Hi,

Its time for an oil change, and my dad said he would change the oil for me, provided I go out and buy the oil and a new filter. Now, I've bought the Valvoline SAE-10W-40, which is what it says to use in the owner's manual, but what I didn't realise is that I've bought Synthetic oil instead of the proper stuff.

Is it safe to use in an '84 360 with the b19e engine?

I only ask because I've been told that my car is too old to work with newer fuels like E10, so I thought the same might apply to other types of lubricants, and I just wanted to make sure I don't cause any permanent engine damage.

Thank you muchly

It pretty much depends on what you've used before.
One can use synthetic but the oil will over the first couple of thousand km's dissolve the sludge in your engine.

On the matter of the E10 I can be blunt, stay away from it. The engine will not like it, all the rubber parts in the fuel system will suffer and desintegrate and the sludge in the fueltank will dissolve only to settle elsewhere in the system.
The fuel itself is hygroscopic (suck up water) and will start to break up 6 months after it was made.......ideal to get a "clean" and rusty fueltank.

Volvo says that all 300s can be run with E10 fuel:
http://www.volvocars.com/de/top/about/c ... kraftstoff

However, I don't believe a word of it and will continue to use E5 for as long as it's still available.

The hygroscopic "features" of E10 can be used to a purpose though. Before leaving a car standing around for a long time (over the winter months for example), fill it up with E10 to attract all the water (the SECOND last fill up) then once the tank is empty fill up with "proper" fuel, and put the car away.

Cheers

Tom

Quite interesting looking at UK datasheets for fuel. It's fairly well known that Tesco 99 is pretty keen on the ethanol, but less known is so is a heck of a lot of semi skimmed from a lot of manufacturers here.

Also oil can be 'synthetic' which really is semi-synthetic and only fully-synthetic is really synthetic.

E5 is already making weird things to my carb, I find tiny metal particles from carb float chamber and I do have a good filter before AND after fuel pump.

But also recently as I had to move the car that petrol had gone somewhere and there was strong odor of petrol when I added a bit, there was no visible leak I could spot of, but maybe stuff had rusted my petrol tank. In our country it is impossible to buy petrol without ethanol, except if one buys those 5 litre containers of artificial petrol for small machines, which costs really really lot, I think it was something like 4 times the price of regular stuff and even regular stuff is quite pricey here.

Original 300 fuel hoses did not manage the stuff before E5 petrol, I wonder how they can say it would be ok with E10. Also floats are known to take petrol in like a sponge, wonder what ethanol will do with it.

I suspect manufacturers have some interest to make sure older vehicles are removed from roads, it is not that they do cars just for fun.

I was thinking about the original 10W 40 question again - bear in mind that the manufacturers' specifications were probably taking the low Swedish temperatures into consideration, therefore the "10W". You'll be absolutely fine with 15W 40 and it's cheaper too...

Cheers

Tom

trabitom99 wrote:I was thinking about the original 10W 40 question again - bear in mind that the manufacturers' specifications were probably taking the low Swedish temperatures into consideration, therefore the "10W". You'll be absolutely fine with 15W 40 and it's cheaper too...

Cheers

Tom

I think there was graph in green books that did show which oil to use in which temperature.

I used a 10/40 semi synthetic in the 340 and experienced an alarming sudden new oil leak (drip more than a leak). It's ok now but still drops a few drips, next time I'll be back to the old 15/40 mineral to see if it helps. Also beware of using flushing oil type products, see below:

http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... w&start=30

jtbo wrote:I think there was graph in green books that did show which oil to use in which temperature.

Tis in the handbook too. I ran my b14 and b172 on 15/40 as that was suggested for UK ish temps

Chris_C wrote:

jtbo wrote:I think there was graph in green books that did show which oil to use in which temperature.

Tis in the handbook too. I ran my b14 and b172 on 15/40 as that was suggested for UK ish temps

Oh yes, it indeed was there too, if one just has the manual.

Once I did try to buy 10w30 from local spareparts shop, they did say that no such is made anymore, they had only 5w or 0w with random upper temp numbers available, I walked out and bought 10w30 from local cheap million things kind of shop, it is amazing how some salespersons can lie to you with so straight face

Hmm, looking that link to one of our threads, I think I still have the same TWS Motorsport oil in 360, that thread was only 3 years ago, but oil has been there from 2005 I think, maybe I should consider replacing it even I'm not driving it, there might be _some_ water in that oil after 8 years, or it could be that I changed that oil in 2003 or 2004, can't really remember it anymore...

But I don't even remember when I replaced oil in french crap either, must be at least two years ago, maybe I should start keeping a book like proper oldtimers do

8-year-old oil, that'll certainly have attracted a bit of moisture ...

While we're on the subject of oil changes - use a good oil filter with a non-return valve - they're not much more money than the ones which drain all their oil the moment you turn the engine off.

Volvo original filters are obviously good (only 8 Euros from Skandix), but I also use Bosch filters a lot. Some part numbers for you:

Volvo 3517857
Bosch 0451103219
Mann W 917?
Quinton Hazell WL7067?

All of the above have the non-return valve and the price difference compared with the cheapo ones is not worth the 2 or 3 Euros you're saving.

Cheers

Tom

trabitom99 wrote:Volvo original filters are obviously good (only 8 Euros from Skandix),...

Not that I want to hi-jack the discussion but the original filters are also sold at Born-Built-Beauties for 7.5 euro, so depending on the country where you are and what other stuff you want it may be worth looking around.

volvomania wrote:

trabitom99 wrote:Volvo original filters are obviously good (only 8 Euros from Skandix),...

Not that I want to hi-jack the discussion but the original filters are also sold at Born-Built-Beauties for 7.5 euro, so depending on the country where you are and what other stuff you want it may be worth looking around.

That's a good info, thanks Robbert!

The main reason why I usually go for Bosch filters is because I can pick them up from my local parts place, postage free (Volvo filters from the main dealer are quite a bit more). If I'm ordering parts from you anyway in future, then I'll buy a few filters as well, there's nothing like OEM parts in the engine bay for those extra brownie points at a car meet (filters, the battery etc)

The good thing about the B19/B200 filters is that they fit early B14s as well, up to around 1985 IIRC.

Cheers

Tom

I buy OEM Volvo ones all the time. I use them on my Reliant engines too, even though you have to remove them first if you want the starter motor out (same 3/4" UNF thread).

(I've had good discounts offered by dealers for as little as a tray of six.) RJ's price is very good.