Hey guys, I'm pretty scared right now.

So I have a 2004 Volvo S40 and since I got it in April, I've had 1 oil change at around 167000 miles. I was running conventional 10-W30 in it until my mechanic recommended me to run synthetic and showed me a 2001 S40's engine's insides which were worn out because of conventional oil, so today at 172844 miles, I changed it in my driveway to Mobil 1 high mileage 10@-30 full synthetic oil.

When I took off the drain plug, I found that the plug wasn't this kind of normal plug, but a different looking kind and had a rubber washer on it instead of this kind of metal washer that came with my oil filters. I thought it would work and wiped the drain plug very thoroughly but after a few minutes of running the engine, I get a drop or 2 of oil on my paper towel that couldn't have been there after I wiped it. I'm not getting any oil pressure lights and have to go somewhere important right now, but I'll keep monitoring my oil level every time I stop.

What are my choices at this point? Should I just go to my mechanic and tell him all this? Should I buy an OEM drain plug and change the oil again? I'm thinking maybe it was replaced with this one because the threads for it might've been stripped sometime in the past and the original one might not have fit anymore.

Thanks.

 

My guess is that someone used one of those universal drain plugs with a rubber washer. Probably done at an instant oil change place.

The right drain plug with the aluminum washer is the only way to go. You can buy a drain plug that is very inexpensive and the sealing washers are sold on eBay all day long.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Engine-Oil-...ss!35114!US!-1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Volvo-Oil...oAAOSwOgdYu9oN

As far as the switch to synthetic, that ship sailed a long time ago. The engine that was ruined probably had improper service. I would not spend the money on synthetic oil after 15 years and 173k miles.

 

You have some choices on DIY oil changes. Buy filters in bulk - you can get OEM Mann filters for the price of after market when you buy them 4 or 8 at a time from a Volvo friendly web store - good time to get a few new crush washers for the oil plug. As far as using dino vs synthetic, you may want to consider a high mileage blend oil - they typically have seal softeners and makes for a good halfway step when going to full synthetic. There's nothing wrong with changing to full synthetic at this point - but as noted, its not going to turn back the clock if the prior owner(s) didn't provide regular maintenance. Take a look via the oil fill cap - if you see staining of the metal but you can see texture, that's normal. If you see accumulated gunk and sludge, then you may need to look further and consider some corrective action as a clogged PCV or VVT gear is probably in your future. If you are all clean, then keep up with the standard maintenance schedule for oil/filter and related service items. As an example, I recently did a drain/fill (using a turkey baster) of my wife's Highlander to refresh the power steering fluid...

 

 

There's always a possibility that someone stripped out the oil plug threads by overtightening it, and installed a leak-stopper generic replacement. I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist over an occasional drop of oil squeezing its way out - it's going to take a LONG time for that to cause a problem, other than defacing your driveway, that is. Your mech should be able to point you in the right direction based on the analysis of the threads in your oil pan.