New Motor in an old car and oil choices.

[StephenT]

Hello everyone. This is my 1st post and I am trying very hard to read read read. Living in Houston TX so it gets hot and lots of traffic as well. road trips to new orleans and back so about 5-6 hours will be the longest I am on the road

I have a 1991 BMW M5 with a new build motor.(Not a rebuild, New Block and pistons) It is an S38 motor. The shop that did the rebuild insisted on Rotella 15w40 for break in. I know that this guy used an older Rotella so I am not sure what exactly the contents or brand labels were. I only know it was a 15w40 Rotella.

My concerns for what oil I choose next are, It has all of the good stuff that Rotella has, high zddp, good cold start flow, keeps engine clean..etc..etc..

I have searched and decided on one of the following. I am still undecided because I just do not have the knowledge of the newer standards and some reports I find online might be outdated. For example, does the Rotella T still exist? or is it now T3? The car calls for 15w40 or 15w50 and I prefer 15w40 overall. As you all probably know lots of diesel oil labels are in this bracket and I almost prefer them for the extra you get in these oils.

What do you guys think of:
Valvoline Premium Blue 15w40 in this high revving straight 6? This is my 1st choice. Can I even run this in a gasoline engine that hits 7500-8k RPM? Yes I do some spirited driving from time to time.
Another I like is the Rotella T3 but it appears to be lower on ZDDP and almost lesser oil than the Rotella T that was used for break in. etc.. So that has me thinking of Rotella T6, 5w40 ok?
Does Redline heavy duty diesel full synthetic look ok for this motor? I read somewhere that it should not be used in passenger cars because of the way it lubes cams. Can not find source right now.

I change my oil pretty regularly, sometimes more than I need to. However, I don't mind spending a few extra bucks, The new engine all together was a tad bit under 23k so I am ok with whatever, I also understand non synthetic may be better for me anyway. I want the best protecting I can get. I know I want a Xw 40. Id like to stay in factory specs at least on that 40. I really want to keep sludge off this motor as all of you do

Thanks for any advice or pointers, If I stated something incorrectly please forgive me, I am on learning curve.

 

[addyguy]

Mobil 1 0W-40 is an excellent oil for BMW engines.

If you want to stay with a slightly less expensive HDEO, Rotella T6 5W-40 would be a great choice as well.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Isn't this one of the engines that the TSB from BMW recommended Castrol TWS 10w60 for?

otherwise I would say M1 0w40 or 15w50, as for HDEO, flip a coin.

 

[Scotty59]

My daughters M30 engined 735i has seen Mobil 15w50 and Castrol 5w50 presently being run. She puts about 7000 to 8000 miles on a year and I change oil yearly. The car uses no oil between changes, and now has about 150,000 miles on the odo. The mobil 15w50 would work fine for your use in my opinion.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

You dont need a deep multigrade. Any good 10w40 out there?

 

[Bandito440]

I think it was later M cars that needed 10-60, although I've never had one myself and can't say for sure. I imagine you'll want something heavy for that traffic and heat though. I'd suggest emailing Red Line. They have an actual engineer (Dave) who responds promptly and gives real technical explainations to go along with his recommendation.

 

[StephenT]

Hello all, Thanks for the responses. This particular engine was not one that BMW wanted 10w60 in. Id rather not use it as I do not think it provides anything that a cheaper oil can't provide. The S38 is a very particular engine from what I know. I will email redline as suggested. I just want to make sure i get all my bases covered. I like seeing how clean the oil is currently, I just wanted to make sure any HDEO will be able to have good zddp and cleaning agents and still lubricate correctly. I guess I can just use any 15w40 and get this?

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, any HDEO 15W-40 will be excellent for this engine.

As ARCO alluded to, you don't really need 'cold flow' properties in Tx...a 15W-40 will be great.

 

[Rob_Roy]

15w40 was a factory recommended viscosity for the engine, and your builder recommends it...pick up a few gallons of 15w40 and call it a day. The Valvoline you mentioned would work well, Rotella T, Delvac 1300, etc.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Mobil 1 15w50 would be my choice.

 

[JavierG]

I'd go with either Valvoline Premium Blue or Rotella T-5. Either one would be perfect for your BMW and a lot cheaper than Mobil products. Nice car. Have fun with it.

