Hi all,

Two quick questions.

1) I am about to change the oil on my '85 240. I drive the vast majority of my miles in the city, stop and go traffic, speeds under 50mph. Is there any advantage to put fully synthetic or semi-synthetic oil in my 240? In the past I've just used regular 10w30.

Also, I live in Louisiana where we get extremely hot summers. My Bentley manual says 15w40 is advised for extremely hot climates. Being that only the summer months are extremely hot, would there be any advantage to using the 15w40?

2) My 240 has the original fuel pump relay in it still. (stamped 4.8.1985) I ordered a replacement one, but I am not having any problems with starting, stalling, etc, though my car does have a bit of stumble in its idle often times. Would it be advised to replace the fuel pump relay anyway, or hang onto the spare in the glovebox and replace the original only when it fails?

Thanks.

 

I'd stick with the 10-30 dino oil, btw semi-syn is a scam. Full syn is good but not necessary in a B230 non turbo. You may want to use it only because it lasts longer between changes so even though more expensive, you save on the change frequency...

The fuel pump, well, up to you! I don't like to change parts that are not out but, sure, with this age, who knows when it will go... Just make sure a new one is of good quality--these days alot of cheap Asian imports are substandard.

 

owners manual does suggest 15W-40 for warmer climates and more extreme use like towing so there's no real downside, particularly in the summer. As far as going to synthetic - I'm with Lev in that it doesn't really have a major performance advantage. What you should consider is using a high mileage oil - (name brands offer in dino and synthetic blend) which contain seal softeners to help older engines not turn into bleeders :-) . I'd also maintain the factory oil change interval with OEM filters (not all after-market filters have the same flow rate as the Mann filters) - You can buy in bulk from a Volvo friendly web store.