Quick Guide to Oil in Your E36

This guide will help you understand what we recommend for your E36. This guide primarily focuses on the I6 models (M50, M50TU, S50, M52TU, S52), but is a good starting point for those of you with the I4s (M42 & M44). This guide is NOT intended to spoon feed you exactly what you should use for your exact car in your exact location, rather, to provide you with the information necessary to make an intelligent, educated decision based on your knowledge.

The first thing is, ABOVE ALL, read your manual. There is a chart printed with the proper viscosities in it. If you don't have one, there are places online you can download copies for free, or you should buy one. It is invaluable to have, and you absolutely should have a copy for your model of E36. The chart for the E36 M50TUB25 engine is shown later.

Filters

Your E36 uses a paper filter that sits in a canister, which is much more convenient than the metal units. BMW uses 3 suppliers for its OEM filters: Mann, Mahle, and Hengst. It's generally accepted that OEM BMW filters are superior to pretty much everything else on the market for E36s. They're available at your dealer, or you can buy them in bulk (~12 filters) from various sponsors for much cheaper. My recommendation here is absolutely to stick with one of the OEM BMW filters listed above.

Oil Types

Your E36 came with dino oil from the factory. Will it hurt to keep using it? No. But, full synthetic oil does have its advantages. Primarily, extended oil change intervals due to its chemical properties. If you're a nerd like many of us and want to know more, there are many great sites that go VERY in-depth about oil types. I won't cover that here. That said, it's generally accepted that once you use synthetic, you shouldn't switch back to dino. Also, it's generally accepted that higher-mileage engines shouldn't switch to synthetic. Again, I'm not going to debate the merits of those here, but if it concerns you, there is plenty of information on both sides of the debate available with a quick search on Google.

Oil Intervals

Another hotly contested subject. The quick recommendations:

Dino Oil: 3000-4000 miles
Full Synthetic: 6500-9000 miles

You'll hear claims that you can go to 8000 miles on dino from some nuts, and sadly even BMW recommends 15-18000 mile intervals for its new cars on synthetic. Personally, I would never dream of driving anywhere close to that long on one change. Keep in mind, if you put HARD MILES on your car, you need to change at or earlier than the lower recommended numbers above.

The HARDEST driving you can do to your car is frequent cold starts, and short drives. That 1.5 mile drive around the corner 10 times a day is the worst thing you could ever do, and you NEED to change the oil regularly if you drive like that. Obviously, tracking/racing/auto-x'ing is also hard driving, and if you do this regularly you should keep short intervals. The easiest type of mileage on your car is a nice constant cruise at 70MPH on the freeway.

Oil Brands

Oh fun. This is a good topic. I won't bother with dino oil here, but lets deal with synthetics, which are becoming increasingly more popular. In fact, I'll narrow it down to 2 that I'll discuss.

Mobil1: To be short, you can't go wrong with Mobil1 full synthetic of the right viscosity. It's a tried and true oil that performs to expectations. If you have any doubts or are not feeling particularly sporting or adventurous, no one will be upset if you use this.

Royal Purple: The drama. Royal Purple makes some pretty outrageous claims, like increasing horsepower and gas mileage. There are some that swear by it, and there are some that claim it will destroy your engine. A simple search should bring up plenty of arguments for and against. I won't pretend that you'll get a huge bump out of RP. I will say that I have used it on several cars for tens of thousands of miles combined, and the engines do seem to run smoother and quieter to the untrained ear on RP than other oils of the same viscosity (including M1 full synthetic). Personally, this is the oil I use, and will continue to use, until someone develops something better.

Oil Viscosities

There is NOT a one-size-fits-all answer for this. However, lucky you! BMW published just what you should use in your owners manual. It is climate specific, and if you live in a region that climate varies from season to season, then you likely will need to use different viscosities for cold and hot seasons. I would recommend using either exactly or just slightly above what BMW recommends for a higher mileage E36. Personally, living in sunny coastal California I was able to run 20W-50 all year round. Chances are, you won't be able to. So, READ THE MANUAL. Don't ask us what viscosity you personally should use, because we are not meteorologists for your region and we don't know your driving style. For most E36s on this board, this chart will give you a pretty good representation of what to use - I am fairly certain the same specs should be used for the M52 family, but not positive - hence why I say to read the manual for your model.

