Hi All,

I have a 1991, 940GLE, B234F and it has done over 250,000 km. Recently (about 2 months ago) I did major works on this lemon, engine top overhaul and gearbox overhaul and its running great again although it is now suffering from power steering oil leaks. I got lucky about two weeks ago. The A/C cooling coil gave in with few holes. The mechanic said cannot be patched. But since the one year warranty was valid until 29th March 2002, he gave a brand new coil and charged a nominal sum for labour though no warranty on this coil.

Anyway, I am now at the edge of bankruptcy (thanks to my car), I have been thinking ways to reduce the maintenance cost. The lub. change is coming up in about 1,500 km more. I have always serviced at the recommended intervals i.e 8000km and flush the engine every year. The coming service interval is due for an engine flush. Now, what oil should I use?

Q1. I have heard that synthetic oil lasts longer than the mineral based. If so at what intervals should I change if I switch to synthetic.

Q2. I have also heard that I cannot change to synthetic overnight and enjoy a longer service interval. If I am not wrong, I have heared about specific short intervals of few oil changes before changing to synthetic. Have anyone heard of this?

Q3. I hate oil leaks. Will my car suffer from oil leaks after switching to synthetic oil?

Q4. On assumption that this car had always used mineral oil since the day it rolled out of the factory, is it a good idea to switch to synthetic, after more than 11 years? What synthetic specification should I use? I have only owned this lemon for about 2 years now.

Q5. Should I change the auto trans fluid (ATF) to synthetic as well. Is there any side effect. I don't intend to have the gearbox overhauled again in less than two months of the first overhauled. If there are no side effects, what is the procedure to change to synthetic. From FAQ, flushing the auto trans. sounds easy although I have never done it myself. What is the synthetic specification of the ATF.

Or should I just forget about the whole thing and get a Volvo 850. I am thinking about the 850 T-5 1996 wagon model. It has depreciated more than 50% of its original sale value.

Thank you.

velan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hello Velan:

I have read your questions and I will try to give you short but comprehensive answers. If you plan to keep your car after the repairs you have done, change to synthetic engine oil and ATF. Put in true synthetics like Mobil 1 or Amsoil, not Castrol Synthec or blends. Use 10W-30, or 10W-40 or 15W-40 given the hot climate and mileage on the engine. If you have flushed the engine regularly and it is clean now, you probably can stop flushing or do it less frequently as long as you use synthetic oil. Given a clean engine, a thorough drain the old oil from oil cooler and such with a new Mann or Volvo oil filter put in, and you can probably double the oil change interval to 16,000 Km or six months, whichever comes first. Sythetic engine oil will not harm seals. If they leak, it is because they are defective. Change them. Flush AT with synthetic ATF like Mobil 1 following instructions in 700/900 FAQ. Given overhaul, it would be a good idea to put in right away a Magnefine in-line filter (3/8 inch, $20 from Emerging Enterprises), before any debris left behind damages new parts. Buy two of these filters and put one on the power steering return line. Flush power steering with synthetic ATF too. Put synthetic gear oil like Mobil 1 or Amsoil in the differential. Flush brakes with Ate brake fluid. Best regards.

Hi Riverol,

Thanks for the comments. After reading all the responses, I was encouraged to use synthetic wherever I can but the prices of synthetics discourages the consumer from using them. For e.g I am servicing lub. on my car at every 8,000km intervals. The cost of the mineral based lub is $24 (local currency value)for 4 litres. I went around to hunt for Mobil-1 systhetic lub. and the average price is $130.00 for the same 4 litres. If using synthetic will only double the milage of service i.e. 15,000km, then economically it is not good to switch to synthetic because with $130.00 I can stretch the services to 5 lub. changes at the same intervals of 8,000km rather than spending $130 for a single service that covers 15,000km.

However, I will use synthetic on the auto trans and power steering as they are relatively cheap, about $36 for 4 litres.

