BMW E46 3-SERIES: M54 inline6 engine. WHAT OIL?

[bimmerdriver]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
I lived dangerously with my son's 2004 X3; at 148k the expansion tank blew but he he had been told that he would die a slow and painful death if he drove the car hot so he immediately switched it off. I didn't do the water pump/t-stat/radiator until 156k. While we were in there the vapor separator hoses and valve looked marginal so we replaced them as well.
Now at 166k it is still going strong.

That's lucky. Glad he heeded the advice.

 

[bimmerdriver]

Originally Posted By: Noobie
Originally Posted By: KenO
And you're right about the CCV, now that these cars are getting 10+ years old, just yank the intake manifold and replace ALL of the rubber and plastic hoses under there if you diagnose anything at all wrong under there. It's another couple hundred bucks WELL spent to prevent future headaches, as these engines are pretty sensitive to vacuum leaks.

I can't for the life of me figure out how a bad cyclone separator could've damaged an engine though??

Long story short.
CCV Failed -> Engine got clogged with sludge -> Engine ran without almost no oil (When i topped it i poured in 6.75QTS) -> Oil lever warning never came on because it seems that the sensor was not working -> Rough Idling -> Car would take at least 2-3 tries to start -> Took the car to replace the CCV and clean up sludge -> Ended up replacing all the CCV hoses and the camshafts since there was some serious wear and it was slightly bent.

Is that you who posted the pictures of a BMW engine filled with sludge a few years ago?

 

[Noobie]

Originally Posted By: bimmerdriver
Originally Posted By: Noobie
Originally Posted By: KenO
And you're right about the CCV, now that these cars are getting 10+ years old, just yank the intake manifold and replace ALL of the rubber and plastic hoses under there if you diagnose anything at all wrong under there. It's another couple hundred bucks WELL spent to prevent future headaches, as these engines are pretty sensitive to vacuum leaks.

I can't for the life of me figure out how a bad cyclone separator could've damaged an engine though??

Long story short.
CCV Failed -> Engine got clogged with sludge -> Engine ran without almost no oil (When i topped it i poured in 6.75QTS) -> Oil lever warning never came on because it seems that the sensor was not working -> Rough Idling -> Car would take at least 2-3 tries to start -> Took the car to replace the CCV and clean up sludge -> Ended up replacing all the CCV hoses and the camshafts since there was some serious wear and it was slightly bent.

Is that you who posted the pictures of a BMW engine filled with sludge a few years ago?

I just noticed my original post have lots of words typed incorrectly. I was in a hurry and posting from my cellphone. Hahahaha
It happened 2 years ago but i'm pretty sure that wasn't me.
After i changed the CCV, hoses and camshafts the car was running smooth again as if nothing happened. That's why i say those engines are bulletproof if maintained properly!

 

[tommersyip]

Originally Posted By: Noobie
Get the cheapest, good oil you can. Personally i recommend Mobil 1 0W-40 since its widely available and not really expensive.

Given the time that this car will be idling and driven i seriously recommend you doing some other things which could be more important than the oil. The M54 (As with most BMW engines) engines are known to have fragile and weak cooling systems.
You should check the radiator reservoir, all water/coolant pipes, water pump, belts and one of the most important thing IMO . . . the CCV. If that thing fails and you drive your car without noticing it you will cause some serious engine damage. (I know because i went through it in my own M54)

The rest is just usual preventive maintenance like spark plugs and fluids. As long as you keep the cooling system properly and do regular oil changes the M54 is pretty much bullet proof. That thing never dies, even with heavy sludge and without oil. (Yeah, also happened to me)


Awesome reply above. This is gospel for E46 owners. With the car new I was able to take the car to 120K without having to do anything other than plugs and and the cover gasket.

At 120K the CCV was snapped during the gasket work so I replaced the whole system, then the whole cooling system started leaking so I replaced that (radiator, water pump, hoses, expansion tank, cap, thermostats, cooling sensors), then the belts at the same time, and then the oil filter housing gasket started leaking. Engine has been bulletproof since.

Look em up on youtube, there are lengthy walkthroughs for changing out all that stuff. Its so timely it should be put down as maintenance.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: tommersyip
Engine has been bulletproof since.

So you still have a few more things that are awaiting you in the future:

- rear main seal leak
- oil pan leak
- VANOS seals

 

[riggaz]

(Europe
Engine oil BMW Longlife-04 SAE 0W-40 All temperatures
Engine oil BMW Longlife-04 SAE 5W-30 All temperatures
Engine oil BMW Longlife-04 SAE 5W-40 All temperatures
(Worldwide
Engine oil BMW Longlife-01 SAE 0W-30 All temperatures
Engine oil BMW Longlife-01 SAE 0W-40 All temperatures
Engine oil BMW Longlife-01 SAE 5W-30 All temperatures
Engine oil BMW Longlife-01 SAE 5W-40 All temperatures
Engine oil ACEA A3 SAE 0W-40 All temperatures
Engine oil ACEA A3 SAE 5W-30 All temperatures
Engine oil ACEA A3 SAE 5W-40 All temperatures