Are these engines sensitive to oil choice

[ASt85]

If the oil is a 5W40 C3 spec it should be OK for a turbo - many of theses oils are made by Castrol and sold on to other oil suppliers re-badged as own brands.

[C70 98]

That's what I thought too, and as it fills the requirements then surely it must be fine.


ETA
Found this:
C: Catalyst compatibility oils

Note: These Oils will increase the DPF/GPF and TWC life and maintain the Vehicle’s Fuel Economy.
Warning: Some of these Categories may be unsuitable for use in certain Engine Types – consult the vehicle- OEM’s owner’s manual/handbook in case of doubt.

From here:
https://www.oilspecifications.org/acea.php


Not sure what to think really.

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by C70 98

That's what I thought too, and as it fills the requirements then surely it must be fine.


ETA
Found this:
C: Catalyst compatibility oils

Note: These Oils will increase the DPF/GPF and TWC life and maintain the Vehicle’s Fuel Economy.
Warning: Some of these Categories may be unsuitable for use in certain Engine Types – consult the vehicle- OEM’s owner’s manual/handbook in case of doubt.

From here:
https://www.oilspecifications.org/acea.php


Not sure what to think really.

Looks fine to me.

I've put the Quantum Platinum 5W40 (aka Fuchs) ACEA C3 in my V70, C70 and my son's Eunos/MX5.

The C70 is a 2litre turbo; whilst the oil darkened a little more quickly than in the V70, it is still slip slippery when hot so should be doing the job - C3 oils are recommended for turbo vehicles and are CAT & DPF friendly - as long as it falls within or exceeds the recommended spec for the engine all should be fine. I always change the filter and the oil well before the specified interval - that said when I bought the one owner Volvo service V70 with 175K on the clock, the oil had been changed regularly according to the service book and receipts - the filter clearly hadn't - totally plugged with crud so I suspect it was only the oil that had been changed - when I went through the receipts there had been no billing for a filter on the parts supplied lists since it had the second service! It says an awful lot for the toughness of these engines and what they will tolerate as long as the oil is inside the specs - which according to the receipts it always was - C70 was a different kettle of fish - again one owner, no service history but only 39.4Kmiles on the clock when bought aged 12 years - subsequent history searches revealed a change to a personal plate which whilst still on the car, hadn't quite caught up with the Volvo servicing which apparently was 5W30 synthetic oils - again plugged filter which this time broke on removal @ 40K.

It would appear that the main dealer servicing is often an oil drain or pump out with just the oil change not the filter!¬

[Cookeh]

These engines need a semi-synthetic. Grade is not super important, but the additives are. You should be careful using oils that claim to clean the engine on higher mileage cars, you might find that some oil or sludge buildup is the only thing maintaining the seals and stopping masses of oil leaks.

[Bigfella666]

Cooks with you on this one.

My T5 170k on the clock 10/40 semi all it's life. Previously maintained by an Indi who as per one of the earlier posts was adamant most oil is required-branded. Past 4 years it has been magnates for me.

The ol gal still pulls like a shire horse and the clutch will fail long before anything under the hood. I am just hoping one of our comrades will take her on when that does happen, rusty wings, shot lacquer and all. I shall take her down to my brothers in snotty sorry later today, does not bother me why should it bother you

And if the clutch was not so poor would burn off the odd boy racer on the way !

[Dippydog]

Semi synthetic in both of mine 10/40, meets specs in handbook and is cheap enough.

[Bonefishblues]

Originally Posted by Cookeh

These engines need a semi-synthetic. Grade is not super important, but the additives are. You should be careful using oils that claim to clean the engine on higher mileage cars, you might find that some oil or sludge buildup is the only thing maintaining the seals and stopping masses of oil leaks.

Why is that?

[Alpine]

My handbook says oil needs to be ACEA A2/A3 spec, and can be synthetic or semi-synthetic provided it meets the correct spec.

ACEA A2 is now obsolete and A3 means it is for "High performance and/or extended drain"

Viscosity varies depending on the ambient temperature the car is driven in.

So in terms of spec, isn't that completely vague?

[Dippydog]

Viscosity varying due to ambient temperature is to take into account that some owners will live in cold climate regions like the Arctic Circle while others will live in equatorial regions like the middle of the Sahara so that's pretty standard.If yours is specced for A2 or A3 and only A3 is now available you'll be fine with that either in semi or fully synthetic-depending on cost/budget-the idea of "extended drain" is in part due to advances in oil technology and because manufacturers are now going for stupidly long service/oil change intervals.

[ASt85]

In the handbook it states "ACEA A3 may also be used" it then goes on to state "For turbo engines we recommend Volvo's own half-synthetic oil".

However Mobil state in regard to Mobil 1, "While engine crankshafts average about 3,000 rpm at highway speeds, the turbocharger shaft can reach speeds up to 200,000 rpm. Oil in a turbocharger can exceed temperatures of 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about twice the average heat of non-turbo engines. Such high temperatures can cause some motor oils to decompose, resulting in engine deposits and diminished performance."

So why did Volvo recommend semi-synthetic in the 850 / S70 & V70 '96-'99/ C70 '97-'05 models?

It doesn't seem to make sense

The rotational speed of a turbocharger and the high temperatures involved mean that mineral based oils would break down, semi-synthetic will certainly degrade less rapidly but will not offer the protection of good quality synthetic will continue to perform at those higher temperatures.