For the M50TUB25 engine, here is the chart BMW printed in their manual:





Hopefully this cleared up some confusion, and gives you a good idea of what we recommend around here. If you have a suggestion or correction, please feel free to post it or let me know and I'll add it. It's late and I may very well have missed something or screwed something up inadvertently.

Again, good work mate
Should definitely decrease the "what oil should I use" threads, note the word decrease

Nice write up.

Dude, Chad, this was needed, good work !

Beautiful Chad... don't let this comment take you away from the CAI sticky you are most definitely working on for the upcoming summer months

Nice thread man

cheers mate

Quick question .... 99 328I convertible .... E36 .... M52 engine, I believe?

Manual says that for my region (MA), I should be using 15W/40 oil. When I go to purchase it, IF I'm able to find it, the bottle will say on it "Specifically designed for diesel engines". Is that the wrong oil, or is it no problem?

Thank you in advance for any responses!

Originally Posted by Ronnie526

Quick question .... 99 328I convertible .... E36 .... M52 engine, I believe?

Manual says that for my region (MA), I should be using 15W/40 oil. When I go to purchase it, IF I'm able to find it, the bottle will say on it "Specifically designed for diesel engines". Is that the wrong oil, or is it no problem?

Thank you in advance for any responses!

Yes, it is an M52 motor. If it's any consolation, I've used Chevron Delo 15w/40 diesel oil in my race car, change it with regular intervals and have not had a problem with it. Just don't ask me about head gaskets

My previous mechanic says that oil for diesels is actually superior to oil for gas engines because they are not as restricted in their formulations - don't have to put a bunch of crap in - so, by all means, use it.

Thanks, ffej .... I've been using 15/40 all along (5-6 years), with no apparent probs, but figured I'd ask, jik.

Thanks again!

I use full-syn Shell Rotella 5-40 during most of the year, and I'm currently running Mobil1 15-50 for the next few months of disgustingly hot nasty Atlanta summer.

Does anyone on here use Amsoil? I use Full synth euro formula 10w 40 in the summer... Am I right to use this oil?

Originally Posted by MrAbbs325is

Does anyone on here use Amsoil? I use Full synth euro formula 10w 40 in the summer... Am I right to use this oil?

Yes. I use it in my street car.

I've considered using one of their products (dominator) for the race car, because the claim is that you can go 3-4 track/race weekends on one change. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. But, then I still bleed my brakes with ATE SuperBlue/Typ200 every 2-3 track days instead of using 1 liter of Castrol RBF for the season.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

This guide will help you understand what we recommend for your E36. This guide primarily focuses on the I6 models (M50, M50TU, S50, M52TU, S52), but is a good starting point for those of you with the I4s (M42 & M44). This guide is NOT intended to spoon feed you exactly what you should use for your exact car in your exact location, rather, to provide you with the information necessary to make an intelligent, educated decision based on your knowledge.

The first thing is, ABOVE ALL, read your manual. There is a chart printed with the proper viscosities in it. If you don't have one, there are places online you can download copies for free, or you should buy one. It is invaluable to have, and you absolutely should have a copy for your model of E36. The chart for the E36 M50TUB25 engine is shown later.

Filters

Your E36 uses a paper filter that sits in a canister, which is much more convenient than the metal units. BMW uses 3 suppliers for its OEM filters: Mann, Mahle, and Hengst. It's generally accepted that OEM BMW filters are superior to pretty much everything else on the market for E36s. They're available at your dealer, or you can buy them in bulk (~12 filters) from various sponsors for much cheaper. My recommendation here is absolutely to stick with one of the OEM BMW filters listed above.

