Correct fluid/oil types ??

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Wed 28 Aug 2002 12:42
Correct fluid/oil types ?? - volvoman
How important is it to stick to exactly the same make and/or type of brake fluid, coolant, engine oil, power steering fluid etc. etc. when topping up their levels ? My Volvo manual states for example that I should top up with their own coolant (type C - blue/green @ 50% water/50% coolant) but doesn't seem to give a specification for this that I could try to match elsewhere at less cost. My local independent garage says it doesn't matter so far as the coolant is concerned but is that right and is the same true for any/all of the various other oils/fluids ? Apart from the Magnatec engine oil I supplied at the last service, I have no idea what oils/fluids have been used in the car and can't therefore be sure to match them correctly when I need to top up. Any help/advice most gratefully received !!
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Wed 28 Aug 2002 22:12
Correct fluid/oil types ?? - Cyd
In most cases it should be ok to top up with "universal" versions as long as they are of the same type. Obviously, if you know the exact make of fluid in a system it makes most sense to top up with that make to get maximum benefit - particularly if its a system which does not have a regular refresh specified (eg PAS fluid).

engine oils: some fully synthetics are not compatible with other fully synthetics. But in all cases you can top up with a mineral or semi synth.
brake fluid: as long as you are using DoT 3, 4 or 5.1 you can top up with any of these. DoT 5 cannot be mixed with any other, nor can mineral based fluids. Your Volvo probably specifies DoT 4, so top up with this or DoT 5.1
PAS fluid: this is almost always ATF (except some Citroens and a few others). The two main specs are Dexron and Ford - as long as you get fluid to the correct spec any make should be OK.
coolant: I believe green/blue is standard two year life. Red/pink is long life (4 or 5 yrs). As long as you use ethylene glycol fluid of the same colour you should be ok.

Obviously any dilution of top quality fluids with cheaper fluids will be corrected at the next regular refresh. At this time ask for a small bottle full for future top up if likely to be needed.

Hope this helps.
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Thu 29 Aug 2002 11:03
Correct fluid/oil types ?? - volvoman

Thanks very much Cyd - I'll bear that all in mind from now on. I sorted the coolant problem but found quite a lot of confusion regarding the PAS fluid/oil - my local dealer told me there were 2 types (red & green) but that they only had the green stuff and that would be ok to use for topping up mine (which was the red stuff). I bought a litre (smallest size available) and went away. Being the person I am, I thought I'd check with a couple of other dealers. The first didn't know anything about the 2 types and could only offer me a part no. by way of description. The 2nd said there were indeed 2 types and that mixing them wasn't the best idea if it wasn't urgent! They told me they still had the red oil/fluid available and actually topped me up for free when I got there (something for nothing at last !). On doing so I noticed the bottle used said Transmission fluid - oh heck I thought, what have they put in my PAS system ! But they assured me it was all the same stuff. On returning my unused litre of the green variant to my local dealer I spoke to someone else who confirmed this to be true and agreed that it was better not to mix the 2 types although they no longer sold the red fluid. It all seems crazy to me but there we are. Thanks again Cyd
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