My son just bought a 2003 BMW 320i from a dealership and had me check it out prior to purchase. Car is in great shape with reasonable mileage, and the price was excellent. A friend of mine works at the dealership. The car drove very well...pulled right to redline smoothly and the handling and braking were great. My only concern was that the oil filler cap had signs of sludge on it. I have an older 7-Series ('99) with 340,000km on it and the oil filler cap is still shiny, as are the camchains etc that you can see through the oil fill opening. Unfortunately, on the 3-series there is an internal plastic shroud that prevents getting a good look in through the oil filter opening. I mentioned the possibility of sludge to my son, although BMWs are not known as "sludgers" and the in-line 2.2 litre 6 cylinder engine is a little jewel. The price we paid is about $3-4000 below market value so my son figured even if we needed to do some engine work/cleaning it was worth it. I've always run German Castrol in my 7-Series but I'm wondering about using Penzoil Platinum or Ultra in the 3-Series for improved cleaning. Auto RX is not available locally (mail order only) and I was also thinking of using Seafoam and doing a quick 300 mile first oil change and then going with Penzoil. Again, not sure about sludge and will check the oil filter, etc when we get the car, but it there is some just looking for recommendations.
2003 BMW 320i possible sludge. Recommendations...
- Thread starter BullyT
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I've read great things here about a product called Kreen. Loads of info/testimonials here on BOTOG.
You can get Amsoil engine flush from Pablo. Or you can buy Lubegard engine flush from Amazon or other online sites.
Use 1 can when you do oil change after you bought the car, then another can for the next short oil change about 3-4k miles.
Use 1 can when you do oil change after you bought the car, then another can for the next short oil change about 3-4k miles.
IMO....Just use some good synthetics.... that have good cleaning reputations.....like Mobil 1, PP or PU. All these oils can clean,
and keep any engine clean.
Several short OCI's of 5000km or so....should clean it up pretty fast.
and keep any engine clean.
Several short OCI's of 5000km or so....should clean it up pretty fast.
I'd just stick Pennzoil Ultra Euro in it for 5000 mile OCIs and not pay it any mind beyond that.
A flush may help, but I'd feel funny about it after... I'd wonder if I did more harm than good.
A flush may help, but I'd feel funny about it after... I'd wonder if I did more harm than good.
Originally Posted By: BullyT
BMWs are not known as "sludgers" and the in-line 2.2 litre 6 cylinder engine is a little jewel. Even if we needed to do some engine work/cleaning it was worth it. I've always run German Castrol in my 7-Series but I'm wondering about using Penzoil Platinum or Ultra in the 3-Series for improved cleaning. about sludge and will check the oil filter, etc when we get the car, but it there is some just looking for recommendations.
I think just using PP 5W-30 is all you need to do.
As you know it's easy to unscrew the oil filter cap to see how things are doing.
BMWs are not known as "sludgers" and the in-line 2.2 litre 6 cylinder engine is a little jewel. Even if we needed to do some engine work/cleaning it was worth it. I've always run German Castrol in my 7-Series but I'm wondering about using Penzoil Platinum or Ultra in the 3-Series for improved cleaning. about sludge and will check the oil filter, etc when we get the car, but it there is some just looking for recommendations.
I think just using PP 5W-30 is all you need to do.
As you know it's easy to unscrew the oil filter cap to see how things are doing.
I wouldn't worry as long as the car isn't a short tripper.
Change the oil at shorter intervals (like 1/2 recommended) until the sludge on the oil cap disappears.
The cap can be a little deceiving. It's up above a really long baffle, and only ever sees oil vapors. It never sees oil and is, by far, the dirtiest spot in the engine.
When you go to replace the valve cover gasket, you'll see what I mean. Odds are the head will be pretty clean but the baffeled area will not.
When you go to replace the valve cover gasket, you'll see what I mean. Odds are the head will be pretty clean but the baffeled area will not.
Excellent point, antonmnster.