Oil Types

Your E36 came with dino oil from the factory. Will it hurt to keep using it? No. But, full synthetic oil does have its advantages. Primarily, extended oil change intervals due to its chemical properties. If you're a nerd like many of us and want to know more, there are many great sites that go VERY in-depth about oil types. I won't cover that here. That said, it's generally accepted that once you use synthetic, you shouldn't switch back to dino. Also, it's generally accepted that higher-mileage engines shouldn't switch to synthetic. Again, I'm not going to debate the merits of those here, but if it concerns you, there is plenty of information on both sides of the debate available with a quick search on Google.

Oil Intervals

Another hotly contested subject. The quick recommendations:

Dino Oil: 3000-4000 miles
Full Synthetic: 6500-9000 miles

You'll hear claims that you can go to 8000 miles on dino from some nuts, and sadly even BMW recommends 15-18000 mile intervals for its new cars on synthetic. Personally, I would never dream of driving anywhere close to that long on one change. Keep in mind, if you put HARD MILES on your car, you need to change at or earlier than the lower recommended numbers above.

The HARDEST driving you can do to your car is frequent cold starts, and short drives. That 1.5 mile drive around the corner 10 times a day is the worst thing you could ever do, and you NEED to change the oil regularly if you drive like that. Obviously, tracking/racing/auto-x'ing is also hard driving, and if you do this regularly you should keep short intervals. The easiest type of mileage on your car is a nice constant cruise at 70MPH on the freeway.

Oil Brands

Oh fun. This is a good topic. I won't bother with dino oil here, but lets deal with synthetics, which are becoming increasingly more popular. In fact, I'll narrow it down to 2 that I'll discuss.

Mobil1: To be short, you can't go wrong with Mobil1 full synthetic of the right viscosity. It's a tried and true oil that performs to expectations. If you have any doubts or are not feeling particularly sporting or adventurous, no one will be upset if you use this.

Royal Purple: The drama. Royal Purple makes some pretty outrageous claims, like increasing horsepower and gas mileage. There are some that swear by it, and there are some that claim it will destroy your engine. A simple search should bring up plenty of arguments for and against. I won't pretend that you'll get a huge bump out of RP. I will say that I have used it on several cars for tens of thousands of miles combined, and the engines do seem to run smoother and quieter to the untrained ear on RP than other oils of the same viscosity (including M1 full synthetic). Personally, this is the oil I use, and will continue to use, until someone develops something better.

Oil Viscosities

There is NOT a one-size-fits-all answer for this. However, lucky you! BMW published just what you should use in your owners manual. It is climate specific, and if you live in a region that climate varies from season to season, then you likely will need to use different viscosities for cold and hot seasons. I would recommend using either exactly or just slightly above what BMW recommends for a higher mileage E36. Personally, living in sunny coastal California I was able to run 20W-50 all year round. Chances are, you won't be able to. So, READ THE MANUAL. Don't ask us what viscosity you personally should use, because we are not meteorologists for your region and we don't know your driving style. For most E36s on this board, this chart will give you a pretty good representation of what to use - I am fairly certain the same specs should be used for the M52 family, but not positive - hence why I say to read the manual for your model.

For the M50TUB25 engine, here is the chart BMW printed in their manual:





Hopefully this cleared up some confusion, and gives you a good idea of what we recommend around here. If you have a suggestion or correction, please feel free to post it or let me know and I'll add it. It's late and I may very well have missed something or screwed something up inadvertently.

Are these cars BMW 328xi shipped from the factory with synthetic or dyno oil what is the difference in the oils and is there any info on the BMW web site..

tks chuck

Originally Posted by chuckpp

Are these cars BMW 328xi shipped from the factory with synthetic or dyno oil what is the difference in the oils and is there any info on the BMW web site..

tks chuck

Why don't you try actually reading the post I went the work of creating. If you want to know if there's info on the BMW web site, go LOOK at the BMW website.

A 328xi is in not even an E36.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Why don't you try actually reading the post I went the work of creating. If you want to know if there's info on the BMW web site, go LOOK at the BMW website.

