Quick Guide to Oil in Your E36

Originally Posted by crisscross

FWIW my car seems to "loose" mobil one (not burning, maybe evaporating?) So I have been using Rotella T6 5w40 with great results. Its a diesel oil and has lots of detergents in it, I have noticed cleaner cams in the couple times I've had the valve cover off. Also, it seems more quiet at startup especially in the morning.

I just bought Rotella T6 after reading about it extensively over on Bobistheoilguy.com forums. It's a very highly reccomended oil, and has tested well in BMW engines. Many, if not most Mobil 1 users over there report the engine running loudly with M1, especially the 0w-40.

Another good one to try is "German Castrol" aka Castrol Syntec 0w-30. Very good results with that oil across the board in many different vehicles. I think AutoZone is the only place to buy it, and you have to make sure it's "Made in Germany" and specifically the 0w-30 weight. It's comparable (but better) than the BMW Synthetic 5w-30 oil you'd get at the dealership.

Im confused a lil by the look of the chart i think i should use 15w-50 cause i live in Massachusetts and it can get hot during the summer and cold during the winter?

And im still in the process of oil brands. (As you can see ive never changed the oil myself, the people at Valvoline and jiffy lube been handling my motor.....yes shame i know i know) but this will the 2nd oil change since i started driving the car and i want nothing but the best for my motor and for it to be quieter as other claim theirs are when using a diff brand of oil.

Theres's a few oils you can't go wrong with in a M50/M52/S50/S52 engine:

Mobil 1 0w-40 (Some people report this as causing the engine to run on the noisy side, no personal thoughts on this)
Redline 0w-40/5w-40/10w-40 (All great oils, very expensive)
LubroMoly (Anything LL-01 Approved, stay away from LL-04 approved oils. Very expensive)
Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 (A diesel oil, not BMW LL-01 approved, but meets ACEA A3 which is more important)
Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (Very heavy 30 weight oil. Called German Castrol because it's the only grade that's made in germany)

The M5x/S5x engines are pretty easy on oil, and not subject to excessive metal wear as seen in used oil analyses. The general consensus on Bobistheoilguy forums for the E36 is that just about any oil will do. You could even run a non-synthetic and be absolutely fine as long as you changed it regularly.

Originally Posted by ethereal45

Theres's a few oils you can't go wrong with in a M50/M52/S50/S52 engine:

Mobil 1 0w-40 (Some people report this as causing the engine to run on the noisy side, no personal thoughts on this)
Redline 0w-40/5w-40/10w-40 (All great oils, very expensive)
LubroMoly (Anything LL-01 Approved, stay away from LL-04 approved oils. Very expensive)
Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 (A diesel oil, not BMW LL-01 approved, but meets ACEA A3 which is more important)
Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (Very heavy 30 weight oil. Called German Castrol because it's the only grade that's made in germany)

The M5x/S5x engines are pretty easy on oil, and not subject to excessive metal wear as seen in used oil analyses. The general consensus on Bobistheoilguy forums for the E36 is that just about any oil will do. You could even run a non-synthetic and be absolutely fine as long as you changed it regularly.

So use these weights (depends oil brand i use) all year then?

and the ACEA A3 is better standard to go buy im assuming?

Originally Posted by ethereal45

Mobil 1 0w-40 (Some people report this as causing the engine to run on the noisy side, no personal thoughts on this).

Never heard this one before. My M52 runs as smooth and quietly as a sewing machine on Mobil 1 0W40. My lifters have always been dead silent, even on start-up after not having driven the car for over a week.

Yes, those weights would be suitable all year around. Personally unless you live in a hot climate I don't see the reason to choose something with a higher startup viscosity unless you have a specific reason to (i.e. a 15w-x).

I wouldn't get to hung up on the oil specifications, but I there are a few things to look out for. BMW-LL04 oils are recommended by BMW only for use in Europe where the gasoline composition is different. LL-01 is the BMW spec for American BMWs. Then again, there's alot of people who think you shouldn't listen to anything BMW has to say about oil since according to them it only needs to be changed every 15k miles.

ACEA A3 is a much broader classification. From what I understand, you definitely should use an ACEA A3 oil, as anything that isn't would not be suitable for this specific series of engines.

