hey guys is it safe to use penzzoil 20w-40 in volvo 850s?l never used a high grade oil before.its getting warmer here already.l just want to make sure.

 

There is a chart in the owner's manual that tells you what viscosity to run for your climate/temperature range. Here (in the south) I run 10w30 year round.

The guy who rebuilt my turbo recommended against using anything thicker than a 30 on the high end, for the extended life of the turbo bearings.

 

It's just my opinion but Pennzoil is not what I'd call a "high end" motor oil.

Valvoline, Mobil 1 or Castrol edge with titanium would be along with Royal Purple.

Or were you asking about the oil weight ??

 

yea l was asking about the oil weight.you see l have a lifter noise that knocks hard when warm.someone suggested l try a heavier oil weight and see if it quiets it down. and pennzoil is good when it comes to cleaning the engine, so l wanted to ask if its a good idea to use such heavy weight oil on these cars.

 

I'm in the south as well. there are months where it doesn't get under 80° and as high as 110° during the day. I try to use 10W-40 during those months but the manual says 15W-40 is the thickest that should be used. I think your better off going full synthetic than trying to muffel the sound. Besides that the first number is the cold weight thickness.

 

Rule of thumb, over 250k miles run 20w50. Less you will be fine with 10w40.

gotta remember that first number is the COLD weight and the number after the "W" is the HOT weight. (in case people were getting confused)

 

And .... make sure you are using a good oil filter. Seems there have been a number of complaints against Frams causing cold start lifter noise. I know it's not your symptom but if you have a Fram it might be worth getting rid of it for something better just in case.

 

I would NOT recommend running a heavier weight all because you have a lot of miles. Do a compression test first. If the numbers are low, maybe then.

 

l am not going to run heavier oil because l have alot of miles.l am not going to run it all year around.l want to run it through the summer time cuz its really getting warm here.l want to see if it quiets down my lifter noise a lil bit.

 

So where are you from slimflex?...location in your profile can help with a lot of people giving you answers....also real-time help if you ever need it.

Curious how many miles you do have? I plan on doing a compression check on my 850 tomorrow just to see where I stand. I have had my car about a month....really curious what the numbers will be. You should do one on your car just for reference...it may give you some insight on your lifter issues.

 

20w50 it is then. You just want to make sure you let it idle a bit before you put your foot in it. Start it up, put on your belt, pick a radio station and by then you should be good to go driving normally. You just shouldn't get on it until the temp gauge has started to rise.

 

l did a compression test and the numbers where in range.it is another threat where l posted the results.l am located in new york, long island.

 

thanks man. l will try and use 15w-40 or 20w-40.l know volvos engines are strong enough to with stand high viscosity.why do most car companies reccomend just 5w-30 in their engine.one of my friends ford has a 5w-30 written on the oil cap.meaning they only recommend 5w-30 l guess.does anyone know why they recommend that viscosity?

 

That's what the engineers designed the oil pump to work best with.

I don't think you should run anything heavier than 15W-40. I would not consider NY hot. 10W-40 would be the heaviest I would run if I were you. Really I wouldn't recommend anything but 10W-30 for you. Thicker oil will not help a lifter function better.

 

I run heavier oils for the protection they afford. Engineers design engines differently for different applications. I was surprised when I found out my two Lincoln 4.6's were spec out with 5W20 all year by ford. I was running 10w30 or 40 in them until I learned it's because the the bearing clearance on the cams is tighter and they want to make sure the oil gets up there quickly. That and fuel economy. A lot of manufacturers are driven by the fuel economy numbers and that is another reason you see new cars with really strange numbers like 0W40 or 5W40.

 

Modern oils are really amazing. There is probably more engineering in your oil, as there was in the engine it keeps lubricated.