A 328xi is in not even an E36.

sorry for asking was just a SIMPLE question

mobil 1!!!!!! works great

Apparently OP is making similar claims as RP and not backing them up, again, just like RP. Sorry, I don't care how the engine sounds with RP, I need to see how it shears with mileage and from what specs (unpublished by RP for some reason).

These engines (M50, S50) are predecessors of the more modern M54, S54 and have similar lubrication requirements are the latter, if not the same. If your e36 started their lives with dino, then fine, any BRAND name (Mobil, Castrol) oil will do fine with the correct weight mentioned in your manual. However, if you're using synthetic, my recommendation for synthetics are GC 0W-30, Mobil 1 0W-40 or BMW HP 5W-30. These are also successors of what BMW calls "special oils" in their manuals for e34 and e36 (and some e39). These have the correct HTHS viscosity of minimum 3.5 as required. Many analysis results could be found on these oils on our engines online. Just google it.

Originally Posted by SeanC

Apparently OP is making similar claims as RP and not backing them up, again, just like RP. Sorry, I don't care how the engine sounds with RP, I need to see how it shears with mileage and from what specs (unpublished by RP for some reason).

These engines (M50, S50) are predecessors of the more modern M54, S54 and have similar lubrication requirements are the latter, if not the same. If your e36 started their lives with dino, then fine, any BRAND name (Mobil, Castrol) oil will do fine with the correct weight mentioned in your manual. However, if you're using synthetic, my recommendation for synthetics are GC 0W-30, Mobil 1 0W-40 or BMW HP 5W-30. These are also successors of what BMW calls "special oils" in their manuals for e34 and e36 (and some e39). These have the correct HTHS viscosity of minimum 3.5 as required. Many analysis results could be found on these oils on our engines online. Just google it.

OP is only providing anecdotal evidence on brands, not hard facts .

I mentioned RP because it's frequently recommended here and elsewhere. I don't really like the lack of data from them either. I have seen some presumably independent tests rank RP as good stuff so I don't think it's going to create any problems, but as I mentioned in my OP I don't think anyone's gonna get the HP gains that they claim, or anything else. What I do know is that my cars haven't exploded, and they run nicely and lifter tick is audibly reduced on vehicles that have it. Also, it's a proper Grp IV/V synthetic, unlike many of the synthetics sold here. I don't think it's miracle oil, but it works well for me and I see no reason to doubt that it's an excellent product. That's all - nothing more, nothing less.

Also, you're entirely wrong about the M50 having similar lubrication requirement as an M54. They were changed significantly, and different factors have contributed to M54s calling for lighter oils than BMW called for in M50s.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Also, you're entirely wrong about the M50 having similar lubrication requirement as an M54. They were changed significantly, and different factors have contributed to M54s calling for lighter oils than BMW called for in M50s.

+1 I run synthetic 15w50 in the summer and synthetic 5/40 in the winter

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Also, you're entirely wrong about the M50 having similar lubrication requirement as an M54. They were changed significantly, and different factors have contributed to M54s calling for lighter oils than BMW called for in M50s.

"Calling for lighter oils" is on the same grounds as RP's or your claims. What is "lighter"? Early M54s called for LL-98 oil, which was based on what BMW called "special oils" that are primarily selected for long drain intervals and NOT because of the slight differences between M54 and M50 engines.

What are those significant changes that you speak of? VANOS? You know later M50s also had a single vanos, right? I suggest you to read the thread I linked below.

Originally Posted by PhilipWOT

+1 I run synthetic 15w50 in the summer and synthetic 5/40 in the winter

If you're using those oils in the car in your sig, you're not only using the wrong viscosity in your car per your manual, but also losing gas mileage and hp. Especially the 15w50 weight (which I believe to be the Mobil 1's 15w50 in your case), whether it be a synthetic or dino, has never been an approved weight for any BMW engine at any time per their TIS's. Still, for some unknown reason the e36 M3 guys seem to like this oil too much I'd rather run Castrol's 10W-60 that is approved for S54s.

Here's a nice thread for both of you:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1003372

Originally Posted by SeanC

"Calling for lighter oils" is on the same grounds as RP's or your claims. What is "lighter"? Early M54s called for LL-98 oil, which was based on what BMW called "special oils" that are primarily selected for long drain intervals and NOT because of the slight differences between M54 and M50 engines.

