oil for BMW m50tu and m52tu

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Hi all,
I have 2 older BMWs ('94 325i m50tu and '99 528i m52tu) and I'm a bit out of date on my oil knowledge, so I'm posting to ask for some advice. Previously I've used:

325i => Mobil1 0w40 (LL98 I think) => Sunny day car, autox, rare winter day driver
528i => BMW 5w30 (LL01 I think) => Year round car, some very short trips

For my next oil change, I planned to use the following:

325i => Castrol EDGE 0w40 (LL01)
528i => Castrol EDGE 0w30 (LL01)

I found the 0w40 at Walmart for $25/5qt, but the cheapest I can find the 0w30 is at Amazon for $8.25/qt. Seems like a big price delta. I also found some threads here mentioning that EDGE 0w30 and EDGE 0w40 are all but identical?

My question is whether or not the 0w40 is appropriate to use in both engines. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Kent
 
Any of the ones you list are appropriate. Buy the cheapest Longlife-01 oil you can get which is no doubt Castrol 0W-40 at Walmart. Grade is irrelevant for oils that carry LL-01, they all meet a minimum HTHS.

And it took you ten years to make your first post?
shocked.gif
 
Honestly, you can look into some 10/40 and 15/40 syn blends for a reasonable interval, we used to run this all the time at the private shops i was at before opening my own place. Im actually running 10/40 maxlife syn blend in my old 92 525i that my buddy is using.
 
I bought a 94 325is 2.5 years ago. The well-respected European car shop owner/mechanic told me that 10W30 was fine for the M50tu. So I have been using my favorite, Pennzoil 10W30. Engine performs well, sounds great. ON the whole, Boise climate is not too hot save for 2-3 weeks late July-early August.
 
Just about any synthetic with a HTHS >3.5 will work. Oil technology has come a long way since the M50/2 engines were engineered.

Most xW-30 grades you’ll find on the shelf are not sufficient (ones with GF-5 spec). They all have a HTHS around 3.0.

Look for CK-4, A3/B4, C3, or E6/E9 specs.
 
Originally Posted By: kentd98
Hi all,
I have 2 older BMWs ('94 325i m50tu and '99 528i m52tu) and I'm a bit out of date on my oil knowledge, so I'm posting to ask for some advice. Previously I've used:

325i => Mobil1 0w40 (LL98 I think) => Sunny day car, autox, rare winter day driver
528i => BMW 5w30 (LL01 I think) => Year round car, some very short trips

For my next oil change, I planned to use the following:

325i => Castrol EDGE 0w40 (LL01)
528i => Castrol EDGE 0w30 (LL01)

I found the 0w40 at Walmart for $25/5qt, but the cheapest I can find the 0w30 is at Amazon for $8.25/qt. Seems like a big price delta. I also found some threads here mentioning that EDGE 0w30 and EDGE 0w40 are all but identical?

My question is whether or not the 0w40 is appropriate to use in both engines. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Kent



For both cars get Castrol 0W40. You can even go with Castrol Edge 10W40. But for CO winters I would go with 0W40.
 
Thanks to all for the replies. I've decided to keep it simple and cheap and use Castrol EDGE 0w40 for both cars.

Should keep them happy for many more years. The '94 325i only has 81k miles and the '99 528i only has 106k.
smile.gif


Thanks again.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: kentd98
The '94 325i only has 81k miles and the '99 528i only has 106k.
smile.gif


That should be right about when everything starts to break, if it hasn't already
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: kentd98
Thanks to all for the replies. I've decided to keep it simple and cheap and use Castrol EDGE 0w40 for both cars.

Should keep them happy for many more years. The '94 325i only has 81k miles and the '99 528i only has 106k.
smile.gif


Thanks again.

Are they manual?
 
Can vouch for that. 100k+ miles on those motors can be expensive until you get caught up. I’m at 165k on my m52 but it took some commitment and $$. Cooling system is no joke on these. Self destruct no matter the maintenance.
 
