1994 BMW 530i Oil

[kschachn]

I bought a 1994 BMW 530i for my teenage daughter to drive around. A friend (who has numerous BMWs of various ages and conditions) sold it to me for a cheap price. There is some body rust (the usual door rust) but the transmission is freshly rebuilt and the engine was replaced under the old BMW campaign. So mechanically it's in pretty good shape. I currently own two Toyotas and one Honda so this is my first real experience with a BMW.

Anyway, I see in the BMW owner's manual that they list quite a variety of engine oil viscosities depending on the temperature. My friend runs Mobil 1 5w30 year-round, he says it's fine. I found some other Internet lore to support that, some people suggest 0W-40 instead. It does seem as though the general consensus is that you don't have to run the heavy oils that BMW suggests for this engine, but I thought I would throw this out and see if anyone had any comments.

5w30 is of course attractive cause Wal-Mart has the 5-quart jugs for $21, you can't beat it. Plus that's what I run in all the other cars. But if 0W-40 is more appropriate then I will buy it. Just wondering what any owners of old BMWs think.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Shell Rotella T6 5w-40, $19/gallon at Walmart.

 

[5sfe91]

Whats your OCI?

 

[Russell]

I like 10w40 synthetic oil in my 525i. I am going to use Lubro-moly 10w40 with M0s2 this week.

That said, I have had good luck with Castrol 5w50 syntec and heavy oil like valvoline Maxlife 20w50 blend. My car disliked Mobil 1 0w40 as it was very noisy.

 

[CATERHAM]

Yes any light 5w30 like Mobil 1 is fine for the type of driving your daughter is likely to do.
If she is going to do predominately short trips in the winter you could consider Mobil 1 0w30 if you can get it cheap.

 

[JHZR2]

+1 on rotella 5w-40.

Mobil 1 5w30 is WRONG for a BMW and shouldnt be used anywhere near it. For that car, id be looking for ACEA A3, and if it met BMW LL-98 or -01, it wouldbe a plus but no biggie. Mobil 1 0w-40 and GC 0w30 come to mind as good bets.

 

[mechtech2]

German cars, especially of that era, spec'd a bit thicker oil than most other cars.
5-30 is not horrible, as it has proven itself in that car. Oils are much better now with regards to shearing and getting thinner with use.
But a 5-40 is more like it - maybe 15-40 in summer. You want a low first number for good cold flow and good starting [Milwaukee winters!].

 

[fdcg27]

In that era, BMW still recommended fairly thick grades.
I'd use a 15w40 in warm weather, and maybe a 10W-40 over the winter.
BMW actually recommended (in my OM) a 15W-X or 20W-X down to surprsingly low temperatures.
According to BMW, you were good to go at below zero F with a 15w40.
I think that this was based upon the oils then available, and was not optimal.
Nonetheless, this engine probably needs more than a 5w30 in anything above sub-zero temperatures.
At least BMW thought so.

 

[kschachn]

Exactly. Anyway, I went with the Mobil 1 0W-40 as that is what Mobil recommended on their website. Seems good enough for me, it's got the BMW Longlife spec and A3. I could have gone with Castrol 0w30 just the same since there's an Autozone near my house, and I used to use it in my 1MZ-FE.

Thanks for the suggestions. I feel pretty good about the 0W-40. Oh and no noise on startup, I'll listen to it as time goes on.


Originally Posted By: fdcg27
In that era, BMW still recommended fairly thick grades.
I'd use a 15w40 in warm weather, and maybe a 10W-40 over the winter.
BMW actually recommended (in my OM) a 15W-X or 20W-X down to surprisingly low temperatures.
According to BMW, you were good to go at below zero F with a 15w40.
I think that this was based upon the oils then available, and was not optimal.
Nonetheless, this engine probably needs more than a 5w30 in anything above sub-zero temperatures.
At least BMW thought so.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synthetic for year round use- this would be a good place to start. Good bang for the buck. Mobil 1 0W-40 costs more and not really necessary in that old of an engine. (There was no LL-98 or LL-01) But as long as consumption is not high and engine is quiet, I would not hesitate to continue using it if the cost does not bother you. In the summer you could easily use a mineral 15w40 HDEO and save a few bucks each summer. Maxlife 10W-40/20W-50 does really well in these engines, too.

 

[kschachn]

Yes, 0W-40 is expensive even at Wal-Mart, especially when compared to the 5-qt jugs of 5w30. I think that the next time I will use the Rotalla T6.

I get kinda carried away with oil even in a 16 year old car with body rust. It's a disease I think.

 

[Russell]

Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Rotella T6 5W-40 Full Synthetic for year round use- this would be a good place to start. Good bang for the buck. Mobil 1 0W-40 costs more and not really necessary in that old of an engine. (There was no LL-98 or LL-01) But as long as consumption is not high and engine is quiet, I would not hesitate to continue using it if the cost does not bother you. In the summer you could easily use a mineral 15w40 HDEO and save a few bucks each summer. Maxlife 10W-40/20W-50 does really well in these engines, too.


I currently have maxlife 20w50 blend in my 95 BMW 525i and it seems to do well.

 

[kschachn]

FWIW I have been using T6 for the past year or more and it appears to be doing well. I don't want to spend the money for a used oil analysis, I mean "working well" in that it doesn't burn a lot between OCIs and the metal parts you can see through the fill hole are spotless - and I mean like shiny new metal spotless. Even better than it looked when I got the car from my friend. I have to replace the valve cover gaskets soon and then I can get a good look at the inside. But from what I can see this engine is clean.

