Quick Guide to Oil in Your E36

Thanks for sharing the info.

Do any of these recommendations change for high-mileage cars? I just bought a 328is with almost 200k. I would use Mobil1 0W-40 mostly because it meets BMW-LL01, but should I switch to one of Mobil1's high mileage synthetic oils for the BMW?

no.

Thought I'd go ahead and add what I use regarding oil and filter. I'm also including a photo of the "Engine Oil" page from my owner's manual. I've got a '97 328i (M52B28) and what I find interesting is there are only two oil recommendations in my manual. 5W-30 for 10C/50F and below, 15W-40 for -10C/7F and above.

Where I live the tempurature is typically mild year round. Rarely does it drop below 10F or get above 90F. I'm sitting at 133,000 miles, which I consider high mileage but only mildly so. I understand that it's not just the amount of miles, but the type of miles those have been. I'm not even going to get into all that regarding my case for the sake of arguement, and just say they are an "average" 133,000 miles. Really I don't know what kind of miles they were, cause I just bought this car.

Okay so anyway, what I've decided to go with and am currently running is Mobil 1 Delo 15W-40. Yes Delo is a diesel-spec oil, however it IS safe to use and in many cases can be considered superior. Frankly though, that real reason I'm using Delo is because standard 15W-40 is not available anywhere locally for me, in either Synthetic or mineral. 5W-30 is but I am not comfortable using that light of oil taking into consideration the miles and my style of driving.

As for my choice of filter? Okay many of you are going to frown upon my choice, but I am currently running a Fram. -cringes- Be gentle... ..it's pretty much the only thing available in my area, and cost me $17... :/

If you really want to know what's going on inside your engine, use oil analysis. That's the proof in the pudding.

Great. Very helpful - thnx

i have 1998 E36 w/ 167,000 miles. I just changed my oil and put Royal Purple 5W 30. I live in California, in the bay area where climate tend to change in various ways. W/ high mileage in my 328i, should I consider changing oil weight???

a lot of people will tell you to get the heaviest oil you can find (20w50 or so) but I think you should be fine unless you plan to autocross or put your car under high stress.
Also make sure your cooling system is up to snuff, that's most common cause of catastrophic failure in these cars.

I like putting my car under high stress!

My son has been using dino oil on his 95-325 from day-1 the bimmer has 180k miles and the engine runs like new, only fix on engine spark plugs, valve cover gasket, new water pump and rad hoses. Oh yes he used any name brand 10-30 winter, 10-40 summer oil that was on sale and used oem oil filter. I have always told him never to try and outsmart the engineers that desined the car. Happy motoring

Originally Posted by BThayer23

Should I switch to one of Mobil1's high mileage synthetic oils for the BMW?

Originally Posted by Moeman10

no.

Why not? They have additives that help the rubber seals stay soft.

ok read it all but how do I figure the viscosity out? been using 10w-40 thinking about going to the -50 but cant figure out the meaning of the W... how does the w affect things... ie will a 5w-40 or 5w-50 do well in heat as well as 10w-40 or 10w-50 since most of the oils i can find seem to be 5w

the w just indicates the score on the "w" test, which is basically really cold winter conditions. In the heat the w rating doesn't really matter, and as long as your cooling system is doing its job, the viscosity should depend on the engine. I would stick to a 40, although I personally am going to start using Redline 5w30. The w rating depends on the climate, 5 or 10 is fine, Mobil 1 0w40 is very popular for these cars though.

thanks for that

nice write up. i personally use mobile 1

i use 5W-30
and been so for years...

10w-40 Castrol Syntec year around -20F to 95F with Mann filters. Change every spring, about 7000 mi. 127K on a 98 M52

First of all, drain intervals set by the manufacturer are usually extremely conservative. If BMW engineers recommend 15k miles, It's more than safe to do so. If you REALLY want to do what is right for your vehicle as far as lubrication goes, use a quality lubricant (fully synthetic goes without saying), use the proper viscosity for your driving environment, and read up on lubricants if you are really interested in selecting the best oil. Another tool available to the general public that you may not know about is used oil analysis. You want to know what drain intervals are safe in your vehicle? Have your oil analyzed at specified intervals to determine what is safe! Synthetic stock does not break down, the only problem that arises with synthetic oils is the breakdown of additives. The only way to tell for sure what condition your oil is in is by having it analyzed (unless you are a chemist capable of analyzing it yourself). Dirty oil is only an issue with clogged oil filters. This occurs when the filter bypass activates allowing debris to bypass the filter (bad news).