Is the Mobil -1 synthetic cheaper in U.S compared to mineral based? It seems any synthetic lub are astromical in value over this part of the world. Thanks


velan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hello Velan:

Unfortunately, markets do not operate very freely in all the world. Mobil 1 engine oil and ATF sells for about $4 at chain retailers like Walmart in USA, about three times the price of mineral based engine oil or ATF. I think Amsoil sells for a reasonable price at Walmart too. Given income and wages in USA, it costs less to run synthetic lubricants and fluids even when you consider trouble and expense of oil changes alone. Engines and transmissions work better and wear less with synthetics, which further reduces costs from trouble and expense for overall automboile repairs, maintenance and consumption of parts, fuel and lubricants. PCV, oil seals and leaks are cases in point for Volvos. Never mind engine, transmission, differential or power steering rack rebuilds. Only someone who does not consider the difference between price and cost runs mineral rather than synsthetic lubricants and fluids in USA. Given income, wages and prices where you are, you may be right to choose mineral engine oil. In this case, Shell Rotella 15W-40 could be the best choice given your car and climate. If you can have synthetic engine oil, ATF and gear oil mailed or shipped to you, perhaps by sea to keep cost as low as possible, perhaps you will still come out ahead using synthetics. Check Internet and contact Paul Seminara here at Brickboard. He sells Amsoil engine oil, ATF and gear oil. Perhaps he can ship these to you so that it will still cost you less than buying locally. Best regards.

Hi Singara,
You've certainly had some fun with your 16 valves. A beautiful engine when running well but not as bullet proof as the b230f/t.

After all your work on the beast you may be better off keeping it.

If buying, my recommendation would be a b230f or b230ft 940.

However the problem you face with most 2nd hand cars is that they all have some expensive issue or issues that need attending to such as heater core, air con etc. Put on top of that the cost of 'baselining' with synthetic fluids, brake fluid and coolant, timing belt etc and you've already spent a few dollars.

As for synthetic, my experience and research would say go for it wherever it can be used, particularly if you plan to keep the car some years. I use Mobil 1. The only weight available in Aus is 5w50. This is not the preferred viscosity but I have no choice.

It's a shame there is no easy way to ship from Australia as I looked at an immaculate 92 940SE turbo on the weekend. It had only travelled 180000kms. The asking price was $10000Aus. The dark grey leather was the best I'd seen in a Volvo (probably helped by the tinted windows), and the exterior was faultless. It was such a good buy it sold the next day.

It had cruise. You wouldn't have had to put previous experience into practise!

Take care,
John H from DOWNUNDER 93 945, 88 240, 85 245.

Hi Singara,
You've certainly had some fun with your 16 valves. A beautiful engine when running well but not as bullet proof as the b230f/t.

After all your work on the beast you may be better off keeping it.

If buying, my recommendation would be a b230f or b230ft 940.

However the problem you face with most 2nd hand cars is that they all have some expensive issue or issues that need attending to such as heater core, air con etc. Put on top of that the cost of 'baselining' with synthetic fluids, brake fluid and coolant, timing belt etc and you've already spent a few dollars.

As for synthetic, my experience and research would say go for it wherever it can be used, particularly if you plan to keep the car some years. I use Mobil 1. The only weight available in Aus is 5w50. This is not the preferred viscosity but I have no choice.

It's a shame there is no easy way to ship from Australia as I looked at an immaculate 92 940SE turbo on the weekend. It had only travelled 180000kms. The asking price was $10000Aus. The dark grey leather was the best I'd seen in a Volvo (probably helped by the tinted windows), and the exterior was faultless. It was such a good buy it sold the next day.

It had cruise. You wouldn't have had to put previous experience into practise!

Take care,
John H from DOWNUNDER 93 945, 88 240, 85 245.

I should think you would be more worried about those terrorist moslem idiots running around your neighborhood, but no matter.....


Q1. I have heard that synthetic oil lasts longer than the mineral based. If so at what intervals should I change if I switch to synthetic.

