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Engine Oil Q!

9K views 50 replies 17 participants last post by  kskane 
#1 ·
Guys, is it possible to do a engine oil change on M54-525i '04 E60 just using a single jack on one side and without removing the entire bottom cover? I would like to try and change the oil myself, but not sure if it is possible without removing the whole bottom cover? I know the oil filter element is accessible on the top right of the engine, but in order to drain the oil I am not sure. Can anyone help with some suggestions/comments?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Not sure on the 525 but my 535 just has an access panel that you have to open up. No need to pull the whole panel off.

I hope you are changing it more frequently than 10k miles.
 
#4 ·
It is possible. There is a small access door to get at the oil drain plug without having to remove the large belly pan. The filter on the 6-cylinder is accessible from the engine bay.

You may find that depending upon which side of the car you raise the sump will be tilted and leave old oil remaining in the sump. You could start the drain and then lower the car back down to insure a complete draining of the sump (make sure you position the drain pan right so oil doesn't end up on the floor).

You may also consider a low profile floor jack that you can use to jack up the entire front end and then set two floor jacks. There is a jack pad directly in the center of the car just behind the steering rack on a cross member.

Use a quality full synthetic (suggest 5W-30 or 0W-40) and make sure you replace the crush ring on the oil drain plug and properly lubricate the filter gasket before installing the filter housing (both come with the new filter). If you need further information there are some very good DIY procedures on this forum.

If you want to keep the engine running well for a long time examine your driving habits. Lots of short trips and stop and go traffic should cause you to stay on the shorter side of drain intervals (4-5K miles between drains). If you do more highway driving then you can go as long as 7500 miles. Once the additives in oil are used up the oil's characteristics change dramatically for the bad. New oil is alkaline in pH. As contaminants build and the oil oxidizes the pH drifts neutral. If the oil is not changed before the additives are used up the oil becomes acidic and is very hard on gaskets and seals. Detergents are also used up and can no longer suspend contaminants which settle onto engine parts and become sludge.

Rule number one is never overheat the engine. Rule number two is that changing oil often is the cheapest thing you can do to insure a healthy engine.
 
#15 ·
Okay, has anyone read the following step while performing a oil change on M54 before?

"Turn the engine once through 360 degrees by the vibration damper, and then wait for 15 minutes for the oil to drain."
 
#5 ·
Thank you BimmerFan for your response. I have one questions related to "properly lubricate the filter gasket before installing the filter housing (both come with the new filter)". What does this mean, are you saying to put little engine oil on the O-rings before installing the fitting back into the engine.

Also, can I change the oil on cold engine or should I go for a drive first and then wait how long before changing the oil?
 
#6 ·
The oil filter should come with a rubber O-ring to be used on the cap for the filter housing. It's very easy to replace (I use a screwdriver to get it off). Put a little oil on it before you screw the cap back on - just like you would do with the seal on a conventional metal oil filter.

If my car is cold, I usually just take it around the neighborhood for a few minutes. Just enough to warm up the oil but not heat it up too much where it'll burn me when removing the drain plug.
 
#8 ·
Do not EVER crawl under a car with only a jack supporting it.

Oil intervals of 12k-15 miles are too long.
7.5K seems like the perfect balance for oil change intervals if you use quality oils. (BMW Approved oils and good oils such as Mobil 1, Shell Helix Ultra etc.)
Says who? Use an LL-01 oil and live happily ever after. Don't insist others need to waste their time and money because you are an over-maintainer.

I just changed the oil in my 330i for the 7th time at 121,000 miles and the inside is clean and deposit free. Runs as new.
 
#9 ·
Do not EVER crawl under a car with only a jack supporting it.

Says who? Use an LL-01 oil and live happily ever after. Don't insist others need to waste their time and money because you are an over-maintainer.

I just changed the oil in my 330i for the 7th time at 121,000 miles and the inside is clean and deposit free. Runs as new.
Agree with never going under the car with just a jack - not wise and not worth your life. As for oil changes, there will always be a debate as to when to change it and whether or not the eom recommendation is correct. Your driving conditions should be the first consideration in your decision. If you are in a hot climate and only do stop and go driving and put on more hours than miles,it's not the same as a car that gets driven in moderate climates with all highway miles.
 
#10 ·
Yes, the posters who warned about only supporting the car with a jack are correct.

SAFETY FIRST.

Always use one floor jack stand to raise one corner, two if you support one side completely or the front or rear, and four jack stands if you want both ends of the car raised. Floor jacks operate using hydraulic fluid and the hydraulic cylinder can fail, dropping the car on you. The screw jack that came with your car will probably not mechanically fail but they are very prone to slipping if the car is moved or rocked at all (such as when tugging on a wrench).

