Should I run GC in the 86 BMW 325es?

[Thatwouldbegreat]

Car has run well for 2 decades on Castrol 20w-50, Mobil 1 15W-50, and Redline 10W-40.

Do I dare to try GC 0W-30 in this engine during the summer? I have 100 quarts of GC so it is tempting to use it.

I feel that it should work during the winter, but I'm not sure about summer use.

Also, any opinions about Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel 5W-40 or Shell Rotella T 5W-40 as an alternative to Redline 10W-40?

I am very happy with Redline but sometimes I need to do an oil change on the road and don't have accesss to it.

 

[Cary]

All of them should work fine. The heavy oil requirements of BMW and the other german manufactures appear to come from the 70's and early 80's when wide spread multiweight oils would sludge and the engines would have high temperatures from running under heavy loads on the Autobahn. All of you oil choices meet ACEA A3 having an HTHS of 3.5 or above so all should provide adequate lubercation.

I know that my BMW mechanic runs the BMW Synth in all BMW's they service. This includes using it on M10, M20 and M30 motors. It costs them less than $4 a quart and as he says, eliminates any arguement with BMW about the oil being satisfactory. He just prudently recommends changing it once between the normal interval of 14-18k miles that the newer cars run.

 

[windnsea00]

I would personally go for the 5w40 but I'm not saying the GC wouldn't be safe.

 

[pscholte]

Twbg,

Please help us stamp out the idea that a 0W30 puts you at risk in hot weather. A solid 30W at operating temps is a solid 30W no matter where it "starts." And GC is just a hiccup away from a 40wt anyway. I think you would be fine. I run it in an Audi 2.7T in HOT, high altitude conditions and it does fine. Granted it is a low mileage (almost 35K miles) vehicle but if you are not burning oil...

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

quote:

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Originally posted by pscholte:
Twbg,

Please help us stamp out the idea that a 0W30 puts you at risk in hot weather. A solid 30W at operating temps is a solid 30W no matter where it "starts." And GC is just a hiccup away from a 40wt anyway. I think you would be fine. I run it in an Audi 2.7T in HOT, high altitude conditions and it does fine. Granted it is a low mileage (almost 35K miles) vehicle but if you are not burning oil...

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Well there is this:

1986 325es

Castrol's UK site recommends:

EDGE SPORT 0W-40

Alternative recommendation GTX MAGNATEC FOR BASIC ENGINES 15W-40

. Petrol engine oil viscosity recommendations: -20°C to 10°C, 10W-30 -20°C to 20°C, 10W-40 above -15°C, 15W-40 below 10°C, 5W-30 below 0°C, 5W-20. Oils listed and approved under BMW 'Longlife Oils' for all year round use: 0W-X and 5W-X

OCI = 24 months !!!

---------------
Castrol Germany:


-optimaler Schutz und Leistung FORMULA RS 0W-40 [ optimal protection and achievement]

-gute Performance FORMULA RS 10W-60 [good performance]

-ausreichende Sicherheit GTX 7 Dynatec 5W-40 [sufficient security]


OCI - 24 months !!!

======================

But I don't know if these engines made it to near 500K in almost perfect condition with only routine service.

 

[Primus]

Don't worry, GC will perfectly work in your 325es. However, in case of oil consumption, you may start to add more oil. If I am not mistaken, this is M20 engine. Based on my experience with M30 that is quite similar and where I tried number of oils (10W-40, 5W-40, 5W-50, 0W-40, 10W-60 and 0W-30) including GC, oil consumption goes up with lighter oil, especially after 5K km or hundreds of kilometers of spirited driving. Though, that's quite possible, the cause was car age because my friend's 635 after revision did not take the oil at all.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

It is the M20 motor. And I currently have near zero oil consumption over 8K OCI, using the Redline 10W-40.

For such a high mileage motor, I am really pleased with the performance and overall engine health.

So I'm still unsure which way to go. Common sense tells me to stick with what works. But I want to try the GC.

 

[Primus]

No need to change something. Stay with Redline. An oil substitution may only bring you unnecessary headache.

 

[vad]

If you wanna try GC, go ahead and do it.
If you notice any abnormalities (I can't think of any), you can always switch back.
I've been running Redline in my car for the last 60K miles. Just recently switched to GC.
The engine behaves exactly the same.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

quote:

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Originally posted by vad:
If you wanna try GC, go ahead and do it.
If you notice any abnormalities (I can't think of any), you can always switch back.
I've been running Redline in my car for the last 60K miles. Just recently switched to GC.
The engine behaves exactly the same.

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Good to know. Thanks!

 

[pscholte]

quote:

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Originally posted by Primus:
No need to change something. Stay with Redline. An oil substitution may only bring you unnecessary headache.

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Primus,

If I maybe so bold...switching from one oil to another does not bring an unnecessary headache...THAT comes from too much "Wawdka."

 

[vad]