--15,000km is reasonable provided the car is in good working order

Q2. I have also heard that I cannot change to synthetic overnight and enjoy a longer service interval. If I am not wrong, I have heared about specific short intervals of few oil changes before changing to synthetic. Have anyone heard of this?
--Old tale. It basically was an issue for about one year after the stuff was introduced back in the mid-70's. It has since been fixed and since you just did the top end, all your seals are new. Don't worry about it.

Q3. I hate oil leaks. Will my car suffer from oil leaks after switching to synthetic oil?
--Maybe, but it is highly unlikely, all things considered. If a leak does pop up, the seal was due to go anyway.

Q4. On assumption that this car had always used mineral oil since the day it rolled out of the factory, is it a good idea to switch to synthetic, after more than 11 years? What synthetic specification should I use? I have only owned this lemon for about 2 years now.
--Use 5w-30. You have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Q5. Should I change the auto trans fluid (ATF) to synthetic as well. Is there any side effect. I don't intend to have the gearbox overhauled again in less than two months of the first overhauled. If there are no side effects, what is the procedure to change to synthetic. From FAQ, flushing the auto trans. sounds easy although I have never done it myself. What is the synthetic specification of the ATF.
--Mobil One synthetic ATF is a perfect choice. It comes on ly in one universal spec. It is really really good stuff. And it is totally compatible with regular ATF. Save your money.... dump and fill the 3 liters in the pan for right now.

Or should I just forget about the whole thing and get a Volvo 850. I am thinking about the 850 T-5 1996 wagon model. It has depreciated more than 50% of its original sale value.
--Wow!!!! You must REALLY be itching to see the inside of a Malaysian Bankruptcy Court. Won't they 'cane' you in a public square or something? Stick with the 940 and keep your head about you.

Good luck!

Thanks Tom for a speedy reply. In addition to the earlier post, at what intervals do I have to change the ATF after switching to synthetic. The manufacturer recommendation is at 80,000km for normal ATF.

Secondly, currently I am using the SAE 20-50W (i think). This is due to the hot and humid wheather at this part of the world. The average temp. here is 36 degree celcius. Wouldn't 5-30W cause overheating of the engine?

thanks

velan
kuala lumpur, malaysia.

"In addition to the earlier post, at what intervals do I have to change the ATF after switching to synthetic. The manufacturer recommendation is at 80,000km for normal ATF."

--That is too funny. Over here, the federal government forces car makers to hold to a certain dollar amount of "expected cost of ownership", which is basically maintenance items. They are levied if their car line generates too much waste oil and parts by requiring more frequent service than another manufacturer. So expensive makes like Volvo will do stupid things. Buy a Volvo in the States and they tell you that the recommended oil changes are 15,000 miles, (25,000km) with standard oil. Spark plugs are good for 100,000 miles (160,000km). They also state that the ATF and coolant are "permanent, lifetime" and NEVER need changing!!

Having said that, just do my dump and fill method. Knock 3 liters out of the pan at every oil change. Replace it with 3 liters of fresh synthetic. It will take care of itself. It also allows the "reset adaptivity" function to get used to the new fluid characteristics.

Secondly, currently I am using the SAE 20-50W (i think). This is due to the hot and humid wheather at this part of the world. The average temp. here is 36 degree celcius. Wouldn't 5-30W cause overheating of the engine?

--Another myth. That B234 head is a delicate machanism. The passageways and capillaries rival that of a 960. What you need sir is something that flows like hell! 20w-50 will kill that new head you just put on. Maybe not tomorrow, but it is not healthy. The big selling point for 20-50 is that is "resists thermal and viscosity breakdown" True synthetics like Mobil and Amsoil will not burn...end of story. Thermal breakdown is not possible. Viscosity never leaves the 5-30 range, ever. That range is just perfect for that engine. 36 degrees?? Bah! We see 43+ here in the dog days of summer. I wouldn't run anything else.