OK--id like to try to clear this up coz i know its frustrating to many--- what type of oil is to be used on a VOLVO 850 TURBO?
I know its 30 wt.- but what kind -- "DINO OR SYNTH OR BLEND" - too many people and books all conflict each other - i need to get the straight shot once and for all - i dont have any desire to mess up almost $4500 worth of work - not to mention pieces of my skin and knuckles left behind in the engine area and the back breaking work it is to do alone-as many of you know -- can we start getting some definite answers to things like this - not assumptions and not guesses or umm you read it some where- if we are to help each other and keep these beautiful machines running we need to be as spot on accurate as possible - dont you think? for example - firing order and where plug #1 is - so far ive had 3 different answers" bottm left-middle left - top left "---- "IF YOU DO NOT KNOW-- DO NOT ANSWER PLEASE!" you just make it more difficult to get the job done- i have relied heavily on this site to help me with my reconstructioin of my baby, and i appreciate it immensly i could'nt, and probably would'nt have started my project, and got to where i am if "VOLVOFORUMS.COM" wasn't around- i love my car - and i really think that if we pull it together and get more accurate info out there we can really benefit each other - sorry if it seems like im picking on certain people - IM NOT-- I am only asking that everyone think about what you are going to put in as info- and ask yourself - is this 100% accurate -i know the accurate info is hard to get and maybe someone found a better way- if you found another way or its a better thing to do - say that - we/I wont know its a safe mod unless told that its been done and its good - sorry again iff you all think im whining but it had to be said -THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR POSTS AND HELP!!!!

 

The majority of these engines started with mineral oil, either 10w 30 or even some run 5w 30. You can change to synth if you want, but sometimes it creates lots of small oil leaks, but some have successfully switched from mineral to synth. I would say if your car has high mileage and it's had mineral it's whole life, I would run 5W 30. My 2 cents.

 

thank you for your response i think i will stick to dino oil i dont like leaks - my objective is to keep away leaks as much as possible even with new oil seals and gaskets and everything else - it seems more sensible to run with dino too

 

I would try some 5W 30 if you don't want any leaks.

 

5/30 wont interfere with my turbo function - seems a bit thick - i guess ill give it a try - i wont say i cant hurt to give it a try coz with these cars 1 wrong move and its -- ok start all over again lol
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Quite a few people on VS run 5W 30. If I wasn't going to be swapping motors I would probably switch to 5W 30 in the spring.

 

if i knew my engine had synth all its life, id run synth, but since i dont know, im going to run regular oil recommended by the owners manual