How long your oil lasts depends upon the condition of the engine when the new oil is put into it and your driving conditions. High quality synthetic oil is comprised of a high quality base stock (ideal group IV synthesized) and a package of specially prepared additives. Nearly all of the additives are sacrificial (meaning they are designed to be used up) as they either allow the oil to do things the base oil by itself couldn't such as acting multiviscous, or they are designed to counteract or combat heat or contaminants.

Unfortunately, brand new oil introduced into an engine that has been poorly maintained goes under rapid changes in a matter of weeks as the additives sacrifice themselves to fight to counteract the contaminants and potentially sludge already adhered to the engine walls.

Further, warmup and slow moving operation in cold ambient temperatures (10C and under) typically causes the engine to run rich and dump fuel and soot into the oil in the form of cylinder blow-by. And if the engine never warms up completely (short trips) water vapor will condense into the oil, further contaminating it. When the additives are used up the oil changes for the bad. It typically thickens and runs hotter and if all of the dirt suspending detergent is used up contaminants will settle onto engine parts and be cooked (sludge), robbing the oil of one of its most important jobs - removing heat.

Oil ages by the hour of operation not the mile. A person who averages 60mph in driving habits will run the oil 200 hours in 12,000 miles of operation. A person who averages 10 mph in stop and go traffic in a major city will run the oil 1200 hours in 12,000 miles. For the stop and go situation not only are the hours six times as long, but the operating conditions (either slow warm up in cold ambient or hot operation in hot ambient) during those longer hours are much much harder on the oil

A rough rule of thumb is 250 hours of oil operation before changing oil. Is this chiseled in stone? Absolutely not. Conditions may determine lowering it to 150 hours or raising it to 350 hours, including the present condition of the engine. Additives in fresh oil will last much longer in a well maintained engine than a poorly maintained one.

But who measures hours on their car? Not many. Is the difference in cost in how you change your oil important to you? Calculations will show that if you change your own oil every 6K miles as opposed to every 15K miles, over 90K miles averaging 12K miles per year your extra cost is less than $6 per month of operation. Is peace of mind worth an extra $6 per month? I say it is cheap insurance.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I have a relative that owns an E39 and he always followed the oil change interval in the OBC, after almost 10 years of use, his engine was so sludged up that he had to take it to the indy shop so they could clear it a bit, since then the engine has just given him problems. :)

One of the main causes of it was city driving, we all do 99% city driving here. Avg speed could be around 15-20 KMH. :rofl:
So if you're going to keep the car in the long term, a few bucks won't hurt your pocket because once these engines start to fail it will break your bank account.
 
#23 ·
Did the oil change service today using Castrol Edge Titanium 0W40 oil and BMW oil filter after 11K's and the oil that came out was BLACK as......

Do post which other non BMW oil do anyone uses in there car? I am interested.

Also, changing the oil filter twice/third in one oil change is a a good idea? (I just want to make sure there is sludge in the engine, that I am suspecting).
 
#24 ·
If you are actually collecting enough contaminants in your filter at say 2000 kilometers to warrant changing it, then there is a lot more suspended in your oil. If your engine has that much sludge the new oil may use half of some of its additives (dispersants and detergents) in the first 100 miles as it is fighting all of the built up contaminants. Change the oil with the filter.

If you are curious try one very short oil change (say 3500 kilometers) where you change both the oil and filter. Once drained you can cut the filter open and see what you find.

You can also send a sample of the 3500K oil into a lab for analysis. This generally costs about $50. This will tell you if the new oil took a beating from existing sludge and can help you decide your future drain intervals.

If the oil comes back looking pretty good then you will be safe going onto drain intervals of say 8500 to 10000 kilometers.

Again, if you are not experiencing any side effects of excessive sludge (running hot, sluggish acceleration) then I wouldn't worry too much. Change the oil and enjoy driving the car.

RE: Oil - I use Mobil 1 0W-40 and Hengst Filters
 
#25 ·
Guys, I want to build a list of engine oil + oil filter all the Bimer fan's who do DIY and love there choice of these two. So far I have below and please add to it your fav....

1. Castrol Edge Titanium 0W40 oil + BMW oil filter
2. Mobil 1 0W-40 + Hengst Filters
 
#26 ·
It's bs about LL01, if oil change every 5-7 thousand miles. Also with Mobil 5W-30 I6 doesn***8217;t have valve noise during morning start ups. Me and my friend did a lot oil change (with LL01 spec. all recommended and just LL01 spec) to find right one that will eliminate this crazy sound, and Mobil 1 5W-30 is winner, best oil for normal usage. We tried Castrol, Pennzoil (not LL01 , different viscosities) same effect as BMW oil.
So don***8217;t bother yourself to spend a lot many just buy case in Costco and you good to go, believe me. We did this for last 3 years of testing.
 
