[SurströmmingSucks]

Six months ago I shared that using Liqui-Moly ProLine Engine Flush helped with my oil consumption issue on my 5 cylinder Volvo. Well, now that some time has passed, I can give an update.

Around 1 quart got consumed after 2500 miles. After adding Liqui-Moly ViscoPlus, I have not burned any oil after driving 1500 more miles.

I now have an improved procedure for fixing this issue:

1. Lift the car with a jack and jack stands or ramps.
2. Next, add a bottle of Liqui-Moly ProLine Engine Flush to the engine oil and idle the engine for 15 minutes.
3. Drain the engine oil. Be careful as the oil will be hot!
4. Remove the oil filter. A low profile 36mm socket and a flex head ratchet or a regular ratchet with universal joint and extension is required.
5. Reinstall the drain plug and belly pan with a new aluminum crush washer.
6. Install the new oil filter.
7. Add a 300ml can of Liqui-Moly Viscoplus for Oil.
8. Add new oil of your choice. I have had good results with both Castrol and Liqui Moly oil.
9. Add a can of fuel system cleaner and top up the tank with gasoline. Any cleaner with a lot of PEA in it will work. RedLine and Techron are popular.
10. Drive around. Recycle used oil properly!

A lower oil change interval is also useful to preventing oil consumption. An extractor pump will leave 100ml or so of old oil in the crankcase, but extracting oil halfway between Volvo's recommended 10k oil changes should be enough.

This works because Volvo did not design their oil control ring correctly. The oil control ring becomes fouled with carbon deposits, and oil ends up in the combustion chamber instead of being scraped down the cylinder wall. Engine flush will remove years of built-up deposits from the oil control ring.

The fuel system cleaner contains PEA, a detergent which can break up carbon deposits in the combustion chamber which result from oil consumption. These deposits can cause spark plug fouling, clogged injectors and other issues.

Since some oil is burnt and sent through the exhaust, it is essential that any oil or additives used are labeled as safe for catalytic converters!

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

I think the type of oil is more crucial than the change interval. I don't think we would have seen as many cases, at least with the 2012 5 cylinder, if Volvo had used and specified a full synthetic from the start. Case in point, my engine started burning oil pretty bad by 40,000 miles. Volvo's change interval for this MY was 7500 miles. Still being a bit old school I was changing the oil myself in-between, so every 3750 using the proper Volvo speced oil at the time. The scoring was bad they actually replaced the engine thankfully all under warranty. But I'm really glad this has worked for you.

My 2013 specified full synthetic from the start.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

What year is your car? How many miles at the time you started engine flushes with Liqui-Moly? Might've caught it early enough to clean up carbon build up. I've started using Liqui-Moly engine flush every / every other oil change with 4k-6k mile intervals.

It's a 2013 S60. It was my mom's car before I got it and I flushed the engine when I got it at 65k miles. All previous services were at the dealer with 10k oil changes.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

How do you use the suction pump on our cars with no dipstick?
Also, if the dealer is changing the oil, would you add some engine flush before they did? Would this do something they would complain about?

You have to idle the car for 15 minutes before using engine flush, but you cannot drive it with engine flush in the crankcase.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

Curious how much of that reduction in consumption is the flush, vs the viscoplus. Cuz I’ve done 4 flushes on 2500 mi interval and still have the same 1Q/1k mi consumption. What mileage are you doing this at?

72k miles on the car. I think it is ViscoPlus that really makes a difference. Try using some!

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

Do you know how much it thickens the oil? 5w40 oil seems to work for me. So far I've had better success with Castrol Edge euro than Mobil 1. Some have reported that using LiquiMoly oil gives even better results

Visco plus is makes 5w30 more like a 5w35, but it reduces oil consumption drastically.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

Not necessarily… My point was that those additives aren’t permanent fixes. Therefore the issue might return. That said I suggested trading in the vehicle to avoid an expensive repair bill later on.

And it wasn’t about “oil consumption” but rather high oil consumption - I think all engines consume some amount of oil. I’m being captain obvious now…

Na, I’ll leave the wisdom enlightenment up to you.

Honestly I am disappointed with Volvo's quality. This car has had fuel injector issues (thankfully while still under warranty), electrical problems (parasitic draw that would drain the battery in a week, I "fixed" it by bypassing the Sirius module with a MOST loop), oil consumption issues, and transmission issues.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

I feel your pain. I have been disappointed with their quality and durability as well. A few high profile and expensive issues on the SPAs have me concerned.

I will probably not buy another Volvo, given their decline. It is unfortunate because I like their safety-forward design and Swedishness, but other carmakers like Audi and BMW have caught up in terms of safety.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

I was under the impression BG EPR could only be purchased by a shop -- not your average consumer. I've heard it can work well though

My local repair shop uses BG products but anyone can buy them.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

The Reason Some Volvo Engines Burn Oil Volvo Problem - YouTube

This video describes what you're dealing with.

It's worth trying an engine flush if the newly implemented extended warranty for oil consumption does not apply to your car.

All the 5 cylinder engines burn oil for this reason, which is why an engine flush and reduced oil change intervals work. You can also try BG's engine flush which has good reviews as well.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

There's a letter from Volvo dated Feb3 about this issue. 100k or 8 years from original vehicle in-service date.

There's a thread about it on this forum.

Got my official 2016 oil consumption extended warranty...

I know there's been talk of Volvo finally stepping up and providing warranty coverage for the oil consumption issue found in mid-2016 and before XC90s, but I got an official notification in the mail yesterday. It extends the warranty to 8 years or 100K miles for 2013-2016 60, 70, 80 and 90...

www.swedespeed.com

It's too late for my car unfortunately, it's 9 years old.

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

May finally have made headway with additives…

last 3 flushes with liqui moly did nothing, tried BG EPR + ~120 miles holding 4k rpm mostly highway split 60 miles before and 60 after the flush/change. 600 miles later, oil's only down 2 croshatches/~2/5 quart in 600 miles, vs the 1/5 quart every ~200 miles im used to. Bit early to celebrate, but it's been quite consistent up until now. Other thing is, if anything I should be seeing more consumption running 4k rpm even if only for 60 miles after. Not using any viscosity modifiers, castrol edge 5w-30 euro.

I think I will try BG EPR next time!

 

[SurströmmingSucks]

IMO, I think they went with 8 years because it's a better than even bet that a lot of these vehicles just miss that 8 year cutoff instead of the 100k miles. This one has a June service date and 97k, so it just squeaks under that bar.

They could have made it 10 years and less than 100k. It's not that unreasonable.

I specifically bought Kia because of the 10 year/100k powertrain warranty. Yeah, I know people will trash talk the Kia to hell and back, but it's not burning oil at 75k, either. I never would have expected a properly maintained Volvo to burn oil at 75k, yet here we are. At least she can get it repaired, but this has left a sour taste in her mouth for Volvo, and she's owned 3.

Other than that, my car has been quite reliable. I like Volvo's safety record and I just wouldn't trust a Kia or Toyota to keep me safe from bad drivers. Plus, you can't get swedishness anywhere else unless you have the $$$ for a Koenigsegg.