Oil change?! Help please!

I just bought an '87 e30, It has high miles and the oil is black!This is my first bimmer and I'm not sure what kind of oil to use. The car does have high mileage and after a couple minutes of driving it puts out a little bit of smoke. Starts up just fine though. Please help!

I'd go with conventional 20w-50. I normally use Castrol GTX High Mileage 20w-50.

Isn't that pretty heavy?

Yes, and it's what's recommended for these older engines, especially during the summer.

I run 20-w50 year round but i am in florida for oregon maybe 20-40 in the summer but I would not in the winter, i would run 10-30 in the winter.

Well washington is a mindf*ck for weather so i just run 10w-30 constant

yes 10w-30 year round should be good. i used to use 10w-30 but my old girl valve taps and the 20w-50 seemed to help and since i am in florida the extra wieght is not a problem in the winter months of 60 degrees.

I thought the w in oil stood for winter? As in, it would have a viscosity rating of 10 in cold weather, and 30 in normal/hot weather

correct i wanted a heavier wieght for my car

you should actually be running 10w40. but ive only been able to find that at bmw dealers. i ran 15w40 for winter and 20w50 for summer in colorado. as long as you let the engine warm up for a few minutes in the morning, it works pretty good

Getting back to what you said

and the oil is black!

I would first flush the engine with Wynn's engine flush !
i.e. pour it in & drive it for about a 100 miles without Reving the engine too high. Why not pour in WM Penn valve ease into the tank, whilst you're at it.
I am not a fan of additives, but these products have prooven themselves to me over 20 years.
Then you properly flush your oil when hot & pour in a oil formulated for old engines, such as Caltex Delo Gold 15W40.
I am not advocating the use of these liquids, but that's what we can get here

If you now remove the tappet cover, you should see little sludge remaining
If it is sludge that held the motor together, then you can expect a spun bearing in the near future
I have already removed 40 year old tar from a motor with Voco or Petrolium, but that should hardly be neccesary in a engine that runs

Well I live in PA and used castrol gtx highmilage in my e30 with the 2.7. In warmer Places like phenix or florda it makes sense to run the thiner oils but in the colder weather up north 10w-30 or 10w-40 would be my recomendation atleast to use in the colder months.

Originally Posted by Tkaczuk

Well I live in PA and used castrol gtx highmilage in my e30 with the 2.7. In warmer Places like phenix or florda it makes sense to run the thiner oils but in the colder weather up north 10w-30 or 10w-40 would be my recomendation atleast to use in the colder months.

You should be running thicker (higher weight) oils in hot weather, not thinner. 15W-50 Mobil1 or 20W-50 RP is what I run year round here in mostly very hot south Alabama.