#27 ·
It's bs about LL01, if oil change every 5-7 thousand miles. Also with Mobil 5W-30 I6 doesn't have valve noise during morning start ups. Me and my friend did a lot oil change (with LL01 spec. all recommended and just LL01 spec) to find right one that will eliminate this crazy sound, and Mobil 1 5W-30 is winner, best oil for normal usage. We tried Castrol, Pennzoil (not LL01 , different viscosities) same effect as BMW oil.
So don't bother yourself to spend a lot many just buy case in Costco and you good to go, believe me. We did this for last 3 years of testing.
Thanks for your input phlfly, and can I confirm that you meant LL04 and LL01 as BMW spec below says LL04. Also, which filters did you guys used?

Longlife-04 engine oil SAE 0W-40
Trade name BMW part number Container size
BMW engine oil Longlife-04 83 21 0 398 504 1 litre

Longlife-04 engine oil SAE 5W-30
Trade name BMW part number Container size
BMW engine oil Longlife-04 83 21 0 398 507 1 litre

Anyway, so far the list is below;
1. Castrol Edge Titanium 0W40 oil + BMW oil filter
2. Mobil 1 0W-40 + Hengst Filters
3. Mobil 1 5W-30 (claimed to be tested best)
 
#28 ·
BMW LL-04 are not formulated for the US Market/Caribbean/South America.
They are formulated for certain european countries which have higher quality gas.

Stick to LL-01. I've used Shell Helix Ultra 0W-40 and Mobil 1 0W-40 and even non LL-01 on an older BMW (E39) and they have never given me any problems. :thumbup:
 
#37 · (Edited)
Here is Oz, Mobil 1 5W30 comes in two version, normal 5W30 which is LL01 and ESP Formula 5W30 which is LL04. Anyone know which is better out of these two?
 
#29 ·
Guys, thanks for contributing and list is so far below, but please don't forget to mention the filter combination.

1. Castrol Edge Titanium 0W40 oil + BMW oil filter
2. Mobil 1 0W-40 + Hengst Filters
3. Mobil 1 5W-30 (claimed to be tested best)
4. Shell Helix Ultra 0W-40
 
#36 ·
I use and have read on other threads that Castrol makes the BMW branded Synthetic motor oil. Many BMW enthusiasts are opting for the Castrol Edge with SPT 0W30 European formula. It will say "Imported from Germany" on the back. It apparently has better high heat anti-shearing properties and been independently tested to be better than the BMW LL01 motor oil. You can buy it on sale at AutoZone by the quart on occassion. My 545 take 8.5 quarts of oil so it isn't a cheap oil change job at all. I used to use exclusively Mobil 1 0w30 on my e39 528i. But since moving to the bigger engine and heat being an issue, I wanted to make sure I was putting in the best Synthetic I could get. I live in Tampa, FL area so it is hotter climate for most of the year.

As long as you are using a quality oil and changing frequently 5K to 7500 miles, your engine will love you back. 15K BMW intervals are just too hard on the gaskets and other seals. If you stay more frequent with the changes then you'll notice fewer maint problems over the long run.
 
#38 · (Edited)
BMW LL-04 oils are ONLY recommended for a couple countries in Europe, for the rest of the world BMW recommends using BMW LL-01 oil.
BMW LL-04 oils are specced for low Sulphur, Phosphorus and Sulphated Ashes gas which is only available in some Europe countries.

But still, if i'm not mistaken you can use Mobil 1 ESP on your BMW engine. :)
 
#39 ·
Hi Guys,

I am revisiting this old thread not to disturb the balance of Engine Oil thread, but I would like to know one thing, what do most DIY E60 owner's use,

0W40 or 5W30?

Please share, as I am using 0W40 so far, but then came across some strange issues on the car that is leading me to re-think on the oil and it appears most of the owners are using 5W30, but as per BMW TIS I am using 0W40. So that the reason for revisit.

Thanks in advance for sharing.
 
#42 ·
Hi Guys,

I am revisiting this old thread not to disturb the balance of Engine Oil thread, but I would like to know one thing, what do most DIY E60 owner's use,

0W40 or 5W30?

Please share, as I am using 0W40 so far, but then came across some strange issues on the car that is leading me to re-think on the oil and it appears most of the owners are using 5W30, but as per BMW TIS I am using 0W40. So that the reason for revisit.

Thanks in advance for sharing.
What issues are you having?
The difference between the 0W-40 and 5W-30 is the viscosity. Dont let the numbers blind you, usually 0W-40 oils are made with better base stocks in order to have better flow at lower temperatures. So the 0W-40 "should" flow better than most oil grades in cold temperatures.
The most notable difference would be operating temperature viscosity but these engines love thicker oil, in fact they are designed for these kind of oils.
 
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