Both are manuals, yes. The 528i is actually a Touring, which is rare to find with a manual.

I've had the 325i since 33k miles and the 528i since 55k miles, and both have been very, very reliable.

I did do preventative maintenance on the 325i cooling system long ago... water pump, expansion tank and radiator... but that year came with the old, old plastic impeller that would shatter. The 528i still has the original cooling system with the exception of a new thermostat that I replaced this winter (it was stuck open so coolant never warmed up fully). I do need to rebuild the vanos on the 325i as it has the rattle.

The 528i has required more maintenance, but it is also my daily driver.
- VANOS seals upgrade (I was one of the first beta testers for Beisan)
- A/C compressor
- Alternator (cooling duct was packed solid with leaves)
- More window regulators than I care to admit
- Ignition coils
- Tailgate & tailgate glass struts

The only issues right now are a sunroof that collides when closing (528... just push it up with your hand as it closes) and the 325 has broken plastic gears on the recline mechanisms. I'm going to fix the gears but I don't think the sunroof is worth messing with.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: kentd98
Both are manuals, yes. The 528i is actually a Touring, which is rare to find with a manual.

I've had the 325i since 33k miles and the 528i since 55k miles, and both have been very, very reliable.

I did do preventative maintenance on the 325i cooling system long ago... water pump, expansion tank and radiator... but that year came with the old, old plastic impeller that would shatter. The 528i still has the original cooling system with the exception of a new thermostat that I replaced this winter (it was stuck open so coolant never warmed up fully). I do need to rebuild the vanos on the 325i as it has the rattle.

The 528i has required more maintenance, but it is also my daily driver.
- VANOS seals upgrade (I was one of the first beta testers for Beisan)
- A/C compressor
- Alternator (cooling duct was packed solid with leaves)
- More window regulators than I care to admit
- Ignition coils
- Tailgate & tailgate glass struts

The only issues right now are a sunroof that collides when closing (528... just push it up with your hand as it closes) and the 325 has broken plastic gears on the recline mechanisms. I'm going to fix the gears but I don't think the sunroof is worth messing with.
smile.gif




Well if you decide to sell it, let me know:)
I will have to sell X5 and get some bigger family hauler, but then I will get some E series with manual. I do not want these new F model BMW that feel like Lexus not BMW.
 
You are more lucky than me.. I have a 98 328i manual 5 speed. I had the whole cooling system replaced around 130k. Including the head unfortunately. Still don’t know why. It never overheated on me from when I got it at 100k. Rebuilt vanos at that time.. in addition to that, vanos oil line, cam sensor, o2 sensor, air boot, PS pump, alternator, rear bearing, drive shift guibo, clutch, trans shift pin detent to stop the cold leaning shifter syndrome, seat recline gear 2 times
A couple tips, window regulators get over stressed from worn out felt channel, sunroof repair is surprisingly easy just a little intimidating. There are a couple plastic pieces that break and cause most issues. If you fix them before it breaks other parts it’s cheap and easy.
 
Originally Posted By: kentd98
Both are manuals, yes. The 528i is actually a Touring, which is rare to find with a manual.

I've had the 325i since 33k miles and the 528i since 55k miles, and both have been very, very reliable.

I did do preventative maintenance on the 325i cooling system long ago... water pump, expansion tank and radiator... but that year came with the old, old plastic impeller that would shatter. The 528i still has the original cooling system with the exception of a new thermostat that I replaced this winter (it was stuck open so coolant never warmed up fully). I do need to rebuild the vanos on the 325i as it has the rattle.

The 528i has required more maintenance, but it is also my daily driver.
- VANOS seals upgrade (I was one of the first beta testers for Beisan)
- A/C compressor
- Alternator (cooling duct was packed solid with leaves)
- More window regulators than I care to admit
- Ignition coils
- Tailgate & tailgate glass struts

The only issues right now are a sunroof that collides when closing (528... just push it up with your hand as it closes) and the 325 has broken plastic gears on the recline mechanisms. I'm going to fix the gears but I don't think the sunroof is worth messing with.
smile.gif





I, too, own a '99 528i Touring. A great solid car, IMO. As you say, manual transmissions are really rare in tourings and I envy those few who have them. The mentioned Castrol 0w40 seems to work great in mine.