What a money pit this car has been on everything else though. It leaked fluids like a sieve, I replaced all the pan gaskets and all the differential seals. That helped a lot. But not until I found a blown "non-return valve" (a fancy BMW PCV valve) did I find the cause of most of the oil leakage. I had to take the intake manifold off to replace the water pump (which started out as a bad alternator journey) and when I did that I found oil everywhere in the valley pan.

Besides the water pump and alternator, it has needed a new heater core, new A/C condenser and compressor (awesome score on Amazon, $113 for a new Denso compressor), two new window regulators and one new motor, a new wiper transmission and motor, a new blower motor, and of course about a million plastic do-dads and whatnots. Every time you even think about touching a plastic clip or bracket it disintegrates due to being 17 years old. Oh plus four new knock sensors. And did I mention new struts and shocks and tires? I've had the complete interior out including the instrument panel and heater box. Plus brakes all around.

The upside is that it is running great and it's a lot of fun to drive, it still looks good even with 17-year old styling.

 

[chevman4life]

My dad had a 92 325i and it was a great running car, fun to drive, but at 125k it was in the shop more than on the road. We sold it needing shocks, struts, tuneup, A/C work, power window motors, and a radio. The engine ran strong as if only 25k, but the really sad part is, we sold the car in 1998(only 6 yrs old). BMW makes great driving cars, but after 100k you gotta have a deep pocket book.

 

[Russell]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
FWIW I have been using T6 for the past year or more and it appears to be doing well. I don't want to spend the money for a used oil analysis, I mean "working well" in that it doesn't burn a lot between OCIs and the metal parts you can see through the fill hole are spotless - and I mean like shiny new metal spotless. Even better than it looked when I got the car from my friend. I have to replace the valve cover gaskets soon and then I can get a good look at the inside. But from what I can see this engine is clean.

What a money pit this car has been on everything else though. It leaked fluids like a sieve, I replaced all the pan gaskets and all the differential seals. That helped a lot. But not until I found a blown "non-return valve" (a fancy BMW PCV valve) did I find the cause of most of the oil leakage. I had to take the intake manifold off to replace the water pump (which started out as a bad alternator journey) and when I did that I found oil everywhere in the valley pan.

Besides the water pump and alternator, it has needed a new heater core, new A/C condenser and compressor (awesome score on Amazon, $113 for a new Denso compressor), two new window regulators and one new motor, a new wiper transmission and motor, a new blower motor, and of course about a million plastic do-dads and whatnots. Every time you even think about touching a plastic clip or bracket it disintegrates due to being 17 years old. Oh plus four new knock sensors. And did I mention new struts and shocks and tires? I've had the complete interior out including the instrument panel and heater box. Plus brakes all around.

The upside is that it is running great and it's a lot of fun to drive, it still looks good even with 17-year old styling.


BMW V8 engines cost more money to maintain than the 6 cylinder engine. All the engine related items you mentioned is the main reason. If your list did not include a radiator expect one soon. Mine at 207,000 miles is on its third radiator. However that may because the six has a diff expansion tank design.

AllI can say I like my BMW and do not plan on replacing it.

 

[kschachn]

Yeah, no radiator yet but it was replaced by the previous owner when he hit a deer. So it isn't as old as the car.

But I did replace all the rad and heater hoses (there are like 9 total). I've never seen a heater core that had three connections before, it is so much like the rest of the car. If on most vehicles one or two is good, BMW likes three. I flushed out all the unknown coolant and put in BMW blue, hopefully that will help things last.

The alternator failed by putting a parasitic draw on the battery of 4 amps. I found that numerous and varied insects had made quite a nest in the air duct and diode assembly of the alternator, they were crispy fried - as was the whole alternator.

All I can say is that I'm happy it's not dripping fluid onto my driveway or garage floor anymore. Right now at least it is dry as a bone except for the slight leak from the valve cover gaskets.

 

[Russell]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Yeah, no radiator yet but it was replaced by the previous owner when he hit a deer. So it isn't as old as the car.

But I did replace all the rad and heater hoses (there are like 9 total). I've never seen a heater core that had three connections before, it is so much like the rest of the car. If on most vehicles one or two is good, BMW likes three. I flushed out all the unknown coolant and put in BMW blue, hopefully that will help things last.

The alternator failed by putting a parasitic draw on the battery of 4 amps. I found that numerous and varied insects had made quite a nest in the air duct and diode assembly of the alternator, they were crispy fried - as was the whole alternator.

All I can say is that I'm happy it's not dripping fluid onto my driveway or garage floor anymore. Right now at least it is dry as a bone except for the slight leak from the valve cover gaskets.


There are three hoses to the heater core as the heater core is really seperate heating and cool functions for each side of the car. Even Camry has this function now. Bet it is a simpler desighn.

Don't forget the complex heater control valve with the aux water pump. These can fail! My aux water pump failed and dumped coolant under the car whaere it hard to tell where it was coming from. German over engineering. How would Steve Jobs design a car?

 

[hpichris]

Had a 1991 BMW 535i and ran Shell Rotella T6 all day long on that car. Till the day I sold it. I still miss it. QP is right. Go to WalMart and get a jug of T6.

 

[Merkava_4]

BMW's like Castrol GTX 10W-40.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

BMW 10w-40 can be bought at the dealerships for around $6/bottle.