Hey guys. I've been searching the archives and other forums for a while and I can't seem to find a basic tutorial on an oil change for my sister's 850 T5. I want to find a good site for her to read up on this because she's doing this on Sat while I "supervise." I'm looking for any gotchas or other little nitpicks we need to know about.

Also, I can't seem to find a straight answer on the oil capacity. Is the oil cooler drained for an oil change or not? I read that if not, the capacity for the 850 T5 is 5.6 quarts. Is this correct?

Lastly, anybody have a part number for the oil filter? I don't use Fram filters, so where (besides the dealer) can I get a good one? Napa? Do they come with drain plug washers or do I need that too?

Thank you for the information. Is there a garage page for this site with links to how-tos for this kind of thing? I can't seem to find one.

Thanks again.

 

^Check the online owners manual, it should be stickied. There is a good diagram of where the drain plug is.

It's just like all other cars. Drain the oil, and refill it. I had to have a shop do it, because I was having hella trouble twisting the nut/bolt.

I believe 5 quarts were put in, and I believe that's what the online owners manual said.

 

Hi Miatamon,

M. Tech could give you the best answer, but he seems busy or on vacation for the last few days. So, I'll write up how I do it. Also, I'll list FCP Groton's URL:

http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo850tuneup.htm

Reason why I use FCP Groton:
1. Carries OEM or better parts
2. Has good parts illustration, unlike any other on-line vendor
3. Quick shipping, usually arrives 2-4 days after placing an order (between Connecticut and Chicago)
4. May not be the cheapest place but is definitely cheaper than the dealer
5. Carries useful items, such as one-person brake bleeder, OBD-II scanner, etc...

OIL CHANGE FOR850 TURBO (B5234T):

REQUIRED SUPPLIES:
1. 6-7 quarts of SAE 10W-30 (synthetic/synthetic blend is highly recommended for turbo engines)
2. Oil filter (MANN, the OEM filter used by the dealers. Either made in Germany or Argentina).
3. New drain plug aluminum washer
*4. New oil filler cap gasket
*5. New oil dipstick O-ring
*6. New oil cooler connection seal ring & O-ring
**7. Magnetic chip-detector drain plug

*May not always be necessary, but good to replace them at every other oil change, or once every 3 oil changes.
**It shows how much metal particles are in the oil pan.

REQUIRED TOOLS:
1. 3/8" drive breaker bar (or ratchet handle)
2. 6-point shallow/deep socket for the drain plug
3. Cup-type filter wrench (attaches to 3/8" drive tools)
4. Awl/Pick or thin piece of metal wire, when replacing the filler gasket/dipstick O-ring
5. Snap-ring plier for removing the retainer for oil cooler connection.
6. Floor jack & jack stands (unless if you can get to the drain plug & filter safely without these items)
7. Drain pan
8. Eye-protection
9. Nitrile gloves (they'll keep your hands clean)

PROCEDURE:
*Be careful of oil spillage, the oil may be extremely hot!!
1. Run the engine just enough to let the oil warm up.

2. Open the hood and unscrew the filler cap, but leave it on the filler neck.

3. Place a drain pan under the drain plug and unscrew the plug, keeping inward pressure so that sudden oil stream does not surprise you. When you're sure the plug is unscrewed all the way, pull it out quick and keep yourself away from the oil stream. Place the drain pan a little ahead of the drain hole, as oilwill drain briskly. Clean the threads of the drain plug, as well as the drain hole on the oil pan. When all oil has drained, put the drain plug back in with a new aluminum washer. Tighten to 26ft-lbs plus a few degrees, depending on when the oil dripping stops (I do mine at 26ft-lbs plus about 1/8 turn).

4. Remove the oil filter, using oil filter wrench, being careful not to tip the filter, as it is full of oil. Drain the oil inside the filter into the drain pan. Clean the filter attachment base on the engine.

5. Prime the oil filter with oil before installation. I usually fill the filter up with clean oil, and make sure to put a thin film of clean oil on the rubber gasket. This ensures leak-free installation and easy removal for next oil change.

6. Hand-tighten the new filter. In general, after the filter gasket touches the base, 1/4 to 3/4 turn is enough.

7. If the oil-cooler is to be drained, remove the connection retainer with a snap-ring plier and pull the connection out. Let the oil drain. When oil stops draining, install new seal ring & O-ring, connect the tube and install the retainer. The connection is at the bottom of the oil cooler, on passenger-side. The following URL may be of help:

http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/oilcooler.htm

8. Add oil from the filler neck. After 5 quarts, go slow and check the dip stickfrequently to prevent over-filling. The oil level must be between the two lines (MIN & MAX) on the dipstick. Put the filler cap back on when finished.