 

[MetalSlug]

is the engine warranty ? i guest its, i would ask the builder, what oil he recomment using after break in, and STICK WITH IT and save the receipt every time you change oil, incase something happent to engine, he might blame on oil you are using that he not recomment. over all he the one build your engine, so follow his recomment,

 

[StephenT]

The builder only requires oil changes every 3k miles with a 15w40. The rest is up to me. I think after much research I will go with the valvoline premium blue and just change it every 2000 miles or so since it is so cheap in comparison. I stocked up on oem filters and am ready. But this is addicting, I am now researching all of the oil mistakes I have made in the past. wow, this is fun.

 

[Gene K]

Do the 3,000 mile changes with a good 15W40 HDEO like VPB or Rotella T Triple Protection (Around $13 a gallon at Walmart) if thats what the engine builder requires. Once the warranty is out I would lengthen the OCI to 6,000 miles or consider Rotella T6 Synthetic 5W40 ($20 a gallon at Walmart) every 10,000 miles.

 

[StephenT]

I ran across this and am thinking the VPB is a good choice. The Rotella is pretty far down on the list, I wonder if this is skewed. http://www.turbodieselregister.com/TDR57_Oil.pdf

I did email redline and they answered me back very quickly. They wanted me to go with the 10w40 they offer. I find that most companies out there all have their product and will push it. I need some non bias in my answers. But a very nice guy that answered me very quickly.

 

[Lead Shoes]

If you are stuck having to do 3k OCI's with a HDEO to maintain the builders warranty, just use what ever major brand is cheapest at the time.

P.S. Mobil Delvac 1300 15w40 has a 5 dollar rebate per gallon jug going on or 25 for a 5 gallon pail.

Thread:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...898#Post2561898

I have seen that list on diesel oil before, it's an opinion piece, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Brenden
I have seen that list on diesel oil before, it's an opinion piece, take it with a grain of salt.


And it's rather dated, too. A whack of them are CI-4+, and the author seems to be of the view that they are "better." Even if that were the case, with the gas BMW, any 15w-40 would work very fine, and considering that's what the builder used, there's no reason to deviate unless one wishes to spend extra money.

If he were up here, Rotella is on sale in the pails right now at WM.

 

[Bandito440]

I used Red Line in my air-cooled motorcycles when I was living in Arizona, and it stood up to the heat wonderfully. I had a UOA done, but that was five years ago, and I've long since lost the paperwork. I don't really need a super premium fill like that now, but I'd go back to using it in the bike if I moved back there. You did spend a ton of money on that engine, and if you want a premium oil to go along with it, that might be a good choice.

Rotella T6 and Mobil 1 15w-50 have all treated me well in the past, although I have not owned any vehicles with a motor similar to yours. T6 is $21/gal at my local WM, and that may satisfy the builder's warranty.

 

[Gene K]

Originally Posted By: StephenT
I ran across this and am thinking the VPB is a good choice. The Rotella is pretty far down on the list, I wonder if this is skewed. http://www.turbodieselregister.com/TDR57_Oil.pdf

I did email redline and they answered me back very quickly. They wanted me to go with the 10w40 they offer. I find that most companies out there all have their product and will push it. I need some non bias in my answers. But a very nice guy that answered me very quickly.


The Redline 10W40 is a very good product. It would be a waste for 3,000 mile drains though.

 

[StephenT]

I am now taking that article with a grain of salt, #1 it is outdated and #2 I don't trust the writer. so I am back at square 1.

Here is what I am protecting http://www.flickr.com/photos/59941796@N03/

The Redline 15w 40 is now my front runner along with the run of the lot regular oil, shell/valvoline.

startups are now my concern, is this 15w40 too thick at startup, will the redline 15w40 give me what I need. Here is the response from Redline.

"Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, once your rings have seated, after say 1500 to 2000 miles in your M5 engine the 10W40 would be recommended. Our motor oils contain very good ZDDP levels for substantial antiwear protection, 1330ppm zinc and more importantly for flat tappet cam and follower protection 1200ppm phosphorus.

I am unsure what levels of phosphorus the current Rotella and Valvoline contain, though I would expect it is sufficient, you could check with them to be sure. We do offer the Engine Oil Break In Additive for treating oils with low or unknown levels of phosphorus. The diesel oils offer good soot dispersion, specifically for internal diesel engine cleanliness, though soot is not an issue in gasoline engines and the gas engine oil additive packages would typically be better suited. Our 15W40 diesel oil could be used in your engine though the 10W40 would be a better all around choice, the detergent package better suited to internal gasoline engine cleanliness."