96 BMW 750iL Castrol GTX 10W/40

[Redcat]

UOA by Blackstone Laboratories.

Miles on Oil: 7,365
Miles on Unit: 50,126
Sample Date: 12/15/06
0 Quarts added, 8.5 quart oil capacity.

Driving is normally 20 miles commute one way, stop'n'go part of the commute, with some speeds up to 60. Some longer trips as well.

Aluminum: 7
Chromium: 0
Iron: 6
Copper: 3
Lead: 3
Tin: 2
Molybdenum: 4
Nickel: 1
Manganese: 2
Silver: 0
Titanium: 0
Potassium: 0
Boron: 0
Silicon: 4
Sodium: 9
Calcium: 2037
Magnesium: 23
Phosphorus: 660
Zinc: 784
Barium: 0

SUS Viscosity @ 210F: 66.5
Flashpoint: 3555
Fuel: 1.0
Antifreeze: 0.0
Water: 0.0
Insolubles: 0.5

Fuel % was high due to driving up on ramps to change oil. TBN was 2.5. Viscosity was still okay, and insoluables were a little higher than normal. Aluminium a little higher than normal.

 

[77GrandPrix]

Look at that, good results from a dino oil on a 7400 mile OCI. And that oil doesn't have any moly or boron.

 

[farrarfan1]

Impressive flashpoint.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Flashpoint typo...whoops...I am sure it's 355. Those 8.5 qt sumps really do the trick. 7K will keep your TBN in the right area.

 

[moribundman]

Quote:

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Fuel % was high due to driving up on ramps to change oil.

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wrong ramp

 

[d00df00d]

Are you kidding me? I'm sitting here wondering whether to use Amsoil Series 2000 or German Castrol in my pedestrian V6-powered Japanese econobox, and your German V12 luxury sedan is making these numbers on dino?

Months of work... Destroyed...

 

[TeeDub]

This oil sheared pretty badly...

I'd recommend a Group II based, 15w-40 like Chevron Delo 400 instead of a 10w-40, especially for warmer weather. For cold weather, a 5w-40 Group III based synthetic would be fairly cheap to use.

You have excellent air filtration here, which is the key to upper engine wear.

TD

 

[yannis]

Quote:

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with some speeds up to 60.

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If this isn't easy for any oil then what??

 

[windnsea00]

If your staying with dino oil go for a 15w40 (Chevron Delo is a good one). For synthetic a 0w40/5w40 (Amsoil, Lubro Moly or Mobil 1) or Castrol 0w30 or even BMW's 5w30 pulls pretty good UOA's.

 

[Redcat]

TeeDub: What makes you say it sheared?

I've switched to 0w40 Mobil 1. I did the UOA to because I wanted to see if I had done any damaged to the engine with the extended oil changed interval.

The flashpoint is 355, not 3555. Typo.

The commute has some speeds up to 60, but it is Seattle area traffic, so there are times in which I am going 5-15mph for 1/2 hour or more. The longer distance driving goes faster than 60 as the speed limit allows.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

It's got to be with this number "SUS Viscosity @ 210F: 66.5" it will be interesting to see what this means? TeeDub....learn us please

 

[dave1251]

I would not worry about this shearing. Look at his wear numbers this did not effect him. About the fuel dilution it also did not affect wear. But I would keep an eye on it. But also this was an 7.5 K run. Also I am an amateur not a professional.

 

[AndyH]

Quote:

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It's got to be with this number "SUS Viscosity @ 210F: 66.5" it will be interesting to see what this means? TeeDub....learn us please

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Yup, it sheared down from 74.8 SUS @ 210° F (according to Castrol's spec sheet) to 66.5 SUS @ 210° F.

 

[MC5W20]

Castrol GTX rules!!!! Is 10w40 the recomended weight by your OEM? I wonder if Syntec Blend would outperform this????

 

[Max_Wander]

We once owned a 91 750iL V12. Before we had any idea about proper viscosity selections I used GTX 20w50! :crushed: Even on the 20w50, we managed to get upwards of 24mpg highway on long road trips!

 

[Jim Allen]

I'd say this relatively inexpensive dino oil did pretty well, given the OCI and the driving conditions (I've been in Seattle traffic... it's less than ideal). It sheared down from a light 40wt down to a thick 30wt in 7300 miles... so what? It still had plenty of additive left and the wear metals were good. C'mon, Castrol haters! Be big enough to say it did good and let's move on!

 

[Redcat]

The 10w/40 is the manufacturers recommended oil. I don't know of Castrol GTX is the recommended manufacturer, but it worked extremely well.

I'd also say that I enjoy the car and driving it, so I'm not babying the car by any means.

Thanks for all the comments so far,
Mike

 

[TeeDub]

Mike,

You might try the SAE 15w-40, Castrol HDEO in this motor if you're happy with the Castrol products. I think it will be more shear stable and the slight reduction in cold temp pumpability won't be an issue with the Seattle climate.

Another excellent UOA from a BMW motor - now if the Germans could only build electrical systems that work.

TD

 

[docvb]

Heck, with almost an 8+ qt. sump and a cartridge filter the size of a fire extinguisher, the numbers should be great!

The BMWs of that era were OK with Mineral oils although they typcially recommended higher viscosities for summer temperatures.

Those V12's were basically 2 3.0L I-6's with a common crank: 2 separate computers, MAF, etc. These were the first drive by motor motors in production!

 

[T-Stick]

Its obvious to all the non-biased that GTX did very well. The fluctuating speeds associated with driving in city traffic is typically considered a "severe driving" category. In light of this the oil did very well. What is your recommended "severe driving" OCI?

When I posted results of using GTX in my 3.6L Tacoma, some of the Castrol nay-sayers said it only proved how good Toyota's motors were. However when I asked for a significantly superior report from a synthetic in the same motor for the same mileage (7.5K), there were none to be found. Some "synthetic promoting" respondants/salesmen then said that UOAs could not be used to draw any definitive conclusions on the quality of an oil.

For most driving conditions using the manufacturer's recommended OCIs, it is hard to quantify a synthetic advantage since mineral oils have been improved so much.