BMW adds 5w30 to M engines oil list

[e46e92love]

Can someone please tell me what this "oil temp timer" is? Are people just using that to refer to the temp gauge or the rpm limit gauge?

Thanks!!!

Cheers,
e46e92

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by e46e92love

Can someone please tell me what this "oil temp timer" is? Are people just using that to refer to the temp gauge or the rpm limit gauge?

Thanks!!!

Cheers,
e46e92

Referring to the oil level display. Once the car is warm enough the display will go from --- to a timer showing that is is calculating the oil level. This timer only appears when the oil is at operating temp, usually around half way between the quarter marker and 210.

However, I have found this to only work when starting the car after a prolonged period like overnight. I have noticed that if I start the car after maybe an hour or so of sitting, the timer will come on quickly while the actual temp gauge is below the quarter marker.

[e46e92love]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Referring to the oil level display. Once the car is warm enough the display will go from --- to a timer showing that is is calculating the oil level. This timer only appears when the oil is at operating temp, usually around half way between the quarter marker and 210.

However, I have found this to only work when starting the car after a prolonged period like overnight. I have noticed that if I start the car after maybe an hour or so of sitting, the timer will come on quickly while the actual temp gauge is below the quarter marker.

Oh.....and I thought I knew everything about this car, I was wondering what algorithm it was following as to when it would show the oil level, just thought it had to be a little warm, not that it had to he at operating temp and that was the intention of BMW to indicate that oil was at operating temp.

Thanks!!!!

Cheers,
e46e92

[jphughan]

Sorry to resurrect this, but I felt this was worth mentioning for everyone who interpreted BMWNA's site to mean that 5W-30 or even any BMW LL-01 oil was approved for the M3. That page has been taken down entirely. The link in the first post of this thread now goes nowhere, and Google only turns up a few old PDFs that have oil information, but nothing that's linked from the site itself and no actual webpages. Meanwhile, the latest M3 Service and Warranty booklet, available from BMWNA here, says that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.

[regular guy]

Originally Posted by jphughan

Sorry to resurrect this, but I felt this was worth mentioning for everyone who interpreted BMWNA's site to mean that 5W-30 or even any BMW LL-01 oil was approved for the M3. That page has been taken down entirely. The link in the first post of this thread now goes nowhere, and Google only turns up a few old PDFs that have oil information, but nothing that's linked from the site itself and no actual webpages. Meanwhile, the latest M3 Service and Warranty booklet, available from BMWNA here, says that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.

I've known about this for a few weeks now. To me it sounds like BMW-NA got the smack down from BMW-AG. How dare they have an independent thought to stop the carnage.

[Kurt_OH]

Originally Posted by FogCityM3

The 5w-40 seems to have a little higher viscocity at higher temps vs the 5w-30.

Of course it does; that info is part of the name. 5w-40 will ALWAYS be thicker at high temp than 5w-30, and they'll be effectively the same at low temp.

Note that this DOES NOT mean the oil has a viscocity of 40 or 30 or 5. It means the oil has the same viscocity at low (W) or high (no letter) test temp, as an oil of the specified viscocity. So at 212F, your 5W-40 oil is the same viscocity as a straight 40 weight oil would have at that temp. Probably around 10.

It wouldn't surprise me at all that for mild street driving, the 0-40, at least in a full synthetic, is best. For tracked cars, likely experiencing higher oil temps, and only running when hot out, I'd select the 10W-60.

I'm still under warranty, so I'm running only the BMW supplied, recommended oil.

[V1.47fan]

From Blackstone

Which Viscosity to Use?
Engine owners often stray from manufacturers' recommendations regarding viscosity of oils. The engine builders dyno-test their engines using a specific viscosity oil, so when you use the viscosity they recommend, you are working with a known result. Going to another viscosity is an experiment, but it's usually a harmless one. For the sake of efficiency you want to run the lightest grade oil in your engine possible, within limits. We are seeing that trend for newer engines, for which the recommended grade is getting progressively lighter. The common 10W/30 has become a 5W/30, and some manufacturers even recommend 5W/20 oil. On the other hand, we can't see (in oil analysis) where it hurts anything to run heavier 10W/30s or even 10W/40s in modern automotive engines. The heavier oils provide more bearing film, and that's important at the lower end. If your oil is too light, the bearing metals can increase. If the oil is too heavy, the upper end metals can increase. The trick is to find the right viscosity for your particular engine, which is why we suggest following the manufacturer's recommendation.

[gatorfast]

^uh, read the sentence right after that...

[JRV]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

^uh, read the sentence right after that...

Folks are experiencing issues with the lower end, rod bearings. The next sentence is moot since we don't have this probable issue on the top end running TWS.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by JRV

Folks are experiencing issues with the lower end, rod bearings. The next sentence is moot since we don't have this probable issue on the top end running TWS.

True but the whole thing he posted was written in a very general sense and is not a rule of thumb. If taken litterally you would think that every engine should run the heaviest oil available since it protects better.

[JRV]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

True but the whole thing he posted was written in a very general sense and is not a rule of thumb. If taken litterally you would think that every engine should run the heaviest oil available since it protects better.

Pretty sure I read somewhere Dinan didn't feel comfortable with the OEM clearance on their builds and end up mixing and matching shells to get the clearance they want. Kind of tells us something.