BMW X1 / N20 2.0L Turbo - what oil ?

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My N54 BMW engine has a thermostat in line with the oil cooler. I read a long thread that advised against removing or modifying it, as the high oil temps reduced the fuel dilution in the oil. Maybe the N20 doesn't have a thermostat, but if it did wouldn't the engine oil temps be controlled by it?
 
Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
My N54 BMW engine has a thermostat in line with the oil cooler. I read a long thread that advised against removing or modifying it, as the high oil temps reduced the fuel dilution in the oil. Maybe the N20 doesn't have a thermostat, but if it did wouldn't the engine oil temps be controlled by it?

Why would you remove thermostat? Unless you are referring to overheating issues on N54?
 
High oil temps. It runs over 200F. I have heard they will overheat with track use. I have a larger oil cooler, but due to the thermostat I still see those temps. My understanding is that the additional cooling capacity of the larger oil cooler, will allow it to maintain this range. I was trying to understand an earlier posters comment about seeing reduced oil temps with RL. Wouldn't his thermostat just regulate the temp? Maybe the N20 doesn't have an oil cooler, but from what I've seen these turbo motors make a lot of heat. My M50 engine never gets oil temps near 200F and it doesn't even have an external oil cooler. Not sure if it has an oil cooler at all. I get uncomfortable with oil temps around 250. But I guess BMW engineers knew what they were doing.
 
Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
High oil temps. It runs over 200F. I have heard they will overheat with track use. I have a larger oil cooler, but due to the thermostat I still see those temps. My understanding is that the additional cooling capacity of the larger oil cooler, will allow it to maintain this range. I was trying to understand an earlier posters comment about seeing reduced oil temps with RL. Wouldn't his thermostat just regulate the temp? Maybe the N20 doesn't have an oil cooler, but from what I've seen these turbo motors make a lot of heat. My M50 engine never gets oil temps near 200F and it doesn't even have an external oil cooler. Not sure if it has an oil cooler at all. I get uncomfortable with oil temps around 250. But I guess BMW engineers knew what they were doing.

Of course it will have thermostat. Thermostat will allow faster warming up=higher MPG.
That is why I asked you about N54, because I know they had issues on the track.
I would try RL (although should not oil temp be higher then 200f?). RL because of its base stock will transfer heat faster then GrIII oil or GTL oil. You can try that if you track car, or Motul V300 etc.
 
Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
So if it has a thermostat, why would you see lower oil temps? Wouldn't the thermostat regulate the oil temp?

Nope. Thermostat will regulate coolant temperature. Coolant will cool off oil in heat exchanger in addition to oil cooler.
However, oil can take much more heat then coolant, so 200f for oil is nothing.
As for lower oil temperature, better base will allow oil to exchange heat faster with surrounding. Try running heavier oil to increase pressure. Although that on itself will create more heat, more pressure will offset that and provide bit better cooling.
In N54 I would run Castrol 0W40.
 
I thought the water thermostat would regulate the water temp, and the oil thermostat would regulate the oil temp. On the N54 there is a thermostat in line with the oil cooler. I'm guessing the factory set point is ~220F since that's where it settles out at.
 
Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
I thought the water thermostat would regulate the water temp, and the oil thermostat would regulate the oil temp. On the N54 there is a thermostat in line with the oil cooler. I'm guessing the factory set point is ~220F since that's where it settles out at.

Yeah it will set at 220f, but that does not mean it will not go up in track use or hard driving.
Thermostat is there to prevent cooling in the beginning in order to warm up engine faster=better MPG, less wear on engine.
So, I am not sure what is problem you have?
 
I am trying to u get stand an earlier posters comment about seeing cooler oil temps with RL. If I understand how the system works, the oil thermostat will regulate the oil temp. Regardless of some better oil brand thermal charecteristics, the engine oil temp will remain the same at normal operating temp. Maybe if you exceed the thermal capacity of the system, a given oil will run cooler, but I don't think that's what the OP was referring to. D
 
Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
Maybe if you exceed the thermal capacity of the system, a given oil will run cooler


Exactly. The thermal capacity of the oil cooling system is much less than that of the engine cooling system. It isn't necessarily designed to keep oil temps at a set temperature, per se (like the engine cooling system), but to slow/reduce the rise of oil temps above what is considered "optimal".
 
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Originally Posted By: AndySantoro
I am trying to u get stand an earlier posters comment about seeing cooler oil temps with RL. If I understand how the system works, the oil thermostat will regulate the oil temp. Regardless of some better oil brand thermal charecteristics, the engine oil temp will remain the same at normal operating temp. Maybe if you exceed the thermal capacity of the system, a given oil will run cooler, but I don't think that's what the OP was referring to. D
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Yeah, I've heard that RL oils "run cooler", which I can't get from a physics perspective, unless it's a lower HTHS oil than the type being compared to and generates less viscous drag.

I don't spend too much time worrying about the claim, as it's never been defended with any sort of data.

It's also claimed that PAO runs cooler because of it's specific heat..bu that's per Kg, while sumps are filled by volume, which is only a couple of percent difference in heat capacity per quart...in that regard a pure ester oil MAY have less temperature rise...but if it does, then there's LESS heat transfer to ambient, as convective heat transfer needs Delta T to drive the heat out.
 
RL oils are typically thicker in the entire temperature range, so I don't see how they would run cooler.
 
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