'82 BMW 733i M30 - Which Oil

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Have an '82 BMW 733i (E23) with the vaunted M30 engine running on L-Jet so it's an early version of the E23. I'm needing to change the oil because I picked it up as a project that wasn't running and there was a ton of troubleshooting that probably resulted in a good amount of fuel getting in to the sump. Everything runs fairly well now and I think it's time for fresh oil. BMW of course shows to run 20W50 in the climate that I'm in--Coastal Bend of South Texas-- which mean high heat, high humidity in summer time, and occasional freezes in the winter, say around mid to high 20s.

I'd prefer to stick to oils available OTC from Walmart unless there's an overwhelming reason to use something else. The oils available at my Walmart that I'm considering are Supertech 20W50 Conventional, Castrol GTX 20W50, Mobil Delvac 15W40, and Rotella T4 15W40. I don't feel a terrible need for using an HDEO being that my engine is low mileage and really clean inside, but I'm not opposed to it.

Out of these, which would you all use in a clean, not terribly leaky M30? Any other oils that I should be considering? Perhaps Valvoline VR1 which I can also get locally at AZ or Oreilly? Would prefer to stick with a conventional as I don't feel a need for a synthetic in this application given how I'll be using it though.
 
I'm not opposed to potentially using some sort of 10W40 oil as well if anyone have opinions for or against that.
 
My vote goes to the Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 CK-4/SN. It carries a ton of OEM specs and unlike the Rotella it's dual-rated.

A 20W-50 is OK, but it's unnecessarily thick, has more VII than a 15W-40, and doesn't carry any OEM specs.
 
Not the same as yours but I had an '87 325 and the owners manual was more concerned with the HTHS of the oil than the grade used. Long time ago but if I remember correctly the recommended HTHS was 3.5 or higher.
 
I ran nothing but Rotella 15W-40 in mine.

Perform a valve adjustment and install new updated spray bar bolts or drill yours for safety wire.

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How about qsad or pyb 20W50? I'm sure you can order them site to store from Walmart. Mobil 1 15W50 if you want a synth?
 
Old Car, low miles, 20w50 high mileage with a seal seller My '83 533i ran great but the valve seals are shot. The top oiler needs to be secured .as Roofless VW mentioned. A buddy called her 733i, the Bavarian Mare. Supertech or anything you buy @ WM will be fine.
 
I've been using 10w-40 (Mobil conventional from Walmart) in my 1988 e30 325i with the M20 engine for about 10 years now and engine has run great, still no leaks. I think the engines are very similar. I'd imagine an HDEO 15w-40 would be fine too, but may not be helpful if the engine is already pretty clean.
 
15W-40. This is no place for a SN/SN Plus rated 20W-50. The reason why so many older German cars can get away with an SM/SN 20W-50 is the higher NOACK/HTHS number.
 
The M20 in my e30 is very similar to the M30 in your 7 series.
That being said, I'd recommend Rotella T4 15w40 as it has additional Zinc these old solid lifter engines need.
Other oils may be thick enough, but don't have the higher levels of additives (when considering a dino oil).
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Originally Posted by nthach
15W-40. This is no place for a SN/SN Plus rated 20W-50. The reason why so many older German cars can get away with an SM/SN 20W-50 is the higher NOACK/HTHS number.

A modern 20W-50 will do just fine in the OP's engine.

I'm wondering what you think would be so detrimental.
 
Originally Posted by JAG
That's quite the classic car. How will it be driven, such as length of trips and how easy or hard?


Long enough trips to warm up the oil. No short trips. Not going to be tracking it so it won't be driven terribly hard.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I ran nothing but Rotella 15W-40 in mine.

Perform a valve adjustment and install new updated spray bar bolts or drill yours for safety wire.

[Linked Image]



Lovely E23 you got there. How many miles? Mine is sitting around 75k.

I've done two valve adjustments on mine already. The second was just for good measure after I ran it a bit and went through a few hot/cold cycles. Adjusted the valves on the cam side because of potential wear on the valve side and it has that nice, sowing machine sound. Idle isn't entirely silky smooth, but it could just be old electronics or something. Don't have another L-Jet car easily accessible to compare how they're supposed to run...only have a buddy with a mototronic system. Also, checked the spray bar bolts and they were good to go.
 
Originally Posted by andyd
Old Car, low miles, 20w50 high mileage with a seal seller My '83 533i ran great but the valve seals are shot. The top oiler needs to be secured .as Roofless VW mentioned. A buddy called her 733i, the Bavarian Mare. Supertech or anything you buy @ WM will be fine.


It is for this reason (seal sealer for old rubber parts) that I may consider a 10W40 high mileage oil.

How do high mileage oils compare to HDEOs in terms of seal rejuvenation?
 
So essentially I'm looking for a high mileage with seal conditioners and thick enough for these older BMW engines. ZDDP levels above 800 I presume should be more than adequate for a stock engine like mine?
 
Originally Posted by TXCarGeek


Lovely E23 you got there. How many miles? Mine is sitting around 75k.

I've done two valve adjustments on mine already. The second was just for good measure after I ran it a bit and went through a few hot/cold cycles. Adjusted the valves on the cam side because of potential wear on the valve side and it has that nice, sowing machine sound. Idle isn't entirely silky smooth, but it could just be old electronics or something. Don't have another L-Jet car easily accessible to compare how they're supposed to run...only have a buddy with a mototronic system. Also, checked the spray bar bolts and they were good to go.

I sold it a few years back. Maybe about 100k miles?

It never idled perfectly either. Sounds like you've got a handle on your car; they're wonderful machines.
 
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