So i picked up my 940 for $350, as some of you may know from other posts ive had up, ive had the timing belt, gas line, filters, sway bars, and full tune up done on the car, and id say shes running pretty good until just recently, of course the week before my 2100 mile trip. I brought the car to my local shop to have the Gas line and banjo bolt replaced bc of a fine mist of gas that was leaking out, after 300 dollars, they said it was fixed, however today ive noticed that its created another mist, im bring it back tomorrow in hopes to have it fixed by this weekend, and that they aren't charging me anymore.. And now when im turning, ive always known the steering wasn't the best, but i flushed out the system and have new ATF in it, and its been running good, except its got little clicks every so often when i turn, and is alot more audible.

Thats not my biggest worry. My 2 biggest worries are..
My Alternator... Any way to test the amps on it? When ever i roll up my windows and keep pushing them up once up, just those few seconds, my idle dips, then collects itself and goes back up. Also when i turn my headlights on, it fluctuates the idle for a second or 2. I know that could be common with a 19 year old car. But if that dies, im screwed, and i dont want that breaking halfway through my trip, testing would be the easiest to know, or just replacing?

Also the amount of oil im consuming or leaking. About a quart every 500 miles or less. Im using 10w30 now, im not in any temp ranges below 20 degrees, could I go up to 15w40? Any suggestions, I can't see any leaks, but then again park on dirt..

 

It's summer...you could go to a straight 30W oil w/ no issues. As for the electrics, I'd suspect your issue is more with corroded and bad grounds rather than the alternator. Pretty sure AutoZone will test alternators in-car.Of course, they always find something that needs to be replaced. If they find fault, go get a second opinion.

 

Autozone will easily test the alternator on the car. I had them do it when i was trying to figure out an elec bug. Alternator and battery bench tested fine but showed up with a problem when it was tested in car while running.

 

alright, so what a 30w50? I think im going to stick to a 15w40 for now, and see how that works, still have a few more months of warmer weather to try the 30w if i still see a major problem, thats just taking the easy route of the problem. Also as for cleaning the grounds, any specific locations of them or just unscrew any connection to metal, clean it and put it back in? Cars on its way to the shop right now as we speak bc of the fuel line having the fine mist coming out of the same spot they had supposedly fixed it.. Great. less than 4 days til the trip.

 

I have no idea what a 30W50 oil is...not sure I've ever seen it. Most oils used today are multi-viscosity oils as opposed to single viscosity oils. These multi-vis oils were introduced for a variety of reasons. The thinner the oil, the more can be produced from a given amount of crude. Too, the vast majority of Americans are too dumb to comprehend that oil thickens in colder weather. So, multi-viscosity oils were introduced. For instance, 10W-30 is 10W oil. The second number, in this case 30, refers to the protection factor. It will protect the engine in warmer weather as well as a 30W. 10W oil has a higher viscosity than 5W. 20W is higher than 10W. 30W is higher than 20W. It is common practice to use a straight 30W oil in an older, high mileage engine. It helps to fill the wear areas between bearings and rods/crankshaft making oil pressure higher. Because the oil has a higher viscosity, it doesn't leak out quite as fast through failing seals and gaskets. And finally, it doesn't creep past worn rings, valve seals and guides quite as fast so oil burning can be reduced a bit. This all equates to possibly going a few more miles before adding a quart.

 

so whats the full name of the oil to buy? just 30w? or whats the 2nd number? Sorry to be a total Noob. So 15w40 or this 30w?

 

Just "30W" which is short for 30weight. Pick a known brand...one you recognize. At your engine's state in life, it will be happy just to have oil. As much as you go through, there's really no point in using synthetic...just go in to AZ or wherever and get some oil. If you can't find it, when you ask for it call it thirty weight...the clerk will know what you mean.

 

alrighty sounds good. Thanks for the help. T-Minus 3 days till trip...

 

so no switching to Synthetic? i know alot of people on here say its bad, but on a different site ive read that both are compatible with anything..

 

By your own admission, the car is going through a quart of oil every 500 miles or less. Cars that run through that much oil need some work done eventually. Synthetic costs quite a bit more than dino oil; imho you'd be wasting money. Should you ever rebuild the motor, that would be a great time to swap to syn.

 

Alright, and the oil pumps on my 940 could hanlde the 15w40 or 30w? I called to make sure my napa has the oil and they said that they dont recommend bc of the oil pumps sometimes failing bc of to thick of oil.. Not sure how good their word is (not to bash Napa or any parts store, but up here in East Bumb F**k Maine, most ppl dont know much about volvos).

 

Well, I lived in Limestone for 3 years...you certainly don't want to run 30W in the winter...but then 10W30 is too thick too! 30W in your region is a summer engine oil only for sure. However, it wouldn't be the 30W as a cause of pump failure...it would be the pump is simply worn out. In cold weather, thicker oil does place an additional load on the starter motor. The engine is harder to start when cold...because the oil hasn't warmed up yet. 30W is fine down to 20 degrees or so.