9. Start the engine and make sure the oil warning lamp does not come on, and check for leaks.

OIL CAPACITY FOR B5234T (Taken from the owner's guide):
5.6US qts
Add 0.95 qts if oil cooler has been drained.

Draining of the oil cooler is not absolutely necessary, you only get about a cup-full. However, some dirty oil remains there so I always drain the oil cooler. Also, it is a good idea to keep 1-2 qts of oil in the trunk.

Anyone else has better methods/ideas? Please share with us. Also, Haynes manual has good instruction in this particular case.

I hope this helps.


JPN

 

We don't really have a garage site here. We do have threadst that are at the top of the forum that offer great advice. I think JPN did one recently about basic things and it was awesome to say the least. http://www.volvospeed.com/maintenance.shtml is a great site for information.

 

Cool guys, thanks for the info. I already have Groton's URL. Ordered some parts from them about a week ago for the car.

Given that her car has 150ish thousand miles on it, I did not reccomend synthetic oil even knowing it was a turbo model because I don't know what's been in there before. She told me it was a "blue bottle," lol.

Maybe synthetic is still a good idea? I run it in my Miata, but that only has 90k miles on it. I'm not trying to start an oil debate here....just want reccomendations from experience.

 

why, what happens if you put synthetic oil in a car with higher mileage?

 

>why, what happens if you put synthetic oil in a car with higher mileage?

Some say that synthetic oil is thinner (not true, they're actually alleged to be slipperier) and may cause leak. I myself haven't seen a scientific/logical reason behind this, and think this is nothing but an urban legend. However, I am not an oil expert, and may be missing something.

If the car leaks synthetic oil, the chances are it should leak even with regular oil. In general, synthetic oil is best suited for high-performance engine, such as turbo, variable valve timing, etc... I work on turbine-powered airplanes and jet engines use full synthetic oil. Turbocharger is pretty much the same as jet engine in its construction (in basics anyway), and the turbine/compressor bearing is under extreme heat & pressure, where synthetic oil plays a major role in protecting it.

Valvoline has a vehicle-specific application function on their HP, as well as some info:

http://www.valvoline.com/crmo/recomm...asp?cid=151900

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ...asp?product=19(check FAQ)

Mobil:
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ics/Myths.aspx

Castrol:
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/gener...tentId=7007980

Since they are trying to sell their products, some info may be over-exaggerated. However, as far as I'm concerned, oil selection is a personal preference rather than scientific facts. I myself would rather use full synthetic for my 850, but I use synthetic-blend because I'm cheap. Refer to your owner's guide as well for oil recommendations.

I hope this helps.


JPN

 

Mobil 1 10w-30 it is then....thanks.

 

This page on Valvoline seems educational as well:

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/carcare/

Some oil mfg's also have educational or funny videos/essays on their web, I just checked out Mobil's and it was cute. If you have time, it might be worth watching/reading them.

Good day to all,


JPN

 

The reason a car will start to leak after switching to synthetic oil is because synthetic oil cleans a lot of gunk out of your system. If said gunk is plugging holes in your seals and is removed, well then you now have a leaky seal.

Since your system is going to get a good cleaning you might want to do a second oil/filter change earlier. You could also seafoam the engine about 100 miles before the synthetic switch too.

I currently use dino oil in the fleet that I maintain...

1985 Volvo 245 330k
1990 BMW 325i Coupe 250k
1994 Volvo 855 210k
1998 Volvo V70XC 160k (gone now though via rear ending)
2006 Volvo XC70 12k I don't think they recommend synthetic due to the LPT, won't hurt but not required. Also interesting to note that the oil cap says "Volvo recommends Castrol" [align=left] [/align]

 

Wait, how many quarts do I need? Because I only put in 5...

 

My 850 calls for 5.8.

One thing I do different than what JPN said, and I am doing this more as a question than a contradiction, is take the oil filter off while the drain plug is out. When I loosen the filter there is a small rush of oil out the drain plug hole. I always thought this was because of the check valve in the filter, but I don't know why I believe that. Other than that what JPN said is right on.

 

^I have a case of 5w-30. And currently I have 10w-30 in the car. Can I get away with mixing the 5w in (.8 quart)?

 

Hi Jim,

I agree with your point. Next time when I do the oil, I'll do the same as you do.

Thanks for the input,


JPN

 

Do I absolutely have to mess with the oil cooler?

 

I never touch my oil cooler. Don't even know where it is.

 

No you don't. I think you only get a cup of oil any way.
[align=left] [/align]

 

Second that, or whatever we're up to. I haven't touched mine. You should be fine.

 

Cool. So it's safe to say a fairly thorough change can be accomplished without draining the cooler. I suspect one would only want to drain it if suspecting serious oil contamination.

 

Correct.

Edit: I don't think the dealer worries about the cooler unless they drain they oil and large chunks of gunk have fallen out, but at that point they're looking at a lot of things.