Thank you for all the helpful replies. Antonmnster in particular made a great point, and I appreciate all the comments from everybody. We've only had the car a couple of days and it is running great...the 3-series is so much more fun than my 7-series! The dealership changed the oil prior to our purchase, but I'm going to do another immediate oil and filter change so I can inspect the drained oil and filter. To be on the safe side, I'm planning to use Pennzoil Platinum (or Ultra) on fairly short OCI for the first couple of oil changes. Will stay with a quality synthetic for the duration. Thanks again!
Seafoam. Follow instructions. Google it!
Perhaps this belongs in the oil additives section.
But to the OP, if you need crankcase cleaning, you really only have two churches to attend, solvent or detergent.
The first church includes the Kreen, Seafoam and MMO adherents. The original granddaddies of this type are Rislone and kerosene. These are faster acting, and if used carefully, should cause no damage. They do reduce the lubricating abilities of the host oil while they're doing their thing. They're best for an engine near contamination failure. If you a have a high-strung turbo or other uber-high stress engine that needs caviar grade lubrication, these might not be optimum.
The other church includes higher detergent action oils (HDEOs and some synthetics such as PU), anti-ox additives such as LC-20, and ester-based formulae such as ARX. These are slow acting methods, and don't produce instant or satisfactory results for some. But they do not interfere with the lubricity of the host oil in any way and they're good for keeping a clean engine clean.
You'll notice that the one church will frequently trash the other church around here. At the moment, the church of solvents seems to be in favor and products like ARX are held in relative disfavor. Search the archives before drawing any final conclusions.
I've used them all. They all serve their purpose, and all can be quite effective if you target the problem.
But you need to know what you're trying to solve before picking one. Sludged up valvetrains and clogged ring lands are two very different problems.
If you're not sure what condition your engine is, dig a little deeper until you know. A dirty fill entrance is not always a reliable sign of crankcase condition.
If it's not too bad, one of the slower detergent methods will usually do the trick. A few short OCIs on a good oil is sometimes enough. If it's bad, then solvents may be your only option short of a teardown.
But to the OP, if you need crankcase cleaning, you really only have two churches to attend, solvent or detergent.
The first church includes the Kreen, Seafoam and MMO adherents. The original granddaddies of this type are Rislone and kerosene. These are faster acting, and if used carefully, should cause no damage. They do reduce the lubricating abilities of the host oil while they're doing their thing. They're best for an engine near contamination failure. If you a have a high-strung turbo or other uber-high stress engine that needs caviar grade lubrication, these might not be optimum.
The other church includes higher detergent action oils (HDEOs and some synthetics such as PU), anti-ox additives such as LC-20, and ester-based formulae such as ARX. These are slow acting methods, and don't produce instant or satisfactory results for some. But they do not interfere with the lubricity of the host oil in any way and they're good for keeping a clean engine clean.
You'll notice that the one church will frequently trash the other church around here. At the moment, the church of solvents seems to be in favor and products like ARX are held in relative disfavor. Search the archives before drawing any final conclusions.
I've used them all. They all serve their purpose, and all can be quite effective if you target the problem.
But you need to know what you're trying to solve before picking one. Sludged up valvetrains and clogged ring lands are two very different problems.
If you're not sure what condition your engine is, dig a little deeper until you know. A dirty fill entrance is not always a reliable sign of crankcase condition.
If it's not too bad, one of the slower detergent methods will usually do the trick. A few short OCIs on a good oil is sometimes enough. If it's bad, then solvents may be your only option short of a teardown.
Volvohead, thank you for your thoughtful and detailed reply. I believe at this point I am simply going to use a quality synthetic with good cleaning characteristics like PP or PU. I have used Seafoam before both as a fuel additive and in my crankcase (in very small amount) and may do that after I've had a chance to change the oil, inspect the filter, and "dig a little deeper". Right now, the car is running great...the little BMW inline six sings a beautiful song at high revs!
I wish my e46's six sang a great song. But with an auto-tragic, it just moans
"Caviar-grade lubrication"?! I hope that's not trademarked cuz I'm using that from now on!
"Caviar-grade lubrication"?! I hope that's not trademarked cuz I'm using that from now on!
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