Change to a major brand HM (High mileage) engine oil, as they contain seal conditioners to swell the valve guide oil seals.
4/ Move up to an xw40 if you are using an xw30 full synthetic. If you live in a hot desert try using a 15w40, as that will stay thicker than an 0w40. The Widemans viscosity graph plotter (Easy to use) will give you the actual viscosity figures at different temperatures using the two quoted in the product data sheets.
5/ In a bad case with a dry block, try a can of Liqui Moly Oil Saver and Mobil 10w60 EP, their thickest HM oil.
KEEP THE REVS OUT OF THE TURBO BOOST RANGE!

Never use a flush additive if the engine has any leaks, even small ones!

Probably perfectly OK!

Oil consumption varies a lot with driver style. An old Granny pottering around town might use only 1 liter every 10K km, BUT a boy race using serious WOT and redline RPM for hours on end on the autobahn could burn 10 liters per hour. That's why folks in old VW TDI's often run out of oil crossing Germany on a Sunday.

The warranty limit for oil consumption is around 1 liter per 1,000 miles for a typical 2.0 diesel, cos that's about the most a boy racer has ever managed if you exclude leaks, assuming the engine is still in fairly good condition.
With a more powerful car engine that consumption limit is probably near double!

If you want to reduce your oil consumption, try the following:

1/ Make sure the CCV (Crank Case Vent) system is not blocked, cos it can cause real trouble.
2/ Check for any oil leaks.
3/ Change to a major brand HM (High mileage) engine oil, as they contain seal conditioners to swell the valve guide oil seals AND reduce the oil change interval to half the maximum listed. 5K miles in most cases.
4/ Move up to an xw40 if you are using an xw30 full synthetic. If you live in a hot desert try using a 15w40, as that will stay thicker than an 0w40. The Widemans viscosity graph plotter (Easy to use) will give you the actual viscosity figures at different temperatures using the two quoted in the product data sheets.
5/ In a bad case with a dry block, try a can of Liqui Moly Oil Saver and Mobil 10w60 EP, their thickest HM oil.
6/ Use an OEM Volvo oil filter, cos if the overpressure valve fails it will bang oil past the rings when cold starting (Fairly rare failure).

Never use a flush additive if the engine has any leaks, even small ones!