BMW V8 Oil Consumption Fix

[doc540]

sorry if it's been covered

cliff notes:

1. I'm on my 15th BMW and this is my LAST V8 (buying their straight 6's from here on out)
2. Factory engineering and design flaw causes valve guide seals to leak
3. Often (on many V8 engines beginning with the M60 and continuing) by 50k miles oil consumption is 1qt per 1k miles.
4. Significant smoke puff occurs on startup or after idling when warm
5. Regardless of who does it (or if they have the helpful guide tool kit), valve guide seal replacement is expensive.

Decision:
a. sell the car asap "as is" with 80k?
b. sink thousands into repair
c. keep searching for "Plan C"

The FIX:
Change to TOTAL Quartz Racing 10w-50 oil

Result: ***YOURS MAY VARY****
1. No smoke
2. Oil consumption less than 1/2qt per 1k miles

Didn't really want to sell it.

 

[RooflessVW]

I've seen LM Motor Oil Saver work as well.

Glad you found something that works for you. Nice car!

Unfortunately there are really only two options - sell the car as is and take a hit or have the car repaired and take a hit.

 

[kschachn]

Out of everything that goes wrong with my old M60, oil consumption is not one of them. Incessant oil leaks? Sure. Cooling system failures? Regularly. Crummy plastics used for just about everything? Yes, a repair job often costs just as much for plastic bits and brackets as it does for the part that is being replaced. But oil consumption? Not at all yet, that car burns less oil than any of my others. It's about a quart every 7000 miles depending on how it is being driven.

Right now I'm just about ready to pull the transmission out so I can fix the coolant leak on the back side of the engine. I didn't even know that plate was there to be honest.

 

[edwardh1]

germans must not want to fix it.
vw ignored rabbitts oil consumption in the late 70s til some US regulatory agency FORCED them to fix it at factory cost, as engines were locking up at speed.
sounds like the same issue.
many Toyotas do not burn oil

 

[doc540]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I've seen LM Motor Oil Saver work as well.

Glad you found something that works for you. Nice car!

Unfortunately there are really only two options - sell the car as is and take a hit or have the car repaired and take a hit.


I posted the third option that fixed it.

 

[doc540]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Out of everything that goes wrong with my old M60, oil consumption is not one of them. Incessant oil leaks? Sure. Cooling system failures? Regularly. Crummy plastics used for just about everything? Yes, a repair job often costs just as much for plastic bits and brackets as it does for the part that is being replaced. But oil consumption? Not at all yet, that care burns less oil than any of my others. It's about a quart every 7000 miles depending on how it is being driven.

Right now I'm just about ready to pull the transmission out so I can fix the coolant leak on the back side of the engine. I didn't even know that plate was there to be honest.


First V8, M60, 80+k, not a single problem except speed enforcement

 

[kschachn]

Awesome, it looks great at that age.

Here is mine, do not look too close or you will see the flaws:

 

[Zee09]

Change to TOTAL Quartz Racing 10w-50 oil


I'm a huge fan of their oils- all grades
Slick as wet ice too!

 

[Zee09]

Nice cars, guys!!!

 

[doc540]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Awesome, it looks great at that age.

Here is mine, do not look too close or you will see the flaws


Great driver, flog it till it dies.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: doc540
I posted the third option that fixed it.

For now***

It may work for a while, may work forever. Only one way to find out.

 

[doc540]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: doc540
I posted the third option that fixed it.

For now***

It may work for a while, may work forever. Only one way to find out.


This is quite true.

The factory techs told me the subject of V8 valve guide problems is being discussed frequently when they gather at BMW training events.

Both said the common consensus is TOTAL is at least diminishing the problem enough so owners can live with it.

The car (for the money) is a total beast to drive and off the showroom in 2008 ran low 13's. Ten years ago that was fairly quick.

Highway passing from 65/75 to 100+ is the norm today. Gotta be alert, gnome sayin'?

 

[Dave1027]

Originally Posted By: doc540

1. I'm on my 15th BMW and this is my LAST V8 (buying their straight 6's from here on out)
2. Factory engineering and design flaw causes valve guide seals to leak
3. Often (on many V8 engines beginning with the M60 and continuing) by 50k miles oil consumption is 1qt per 1k miles.
4. Significant smoke puff occurs on startup or after idling when warm
5. Regardless of who does it (or if they have the helpful guide tool kit), valve guide seal replacement is expensive.


I have one of BMW's straight 6's (M54). The thing does not burn drop of oil. I have never had to add any between oil changes and I sometimes go 10k miles. I know some M54's do burn oil but it's through the rings not the valve guides. I wonder why those guide/seals are so different?

 

[Camprunner]

Instead of paying big $ on that special oil maybe try one of the over the counter oil additives? Who knows what one but maybe one will somehow cut down on the oil consumption?

 

[Audios]

All German Auto makes a kit so that you dont need to remove the heads to change out the stem seals. I believe it turns a 5-6k job into about 2, however these cars are not known for great relaibility and long term longevity without alot of maintenance. Assuming you have sport package, you probably have the active sway bar with a motor in the middle that leaks fluid and overheats constantly. Also if you havent heard, the alternator bracket seal go bad, another nightmare 10-12 hour job to change a 30$ gasket. Do what I did, dont buy any BMW newer than 2006, stick with the older, cheaper to fix, mostly less complicated cars. Any 06 and up will have a minimum of 50 control modules, run flat tires, programming issues, oil leaks etc. The list goes on.

 

[wings&wheels]

beautiful cars all...

To the OP, buy TOTAL by the case and enjoy the heck out of car.


Oil consumption, unless excessive and this isnt't it, just never concerned me. Maybe its my choice of vehicles, but I look at oil levels as something you check routinely w/ a dipstick or otherwise, and top up as needed.

 

[doc540]

EDIT: TOTAL 10w-60

Yes, I mentioned the "kit" in my first post. No one locally does the job using the "kit". Even so, I didn't want to put another $2k into the car before trying the TOTAL oil fix which worked.

No, we don't keep our cars much past 75k miles. Knowing about the oil smoke problem I wouldn't sell it "as is" to another owner anyway. I would have to disclose it which would diminish the value too much.

Yes, I bought an 18qt case. Just my opinion, but 5qts in 5k miles is too much to me. None of the previous 14 BMW's I've owned didn't consume anywhere near this much oil.

No, I didn't want to dump an unknown additive into my engine. I took the advice of a lifelong friend and BMW dealership tech.

Thanks

 

[toneydoc]

That auto looks beautiful in that photo

If she were mine, she would get a quart of Mobil 1 every thousand miles to keep her full
and I would DRIVE it

Who really gives a [censored] if it burns a little oil? Not me

 

[doc540]

Originally Posted By: toneydoc
That auto looks beautiful in that photo

If she were mine, she would get a quart of Mobil 1 every thousand miles to keep her full
and I would DRIVE it

Who really gives a [censored] if it burns a little oil? Not me


"4. Significant smoke puff occurs on startup or after idling when warm"

Some people don't like leaving clouds of oil smoke from a car that nice.

 

[RooflessVW]

Total 10W-60?

Makes a little more sense - that's an awesome oil. Great price on Amazon per case as well.