Within the last few months I purchased a 1998 BMW 323is. When I bought it it had 156,000 miles. The car had NO leaks, used NO oil. The previous owner had been using Mobil 1 5w-30. I found out that the 5w-30 is not an approved BMW oil. So...I went to Mobil 1 0w-40 which I understand is a great oil. Something told me at the time I would develop oil leaks if I went to the 0w-40 oil and sure enough, it's leaking around the oil pan gasket. I now have 163,000 miles on the car. I really like Mobil 1 products and the only other ACEA a3 API SJ (I really don't care about the BMW LL (long life requirement, as I change at 5-6k intervals) is their 15w-50 oil. Please give me feedback on this M1 15w-50 for my BMW as well as other oil recommendations. Thanks so much in advance.
1998 BMW 323is Oil
- Thread starter gulfstream1951
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Well, it is "water over the dam" now, but what "problem" did you think you were fixing changing the oil used for 156,000 miles previously?
I would go back to Mobil 1 5w-30, it is a great oil. It will do your 5-6K OCIs easily.
I would go back to Mobil 1 5w-30, it is a great oil. It will do your 5-6K OCIs easily.
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+1 that to.
Try Mobil 1 High Mileage.
Going from M1 5W30 to 0W40 most certainly had nothing to do with your oil pan gasket leak. It's an terrible co-incidence, and maybe the OP was "up to something" and had a stop leak or something in the oil when you bought it (?)
You are correct, M1 5W30 is not thick enough and lacks high enough HTHS to satisfy BMW's requirements. It is not "a great oil" for a BMW application regardless of the OCI.
You are correct, M1 5W30 is not thick enough and lacks high enough HTHS to satisfy BMW's requirements. It is not "a great oil" for a BMW application regardless of the OCI.
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAXXENPVLMOMobil_1_High_Mileage_Oil.aspx
The Mobil 1 HM 10W-40 and 10W-30 are both ACEA A3/B3/B4, and the HM 5W-30 has an HTHS viscosity that is 97% of the minimum required by the 2008 ACEA spec.
They don't carry quite the amount of EP/AW additives that Mobil 1 0W-40 has (according to Mobil's 2010/05 PDF), but better than their 5W-30.
FWIW
The Mobil 1 HM 10W-40 and 10W-30 are both ACEA A3/B3/B4, and the HM 5W-30 has an HTHS viscosity that is 97% of the minimum required by the 2008 ACEA spec.
They don't carry quite the amount of EP/AW additives that Mobil 1 0W-40 has (according to Mobil's 2010/05 PDF), but better than their 5W-30.
FWIW
Does this thing have the same upper/lower pan design as the 4 cyl M42?
I may be way off base, but if it does, loose upper pan bolts may be your problem.
I finally figured this out on my M42, after being told as much by an experienced member here who owns such a car.
Of course, this only penetrated my feeble senses after I had just filled the thing with new oil.
First change next spring, the lower pan comes off!
I may be way off base, but if it does, loose upper pan bolts may be your problem.
I finally figured this out on my M42, after being told as much by an experienced member here who owns such a car.
Of course, this only penetrated my feeble senses after I had just filled the thing with new oil.
First change next spring, the lower pan comes off!
OP use Maxlife 10W-40.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Maxlife may help with seals, like the crank main.
It will not help with gaskets.
Im not so sure. It may help! It has good Sealing properties. I keep using it in my cars after trying other oils (it seems) because they usually leak and Maxlife doesnt. Its also thick for its grade and 30% synthetic, so its a good choice!
Maybe the issue IS with the OP's "Pan bolts" Maybe he flushed the engine and isnt telling us, im saying if all else fails a 10W-40 MaxLife may serve him well, especially since he has a BMW he can use that pretty much all year unless it gets to be ZERO for a week, then he may need to consider something else, -maybe.- (10W-40 wuld be the thickest he could go then)
Maxlife may help with seals, like the crank main.
It will not help with gaskets.
Im not so sure. It may help! It has good Sealing properties. I keep using it in my cars after trying other oils (it seems) because they usually leak and Maxlife doesnt. Its also thick for its grade and 30% synthetic, so its a good choice!
Maybe the issue IS with the OP's "Pan bolts" Maybe he flushed the engine and isnt telling us, im saying if all else fails a 10W-40 MaxLife may serve him well, especially since he has a BMW he can use that pretty much all year unless it gets to be ZERO for a week, then he may need to consider something else, -maybe.- (10W-40 wuld be the thickest he could go then)
Mobil 1 0w40 definitely could have caused the leak, it has high dose of cleaners than the Mobil oils and it the most likely one to remove false seals.
M1 5w-30 would be the last oil I'd use. So, the orig owner screwed that up. It happens a lot where people ~think~ "Mobil 1 is best", and then ~think~ 5w-30 is a good visc....the end result is a poorly serviced engine.
Tightening up the pan gaskets can yield a good result. Run your 0w-40 for now, but look into the M1 HIGH MILES line, in whichever visc is appropriate for your climate and driving cycle. Watch out for smoke or consumption, imo recent batches of M1 5w-30 could CAUSE these 2 ills.
If you want to change ever 5k, consider a non-synth oil like MaxLife or a premium dino 10w-40.
I
Tightening up the pan gaskets can yield a good result. Run your 0w-40 for now, but look into the M1 HIGH MILES line, in whichever visc is appropriate for your climate and driving cycle. Watch out for smoke or consumption, imo recent batches of M1 5w-30 could CAUSE these 2 ills.
If you want to change ever 5k, consider a non-synth oil like MaxLife or a premium dino 10w-40.
I
First, welcome to BITOG.
As suggested fix the oil pan leak by tightening the bolts or replacing the gasket if that doesn't work.
Yes M1 5W-30 is lighter than specified by BMW with it's HTHS vis of 3.15cP vs 3.5cP. But most BMW owners in NA that don't have their cars serviced by BMW are using the lighter 30wt oil without issue. Reason is we do tend to change our oil more often than Europeans and we drive slow so we don't see the high oil temp's.
Anyway the M1 0W-40 you're using is fine but you don't need a 40wt oil. Next oil change I'd suggest Castrol 0W-30 which is a heavy 30wt oil.
As suggested fix the oil pan leak by tightening the bolts or replacing the gasket if that doesn't work.
Yes M1 5W-30 is lighter than specified by BMW with it's HTHS vis of 3.15cP vs 3.5cP. But most BMW owners in NA that don't have their cars serviced by BMW are using the lighter 30wt oil without issue. Reason is we do tend to change our oil more often than Europeans and we drive slow so we don't see the high oil temp's.
Anyway the M1 0W-40 you're using is fine but you don't need a 40wt oil. Next oil change I'd suggest Castrol 0W-30 which is a heavy 30wt oil.
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