Has anyone tried LM's 20w50 classic car formula?

[NycDito]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: NycDito
...and this is exactly why i came here for help. I was looking into oils for my 88 535i that has the need for ZDDP. All these terms are new to me, forgive me for that..flat tappet..zddp..moly etc etc. But im not new to automobiles at all. i just always used the manufacturers suggestions.


So your '88 535i wasn't back-specified to LL-01 like most everything else?


Originally called for API SF 15w40 or 15w50.

According to a BMW technical bulletin it does supersede to LL01 (because it will become NLA), Which is a 5w30 API SL/CF oil.This oil is not suggested by BMW in the owners manual. In fact the suggestion for 5w30 is for temps between -40f to +25f (degrees).

My dealer says that people ask for 15w40 all the time and that most never buy the 5w30 replacement.

From my interwebs search, SF specifically had something to do with zddp and the newer oils had less zinc as to not harm environment and Catalytics. I came to BITOG because you guys have all most likely already went through what i am going through for the first time =)

 

[kschachn]

Well the grade is irrelevant when you're meeting a spec such as LL-01. Any oil that meets that specification can be used regardless of the anticipated ambient temperature.

And Longlife-01 oils are not equivalent to a 5W-30 API SL/CF.

 

[NycDito]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Well the grade is irrelevant when you're meeting a spec such as LL-01. Any oil that meets that specification can be used regardless of the anticipated ambient temperature.

And Longlife-01 oils are not equivalent to a 5W-30 API SL/CF.


Thanks. Like i said i have no clue but am trying to learn about all this. I just realized the viscosity reference came from the M5 part of the manual. The chart does show various weights, but all for certain temp range(s).

Anyway, i already got the VR1 20w50. Almost went with Brad Penn, but this was on sale.

As a side note, the original green bottled 15w40 BMW oil (Castrol) was LL98 and not synthetic. Not even sure how that helps if at all.

 

[kschachn]

Regardless of what specific oil may have met LL-98, the better way to look at it was that prior to LL-98 existing BMW sold "Special Oil" through their distribution system that was usable at any ambient temperature. Once Longlife-98 came out the Special Oil was discontinued and BMW issued a bulletin saying LL-98 could be used in older engines. Longlife-01 superseded LL-98 of course and more or less made a 0W-40 oil as a de facto standard for this specification. For all intents and purposes an LL-01 oil is a "Special Oil" which can be used at any ambient temperature. You can also see this by the fact that it is either a 0W/5W-40 or (in the case of certain BMW branded oils) a 5W-30.

 

[RooflessVW]

You do not need expensive additives or specially blended oils for your M30.

Rotella 15W-40 or T6 5W-40 is all you need.

You also need to perform a valve adjustment and replace your oil spray bar banjo bolts and sealing washers with the updated BMW part. Otherwise it doesn't matter what oil you use and you will eventually suffer a dead cam.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: NycDito
...and this is exactly why i came here for help. I was looking into oils for my 88 535i that has the need for ZDDP. All these terms are new to me, forgive me for that..flat tappet..zddp..moly etc etc. But im not new to automobiles at all. i just always used the manufacturers suggestions.

The VR1 is a fine option. I'd probably consider it a better option than the LM stuff, too, if someone pressed me for an answer. If it were me, I'd simply use any 15w-40 HDEO, and probably year round in your climate. As kschachn mentions, anything LL-01 or A3/B3 A3/B4 will also be more than sufficient, regardless of grade mentioned on the bottle. Also, the oil that's in my G37 right now, Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40, is what I used in my old Audi 200 Turbo, which was a similar vintage to your BMW and have virtually the same oil recommendations. It wasn't too thin, and didn't disappear from leaks or consumption, so I was happy.

The BMW 5w-30 would be perfectly acceptable, because it's not that similar to the normal ILSAC 5w-30 options you see on the shelf. It's got a higher HTHS; that is, it's much thicker at operating temperatures than an ordinary 5w-30. Your manual wouldn't reference this, because such 5w-30 examples were comparatively rare (if they existed at all) back then.