What are those significant changes that you speak of? VANOS? You know later M50s also had a single vanos, right? I suggest you to read the thread I linked below.

If you're using those oils in the car in your sig, you're not only using the wrong viscosity in your car per your manual, but also losing gas mileage and hp. Especially the 15w50 weight (which I believe to be the Mobil 1's 15w50 in your case), whether it be a synthetic or dino, has never been an approved weight for any BMW engine at any time per their TIS's. Still, for some unknown reason the e36 M3 guys seem to like this oil too much I'd rather run Castrol's 10W-60 that is approved for S54s.

Here's a nice thread for both of you:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1003372

I was going to delete the portion of your response addressed to Philip and just focus on the part to me, but there's so much blatantly wrong information in it that I felt compelled to address it as well.

I'll go bullet point format:
Lighter oil: Referring to viscosity. Has nothing to do with claims by myself or RP, quit getting ahead of yourself there buddy. Since you asked "What is 'lighter?", please allow me to answer: the one with the lower number.

Early M54s: .....are not M50s, are they? What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. You are correct that the LL-98 spec primarily deals with breakdown tendencies and length of interval. BMW specified LL-xx (Long Life) oils so they could extend the oil interval way the hell to 15,000+. If you're not being retarded and changing oil at 15,000 miles, LL-spec oils are NOT necessary. For people that know better than that, and change at a proper 6-8,000 mile interval on full synthetic, the LL-spec oils mean virtually nothing.

M50TU Engines: Of course I know M50s had VANOS, all but one production year of E36s with the M50 had the single VANOS engines (M50TU). Listed in my OP is the oil viscosity chart for vehicles with the M50TU engine. You would do well to go look at it. From the M50->M52 there was very little change at all. From the M52->M54, and even more so from the M50->M54, the internals designs changed much more from my reading. The design changes included differences that made the engines more receptive to lower viscosity oils as I understand it.

15W-50 oil: "has never been an approved weight for any BMW engine at any time"?????? Are you kidding me? Again, refer to the chart, straight from the M50TU owners' manual, in my OP. 15-50 is perfectly acceptable in S50 engines. Personally, I don't like the large difference in cold and at-temp weights so I wouldn't run it, but to say it's never been approved is hilariously incorrect.



Anyway, sorry Sean, it sounds like you're fairly knowledgeable about more recent BMWs, but apparently E36s are not your forte. I suggest you do some reading up first and correct your understanding. I read through the OP in the thread and it had some good info, much of which happens to support what I've said.

LOL lighter oil = the one with a lower number ha! Are you sure about that? Is this your final answer? So let me ask you this: Which one of these is lighter: BMW 5W-30, GC 0W-30 or M1 0W-40. That's right, the one with a lower number, right?

whatever, I suggest you keep your "anectodal" advice on oil to yourself and give a more solid one next time.

Also, TISs supersede manuals and all you need is to go ahead and read them. Or just read the thread I linked. Although it is true that the 15W-50 dino made it to the M50tu manual at some point, it is nowhere to be found to be recommended weight for the S50, not even in the manual. Trust me on that, I have both manuals available within an arm's reach as I type this.

I have owned a e34 (M50TU), e36 (S50), and an e46 (M54) and I don't think you are in a position to judge my knowledge about these engines. So no, it looks like it is you who has to learn about different engines before giving any advice on what type of oil one has to use in them. I don't know who made you the official king of e36 OT, but it looks like that's where you indeed belong.

Again, let me repeat my question: What are those significant differences between an M54 and a M50? And please don't give me that "What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander" or the "design change on the internals" this time, will ya?

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Since you asked "What is 'lighter?", please allow me to answer: the one with the lower number.

A common misconception. Try again.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

If you're not being retarded and changing oil at 15,000 miles, LL-spec oils are NOT necessary. For people that know better than that, and change at a proper 6-8,000 mile interval on full synthetic, the LL-spec oils mean virtually nothing.