Note: Even if your oil is safe for continued use, that doesn't mean your oil filter is safe for continued use. I recommend changing your oil filter at 12-15k miles (the recommended interval).

The best resource to learn about lubricants I have found is www.bobistheoilguy.com check it out. Notice AMSOIL lubricants are a common conversation piece ^_- I happen to be a dealer.


Secondly, there can't be anything but a "QUICK GUIDE" to changing oil in an E36. Of all of the vehicles I have ever changed oil on, my E36 was the simplest one. Do not let others descriptions of the procedure intimidate you.

Edit: As far as oil viscosity's the two numbers represent viscosity at different temperatures (and have nothing to do with winter and summer). The lower the first number, the sooner your oil will start lubricating your engine. (I.E. a 0w-30 oil will lubricate sooner after engine start up than a 5w-30 oil. However, both oils will be the same viscosity at operating temp.)

If you have any questions I can help with, feel free to PM me.

This has been a fun read. But I need a lot more than oil info. I just bought a well used and beat up 1999 323i convertible. 145000 rough miles –body needs much TLC –interior –yeeks! I'm 65 years old-I used to know a lot about cars. Back in '63' I actually did a little drag racing (Hudson Jet flat head 6 and Plymouth Valiant slant 6). Many years latter I'm in my second childhood and only my third sports car. (Wish I had kept the MG Midget and the Mazda RX7 ) Still have the big 4 wheel D Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, and my wife drives the Bimmer X3. I bought the 323i as a project/play car and plan on doing all my own work again. I opened the hood and of course I'm still trying find the spark plugs and the carburetor
To be serious I need to gain some insight into the new systems ODC and more of the tech stuff. The question is multifold; where and what manuals information should I be trying to find? I obviously do not have access to the BMW tech bulletins or service manuals - Are the old Hayes Manuals of any use? Where do I find more about just what I have in the way of engine –etc? I think from what I have read so far I have a E36 ? But what is that?
I don't expect answers here but direction as to where to find the answers would be helpful-I'll sit back and hopefully get an eye full.
If all else fails anyone out there know a GOOD BMW mechanic in Rhode Island area –I said good not "Inskip Motors Inc"

Dr. Jim

Well Dr. Jim, you've come to the right place. I'll apologize in advance for those of us who are occasionally asshats, (myself included). For all of the manuals you could need click on the link in my sig.

For appeasement of the masses, please post pictures of your car in the appropriate section.

Welcome to the 'Fest!

Ed.

The Bentley manual is the E36 service bible, and is an absolute necessity. I use it in combination with information I find online, which is overly abundant for the E36. If you have a question about your BMW, chances are somebody else has written about it.

I will second the bentley manual, lots of goof info in there. Great diagnostic procedures especially. See my above post for info on how to choose a quality lubricant and the correct viscosity. I believe the e36 bentley manual can be downloaded from kickasstorrents.com

Yeah, you can download it in PDF form from multiple sources if you take a few minutes to search around. I just have a PDF of it, which I actually think is better than the paper copy. It's very easy to use the table of contents in electronic form, and you can find what you're looking much more quickly when it's on a computer. When I'm working on my car, I just take my laptop out and use it like I would a paper copy.

Thank you all. I found the online Bently -got --now to figur out how to fix my broken stuff! I'll be back!

I know this probably is a noob question, asked by many noobs and I am asking as well because I am confused. What grade oil should I need to use.

I just moved to Seattle from Miami. Since I bought the car back in 2004, I have been using Mobil1 Synthetic 10W-30 until my last oil change where I used 5W-30. But after reading this thread, I found the 10W-30 and 5W-30 are recommended to use where temp is 40F and below, which is complete opposite to what the weather in Miami is like. I am confused.

What grade is recommended to use in Seattle weather or what other members in Seattle area are using ? If I take back the car to Miami (I plan to do in about a year), what grade should I stick to where the weather is more like 60-100F.

I got 1996 328is coupe with 148k mileage.

Any info is really appreciated.