I see, well I think I'm good to go then. Thanks man

It's a complicated decision -- I've spent too many hours researching what should be a pretty simple decision.

The majority of owners run M1 0w-40, you can't go wrong with it.

Yeah i think ima just go with that, idk ill think about it

Originally Posted by Dino1394

Yeah i think ima just go with that, idk ill think about it

I just bought some Rotella T6, I'll let you know how it is.

Cool, and 6.9/7 Quarts of oil sound right?

Yeah the capacity is 6.9 quarts which is 6.5 Liters. I usually buy an extra quart in case you happen to spill or do something else stupid. Remember to replace the washer on the drain pan plug and torque it to 18 ft-lbs. You'll need a 36mm socket to loosen the oil filter housing, or a big adjustable wrench. I got my oil filter socket on Amazon for $11. Works great. Good luck!

Originally Posted by ethereal45

Yeah the capacity is 6.9 quarts which is 6.5 Liters. I usually buy an extra quart in case you happen to spill or do something else stupid. Remember to replace the washer on the drain pan plug and torque it to 18 ft-lbs. You'll need a 36mm socket to loosen the oil filter housing, or a big adjustable wrench. I got my oil filter socket on Amazon for $11. Works great. Good luck!

Will Do! , Thanks again.

This, specifically, in case anyone is curious:
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-14500-Oi...8023997&sr=8-1

Works very well, much easier than trying to take the top of the filter housing off with a big adjustable wrench. Same torque spec as the drain plug, so there's really no reason not to get it on to the appropriate tightness.


And the oil filter, while I'm at it:
http://www.amazon.com/Mann-Filter-HU...=pd_sim_auto_2

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Never heard this one before. My M52 runs as smooth and quietly as a sewing machine on Mobil 1 0W40. My lifters have always been dead silent, even on start-up after not having driven the car for over a week.

Does M1 evaporate from your engine though? I loose about a quart every 2k miles with m1, but only about a half quart every 4k miles with T6.

My engine doesn't burn any oil. It does leak it though

Originally Posted by ethereal45

My engine doesn't burn any oil. It does leak it though

Valve cover gasket needs changing?

Originally Posted by Dino1394

Valve cover gasket needs changing?

I think it leaks from several places. I just put in Rotella T6 which is on the thicker end of 40 weight oils, and some LiquiMoly oil saver, which serves several purposes 1) cleaning, 2) seal conditioning, 3) oil thickening, so hopefully it will slow the leaks down. Everyone that has tried it raves about it, so I'm optimistic.

On a side note, much, much quieter with Rotella than Mobil 1. Even my friend thought so, and he's a skeptic by nature.

Originally Posted by ethereal45

I think it leaks from several places. I just put in Rotella T6 which is on the thicker end of 40 weight oils, and some LiquiMoly oil saver, which serves several purposes 1) cleaning, 2) seal conditioning, 3) oil thickening, so hopefully it will slow the leaks down. Everyone that has tried it raves about it, so I'm optimistic.

On a side note, much, much quieter with Rotella than Mobil 1. Even my friend thought so, and he's a skeptic by nature.

Guess T6 is going in then. I just ripped off the valvoline sticker off my windshield and they used 5w30 Max Life synthetic. I shoulda looked at that before asking all the questions lol oh well knowledge is key right?

And oh the gallon doesnt look like its easy to read the level indicator

I know i would pour one gallon in then about 75% of the 2nd? advancedautoparts say the gallon is 4 quarts

1 gallon = 4 quarts.
2 gallon must = 8 quarts then.
1.75 gallon = 7 quarts.
so according to my maths
1.75 gallons is what you need

You hax madd math skilz yo.....

kool, i love this forum lol. tackling my first oil change, my oil filter kit and washer came in today too ^_^

wait wait wait wait!!!!!! the e36 takes 7 quarts of oil???? omg i changed my oil about a month ago but only put 5 quarts!!!! s#!t i didnt know!!!!

Originally Posted by Bleiva1989

wait wait wait wait!!!!!! the e36 takes 7 quarts of oil???? omg i changed my oil about a month ago but only put 5 quarts!!!! s#!t i didnt know!!!!

idk about the m4x but the M/S5x do

Originally Posted by Dino1394

idk about the m4x but the M/S5x do

googled it and i was right 5 quarts for the m4x engines!!!!