E36 94 318i. Was using 20w/50. What now - 5w/40 ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Messages
31
Location
Adelaide, Australia
BMW E36 94 318i. Read Bobs the oil guy 101 info. Was using 20w/50. What now - 5w/40 ok ?

G'day,

Read the guide 101, 102, 103 etc.

I understand the guide info re the first number i.e the viscosity of the oil when cold but if an older car such as mine, states 20w/50 for my climate and according to the guide, we really cant go thin enough for start up until operating temp (presuming no leaks, engines not worn etc) and all car manufacturers / oil makers aim for 10cst at op temp, then what are we supposed to aim for with the second value ?

E.g in my scenario

260kms on the 318 m43 engine. No leaks, no smoke and no oil use whatsoever using 20w/50 valvoline xld. I change the oil & filter more or less every 5 -7500kms.
If i where to use an oil that doesnt thicken as much when cold (as per bobs guide) then im looking at 0w or maybe 5w- ....?

Should i be aiming at 0w-30, 0w-40, 0w-50, 5w-30, 5w-40....etc.

I live in Adelaide where we are coming into summer 30-40c days, city driving, fairly short trips. Winter has passed but we get a few 0-3c days but mainly 6 - 16c through winter.

Oil available here is from shops such as http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl....aspx?id=60104

or http://www.autobarn.com.au/engine-oils
 
I've run M1 15W-50 and M1 0W-40 year round in the M42 in my 318ti. I settled on 0W-40; UOAs indicate that it is fine for all the conditions it encounters- including track use.
 
You could use the Maxlife 10W-40 I've been using in mine.
I had a very good UAO with this oil on a drain interval of 4K miles, which is similar to your practice.
I think Maxlife is available in Australia.
 
Thanks for all your input guys........and such quick responses too.

Garak - i have a spare 5L of shell ultra 5w-40 which i use in the gf's 03 VW golf 4 2.0 petrol.
I might give that a try.

Speaking of the VW golf - ive used Penrite 5w-30 enviro+ in this, as this is what the indy service centre used for the previous owner (i do most of my own maint - capable of changing an t/belt, gearbox, clutch, h gasket etc)
It seemed to use about 500ml in a 1000kms. Switching to shell 5w-40 it seems better.
(Ive read alot about the golf 4 oil consumption problems in some models)

Anyone have any experience with all in such golf 4's ?
 
If You can get quality stuff at affordable prices I would use 5 or maybe 10w40 syn in this engine with that milage and mainly city driving. Also not hesitate to run 10k OCI. In Your case shorter OCI or 0w would be waste of product in my opinion.
 
Originally Posted By: lobe
Garak - i have a spare 5L of shell ultra 5w-40 which i use in the gf's 03 VW golf 4 2.0 petrol.
I might give that a try.

That sounds reasonable. As MAHLE_Collector indicates, be cognizant when you make choices, particularly of pricing. Some synthetics are terribly expensive, while others that should be similarly priced are not. M1 0w-40 is a wonderful choice, for instance, but I understand it's ridiculously expensive down under.
 
Yes, aim for a lower W rating if possible. 5w40 is probably the best financial choice in Oz, but if you were in the USA you could take advantage of Mobil 1 0W40. Even 10w40 has better cold flow characteristics than any 20w50.

Do you have an oil pressure gauge or oil temperature gauge?
 
G'day 901,

No pressure or temp oil gauges in the trusty old bus. Just the normal gauges.

I do have a very slight lifter tick when hot. I noticed this after using shell helix HX7 high milaege oil i tried two oil changes ago. Reverted back to my xld 20/50 but was/is still present. Its very quiet and only noticable when you pull up next to another car or drive in a confined space/alley way.
 
G'day 901,

Yep, everything is expensive here in Oz, except petrols not too bad (im from uk originally)

5L of dino 20w-50 valvoline xld can be had for about $16 on special whereas the a m1 stuff ranges from $60+.

The links i put in my first post show the prices from two main auto shops.

I did see dino castrol 5L 20w-50 gtx on special $10 the other day.
 
Update : I went with the 5w40 shell ultra.

Engine feels better n quieter. Have to see if improves economy during my run to work run which is only 20mins with a few lights to stop at too.
 
How long will you run this oil?
Reason I ask is that this engine seems to have a fairly rich fuel map, based upon a UOA from mine as well as UOAs from others.
For that reason, I've never run any oil longer than 6000 miles, and that was M1 15W-50.
 
With the valvoline xld 20w50 i used to use, i dropped the oil and filter at around 5000kms for the last few years with the last couple of oil changes at around 7500kms.

I was thinking of doing my next oil change at around 7500kms with this 5w-40 im now using, if ive still got the car that is (am currently looking around for a newer car)
 
The four cylinder e36 is a pretty solid car, even if they're all old now.
I've had really good reliability and durability with mine.
Something newer may not be any better and may well be worse.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
The four cylinder e36 is a pretty solid car, even if they're all old now.
I've had really good reliability and durability with mine.
Something newer may not be any better and may well be worse.


Agreed; I prefer my '02 and ti to the newer Bimmers in the garage.
And I prefer my Mazdaspeed to any new BMW save the M6 Gran Coupe and the 135is...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top