Sounds like you've done a lot of research finding the "proper" OCI for synthetics. Mind if i see some of your data pointing to 6-8k? I've been doing similar research with oil analyses on samples from my M52TU to try to find the optimum interval, but have yet to come up with a conclusion.

Also, i'd like to point out one of your logical fallacies here: If LL-01 oils are not necessary for shorter changes, then are you saying that they are necessary for 15k changes? If so, whats the difference between using a lower quality synthetic and changing it more often, and using an LL-01 and changing it less often? Personally, i'll use a LL-01 that has been through the approval process and known to be within spec for my engine. High quality oil is high quality oil, no matter how long you leave it in. Saying that the approval is not necessary is a very ignorant statement to make. The ACEA, SAE, BMW, etc. develop standards like these for a reason.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Anyway, sorry Sean, it sounds like you're fairly knowledgeable about more recent BMWs, but apparently E36s are not your forte. I suggest you do some reading up first and correct your understanding. I read through the OP in the thread and it had some good info, much of which happens to support what I've said.

Sorry phantom. It sounds like you are fairly knowledgeable about E36s, but apparently oil is not your forte. I suggest you so some reading up on BITOG and gain some understanding of some of the basic characteristics of oils, and how these characteristics contribute to it being LL-01 or not (or any other standard).

Originally Posted by SeanC

LOL lighter oil = the one with a lower number ha! Are you sure about that? Is this your final answer? So let me ask you this: Which one of these is lighter: BMW 5W-30, GC 0W-30 or M1 0W-40. That's right, the one with a lower number, right?

Keep it in context. A 0-30 or 0-40 is obviously lighter than something like a 15-50 or 20-50, like you see in the E36 manual image I posted. By lighter I'm not referring to specific mass, and I think you and everyone else can figure that out.

Originally Posted by SeanC

whatever, I suggest you keep your "anectodal" advice on oil to yourself and give a more solid one next time.

I clearly marked what I said as anecdotal, and when I see fit I will continue to share from my personal experiences and denote them as such.

Originally Posted by SeanC

Also, TISs supersede manuals and all you need is to go ahead and read them. Or just read the thread I linked. Although it is true that the 15W-50 dino made it to the M50tu manual at some point, it is nowhere to be found to be recommended weight for the S50, not even in the manual. Trust me on that, I have both manuals available within an arm's reach as I type this.

I haven't owned an S50-engined BMW so I won't waste time arguing about that, but I would be interested to see what is recommended for it. Can you post a pic of the chart for the S50 since it's in arm's reach? Also, I'd like to know the TIS Bulletin # of the info posted in that thread.

Either way, the TISB's don't always supersede previous information. Keep in mind the info posted in the thread you linked clearly shows the ACEA oils as being perfectly approved in the viscosities I listed in my OP, just that you can also run BMW LL-xx specs as well.

Personally, I'm as sold on BMW's LL-01 and LL-98 specification as I am on their modern LL-xx oil change interval of 15,000+ miles, which is to say: not much.

Originally Posted by SeanC

I have owned a e34 (M50TU), e36 (S50), and an e46 (M54) and I don't think you are in a position to judge my knowledge about these engines. So no, it looks like it is you who has to learn about different engines before giving any advice on what type of oil one has to use in them. I don't know who made you the official king of e36 OT, but it looks like that's where you indeed belong.

I am not judging your knowledge based on what cars you've owned, rather what you've posted so far. Owning the car doesn't make you an expert.

And I ran a coup and set myself up as dictator. Holy hell, lighten up, it's a joke we've got running around here.

Originally Posted by SeanC

Again, let me repeat my question: What are those significant differences between an M54 and a M50? And please don't give me that "What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander" or the "design change on the internals" this time, will ya?

I don't recall the exact changes, I'll have to look them up. It's been a while since I read about them. I do remember reading information that said due to the changes that BMW made to the engines they were designed to run lighter (oops, there's that unfounded Royal Purple claim would it be easier on you if I said "thinner"?) oils than the older engines.