As one who does as much repair and maintenance on this car myself, two tips:

1) Definitely keep an eye on your cooling systems (radiator, expansion tank, water pump, fan clutch, and even the fan itself. There are stories about the plastic blades getting brittle due to the high heat and 'grenading'.)

2) Consider replacing your rear subframe bushings. This issue seems to be mostly isolated to tourings and at this age (and presumed mileage) it is all but certain that they are shot. When I replaced mine, it was the most significant improvement in the car I ever did (vanos seals included). The factory bushings are heavy rubber with fluid inside. After around 60K miles they will be cracked and void of that oil. In order to inspect them you have to remove the bolt and metal cup - you can't necessarily see the condition otherwise. The tricky part is getting the removal/installation tool, since these are fairly few in number here in the states. There are a couple of guys that rent theirs out for about $50 and the replacement bushings aren't terribly expensive (many of us have replaced the original fluid filled ones with Meyle HD solid bushings). Prior to replacement I got a harsh ride from the back end over bumps, that was cured by replacing the bushings.
 
The fan exploding is usually from bad motor mounts. I replaced those as well and front control arm bushings. In the e36 you can use the e30 bushings which are solid and last longer. Water pump and fan clutch go OEM. Expansion tank get a brass bleeder and e30 slightly lower psi cap is a nice way to put a little less stress on cooling system.
 
Originally Posted By: kentd98
Hi all,
I have 2 older BMWs ('94 325i m50tu and '99 528i m52tu) and I'm a bit out of date on my oil knowledge, so I'm posting to ask for some advice. Previously I've used:

325i => Mobil1 0w40 (LL98 I think) => Sunny day car, autox, rare winter day driver
528i => BMW 5w30 (LL01 I think) => Year round car, some very short trips

For my next oil change, I planned to use the following:

325i => Castrol EDGE 0w40 (LL01)
528i => Castrol EDGE 0w30 (LL01)

I found the 0w40 at Walmart for $25/5qt, but the cheapest I can find the 0w30 is at Amazon for $8.25/qt. Seems like a big price delta. I also found some threads here mentioning that EDGE 0w30 and EDGE 0w40 are all but identical?

My question is whether or not the 0w40 is appropriate to use in both engines. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Kent



I use Mobil 1 0W-40 in my 2004 BMW 530i with the m54 engine and it has 218,000 miles on and I've never done any real work on it other than valve cover gasket and Vanos seals once.

I also have an older e30 325i convertible with very high miles (300,000+) with original engine, same oil, zero issues.

It sounds crazy for BMWs with all that I read here and there about their issues, but I've had extremely good experience over 10 + years with Mobil 1 0w-40.
 
Yup, as others have said run the same oil in both cars. They're the same engine family, pump, bearing design etc.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: kentd98
The '94 325i only has 81k miles and the '99 528i only has 106k.
smile.gif


That should be right about when everything starts to break, if it hasn't already
wink.gif



MT cars are a huge advantage as miles pile on..... less maintenance
try Red Line MTL in the gearboxes!
 
Last edited:
I would run 0W40 in both cars. Simple.

Quote:
The fan exploding is usually from bad motor mounts.


It could be. I recently changed my motor mounts and the clutch fans aligns much better with the shroud. Previously the engine was sitting low on the old mounts.

I'm not sure about the E39 but for the E46 the manuals don't have a fan clutch. Only electric.

I also believe the plastic water pump exploding is not from the plastic but from the bearings failing and the impeller hitting the housing. The one pros of the plastic water pump is if it explodes it won't destroy the water pump housing. I've seen someone install an aftermarket metal impeller pump, have it fail, and the metal impeller damaged the water pump housing. Sometimes you think you're outsmarting the manufacturer, but you're not.
 
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