Quick Guide to Oil in Your E36

is Rotella T-6 fully synthetic? they dont sell 10w40..only 5w40 and 15w40....guess I could go with the 15w40

fully synthetic , and the T6 only applies to 5w-40

everything else is just Rotella T

ahh...I thought rotella was for diesel engines?

I think so or mostly non diesel turbo cars

Then why use in our E36's?

Someone was brave to try it, and saw it worked good. lol

Ive noticed my engine was wayyy quieter with this oil


Vanos gets along with it too

FROm here: Whered the link go ?

Says that this oil is used in diesel/turbo applications where soot is a big nono

http://www.forum.bimmerfest.com/show...=550690&page=2

hmmm....interesting...im trying to figure out which oil is the best for my car...ive read 5w-40, 10w-40 and 15w-40....just not sure which is best for the s50 in VA climate.

Yeah That was my problem too when I started doing my own oil changes.

What do you run now?

and I dont think Rotella 15w-40 is synthetic

I run 10w30 winter and 10w40 summer...guy at bimmerworld suggested 15w40...just donno

thats a tough one, from when i searched that weight had some lifter tick for 3 seconds on cold start up but obviously engine/oil will react to different climates

which weight?

15w-40 Rotella T (is not synthetic)

gotcha...I think I should stick to the 10w40.

Just thought I'd let you all know AutoZone's doing a deal on Rotella 15w-40. usually $17.99 per gal now for $12.99 per gal. Just picked up 2gal!

EDIT: i'm TRYING to pick up 2gal but their in-store pickup thing isnt working.... Guess I'll just have to head to the store after work...

Rotella 5w-40: Fully synthetic.
Rotella 15w-40: Non-synthetic.

Wtf 15-40 in your bimmer???

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by tchavera

Wtf 15-40 in your bimmer???

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Bimmer App

Yea.... ever looked at your owner's manual? 15w-40 is recommended for temps above 20C.

I'm running 15w-50 :shrug:

yea oil is something i never really understood the numbering scheme for so i stick to whats in the manual then come here for brand recommendations!

Man all this oil stuff is so confusing. Previous owner was running M1/5w30 but that didn't seem to match what we are supposed to use. I'm using M1/0w40 because of the BMW rating on the oil. now that summer is coming this will be fine but should I use a thinker oil in winter like a 15w40?

Just look at your manual. it will tell you what oils to use in what temperature ranges.

Originally Posted by BiGPaPaRu

Man all this oil stuff is so confusing. Previous owner was running M1/5w30 but that didn't seem to match what we are supposed to use. I'm using M1/0w40 because of the BMW rating on the oil. now that summer is coming this will be fine but should I use a thinker oil in winter like a 15w40?

So will the first page of this thread.

Myself I use 0W40 in winter, 15W40 in summer. If exceptionally hot I'll use 15W50.

The first number is the cold viscosity (thickness) of the oil. Too thick, the engine will struggle to turn over.

The second number is when the engine has reached operating temp. Our cars do need a thicker oil than most domestics do. 40 weight is just fine year round for at least the northern states. Places like say, Texas, or Arizona, I'd go with 50 weight.

Well to be fair the oil chart on the first page of this thread is for an M50 engine. PaPa and i have M52s... but yes. you're right.

What corresponds to a thinner fluid though? the lower the number the thicker the fluid? There has been bickering in this thread about it...

Like I said, when cold, the first number applies, with the higher being thicker.

The second number applies at operating temperature. Higher being thicker.

OK . . .What does a 5W-30 do that an SAE 30 won't?
When you see a W on a viscosity rating it means that this oil viscosity has been tested at a Colder temperature. The numbers without the W are all tested at 210° F or 100° C which is considered an approximation of engine operating temperature. In other words, a SAE 30 motor oil is the same viscosity as a 10w-30 or 5W-30 at 210° (100° C). The difference is when the viscosity is tested at a much colder temperature. For example, a 5W-30 motor oil performs like a SAE 5 motor oil would perform at the cold temperature specified, but still has the SAE 30 viscosity at 210° F (100° C) which is engine operating temperature. This allows the engine to get quick oil flow when it is started cold verses dry running until lubricant either warms up sufficiently or is finally forced through the engine oil system. The advantages of a low W viscosity number is obvious. The quicker the oil flows cold, the less dry running. Less dry running means much less engine wear.

http://www.upmpg.com/tech_articles/motoroil_viscosity/

From the Amsoil site.

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.

sorry my english is not to much good ! i want to know for my bmw e36 1992 318i i have use which oil ?actully my mechanic said i have buy 20w50 !! its good ?
i decide to change oil because just i bought this car and got a problem with over heat !!! and radiatoi boiling !!!
hel me pleaseeeee !!!