what oil for 2001 BMW 330CI

[ben_321]

im most likely picking up a 2001 BMW 330 CI in a few days and wondering what everyones oil recomendations are!

by the look of the filler hole theres a moderate amount of sludgeing in the engine so i will likely keep the OCI to 10000 KM's or less.

im thinking Mobil 1 5w-40 if i can find it....

also ive heard of oil consumption issues with the 3.0 liter engines in thease years anyone have any experience with that?

btw the car has 186000 km's

 

[tig1]

I would try M1 10-40HM. It may help clean up the sludge.

By the way welcome to BITOG.

 

[lewdwig]

M1 0W-40.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I would use Chevron Delow 15W40 in spring for a couple short OCI about 3-4000 KM's to clean up the sludge, then M1 0W40 all year with 10-12k KM's.

 

[beast3300]

Euro spec motor oil. Valvoline 5w40 or M1 0w40

 

[ARH_0700]

Another vote for M1 0w40 after some initial short OCI's to clean it up a bit. I personally have not heard or read of any serious oil consumption "problems" with these engines, they are fairly bulletproof. Mine is admittedly newer in design and mileage but it doesn't consume any measurable amount over 7500mi OCI's.

 

[sprintman]

Use oil that meets spec. ACEA A3,B# and LL01. Engine is bulletproof, cooling system isn't. Concentrate on that first. 2001 325CI here.

 

[sprintman]

Sorry B3 (very poor typeest)

 

[Ibrahim]

M1 0W-40!

 

[mva]

Castrol syntec 0W30 is another good choice.

 

[Craig in Canada]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1742654#Post1742654

 

[ben_321]

Originally Posted By: sprintman
Use oil that meets spec. ACEA A3,B# and LL01. Engine is bulletproof, cooling system isn't. Concentrate on that first. 2001 325CI here.



yea entire cooling system is being replaced before i pick it up, i had almsot every part explode on the road on me with my old 1995 325i


thanks for the replies i will look into the oils, i will look for the castrol European 0w-30 or the mobil 1 0w-40....i havent seen ethier oil anywhere

i was also considering just running the BMW dealership oil which is 5w-30 synthetic (group 3 oil i believe) but it is on the very heavy end of the scale for a 30 weight oil, thats why most people run 40 weight oils becasue it gets the viscosity closer to the BMW spec.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: ben_321



thanks for the replies i will look into the oils, i will look for the castrol European 0w-30 or the mobil 1 0w-40....i havent seen ethier oil anywhere

i was also considering just running the BMW dealership oil which is 5w-30 synthetic (group 3 oil i believe) but it is on the very heavy end of the scale for a 30 weight oil, thats why most people run 40 weight oils becasue it gets the viscosity closer to the BMW spec.


Anything which should be in the M52/M52TU/M54 series is heavy. GC 0W30 and BMW 5W30 are nearly 40s, which is where they need to be (in general) to earn ACEA A3. At least at one point GC was the only 0W30 to earn ACEA A3. You should also know that M1 0W40 starts thicker in the bottle than GC (14.1 vs. 12.1) but very quickly shears into the 11s which GC stays relatively stable in the low 12s.

You should be able to find GC at Canadian Tire, PartSource and Walmart. You should be able to find M1 0W40 all over the place, including Canadian Tire I believe. Canadian tire often runs 25% off Castrol sales (2-3 times per year). You could stock up on GC when they have a sale on.

 

[crrdvr6]

The cooling system is a breeze to change out with a M/T. On stands remove the fan for room to work. Remove the hoses, belts, waterpump & thermostat and the coolant bottle. Took me about 3 hrs the first time. At 90K miles all the parts looked good, problem was the thermostat was sticking open.

 

[ben_321]

Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
Originally Posted By: ben_321



thanks for the replies i will look into the oils, i will look for the castrol European 0w-30 or the mobil 1 0w-40....i havent seen ethier oil anywhere

i was also considering just running the BMW dealership oil which is 5w-30 synthetic (group 3 oil i believe) but it is on the very heavy end of the scale for a 30 weight oil, thats why most people run 40 weight oils becasue it gets the viscosity closer to the BMW spec.


Anything which should be in the M52/M52TU/M54 series is heavy. GC 0W30 and BMW 5W30 are nearly 40s, which is where they need to be (in general) to earn ACEA A3. At least at one point GC was the only 0W30 to earn ACEA A3. You should also know that M1 0W40 starts thicker in the bottle than GC (14.1 vs. 12.1) but very quickly shears into the 11s which GC stays relatively stable in the low 12s.

You should be able to find GC at Canadian Tire, PartSource and Walmart. You should be able to find M1 0W40 all over the place, including Canadian Tire I believe. Canadian tire often runs 25% off Castrol sales (2-3 times per year). You could stock up on GC when they have a sale on.




ill check at Canadain tirea and wal-mart later see what i can find thanks!,






on a new topic anyone have any ideas for Transmission oil (Manual) and for the rear diff (not an LSD)

i was thinking of getting a bottle of BMW MTL-LT-2 but apparently its really hard to find at the stealership as its considered "lifetime fill

" so they usaully only have a bucket of it for repairs.


i think im going to Use royal purple syncromax as it worked great in my Jeeps notchy shifting 5 speed and ive heard good results about it on other BMW's....

i guess i will go with RP max gear for the rear diff most liley is the 75w-90 flavor....

 

[ben_321]

UPDATE:

i swung by Canadian tire and they have GC 0w-30 in a black bottle with the gold thing on the label! said made in germany on the back....

price was at $9.99/litre which is the same as mobil 1 (they didnt have the 0w-40)

so at least i have found a source for the right oil for my New car! only issue is they only have 2 litres and i need 6.5....so maybe if i buy the 2 for now they will notice and hopefully order in more!

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: ben_321


ill check at Canadain tirea and wal-mart later see what i can find thanks!,

on a new topic anyone have any ideas for Transmission oil (Manual) and for the rear diff (not an LSD)

i was thinking of getting a bottle of BMW MTL-LT-2 but apparently its really hard to find at the stealership as its considered "lifetime fill

" so they usaully only have a bucket of it for repairs.


i think im going to Use royal purple syncromax as it worked great in my Jeeps notchy shifting 5 speed and ive heard good results about it on other BMW's....

i guess i will go with RP max gear for the rear diff most liley is the 75w-90 flavor....


IMO, don't bother with Synchromax. ATF is thinner than MTF-LT-2 already. Synchromax is ATF. It goes in thin and comes out rediculously thin, and didn't shift any better for me than anything else fresh. I know there's a loyal base of fanboys for Royal Purple in BMW forums. Resist!

My recommendations (used with success in my ZF 5 speed) Redline MTL or Amsoil MTF.

For the rear end, Redline 75W90 or Amsoil SVG.

 

[sprintman]

Redline D4ATF or MTL (or blend of both) for man trans, RL 75W90 for the diff the choice by most BMW enthusiasts worldwide. Amsoil have excellent equivalents as well.

 

[Jeff_O]

I run RL MTL in all my BMW transimissions and RL 75w90 in the differentials. (e30, e34, e36). I also run GC in all or RL 5w-30 or 5w-40.

 

[double vanos]

Checking in here with my 2002 BMW 330ci at 125,000 miles; currently using M1 High Mileage 10w-40 (superb detergentcy, A3 rated), always had MTL in the 5 speed manual, and either Castrol Syntec 75w-90 or Mobil 1 75w-90 in the diff. Every oil change use topside oiler to change out PS fluid and refill with Dex III. Use only BMW coolant! Runs better than new! You've got yourself a great car!
Cheers!