JHZR2
Staff member
Settle down... Into the 91 318i.
The car runs beautifully. But as I posted in a thread this summer, I lose oil fairly fast. Id say about a quart every 750 miles! I have no indication that it leaks, but I also don't have good indication that Im burning it - never any smoke, no signs in the tailpipe, and it is pretty intermittent. I was at least 400 miles in and only less than 1/4 qt down, but then after around 900 miles, it was over a quart... So little in the first 400 (which included some high speed highway driving), and then a lot the next 500 (which also had a lot of fast driving, plus more slow, which Im pretty sure I don't consume or lose oil from). That is how it has gone for the last maybe 20k miles.
Car runs like a top, again no smoke, no odd starting, plugs look good. I do have a lifter tick at cold start... But in case its consuming and not leaking out on the roadway (never seen a drop in my driveway), I went to cheap ST 5w-30 API SN/ILSAC GF-5. Why? Because I figure it is stouter than most 10w-30 or even 10w-40s were 25 years ago, and it way lowers my ZDDP level in interest of protecting emissions.
Here was what is specced in the OM:
Of course, I know that MB specced the same viscosity twice as the specs allowed some to be more stout. While this isn't ACEA A3, the latest specs (though not DEXOS or HTO-06) are surely better than the old days.
I may change to 10w-30 or something, and in the summer Ill put in a 40wt again. But with the cold winter we have been having, I figure this is a good bet.
But so the question... How warm would you go on 5w-30 given the age and specs per the above chart... And modern oil specs???
The car runs beautifully. But as I posted in a thread this summer, I lose oil fairly fast. Id say about a quart every 750 miles! I have no indication that it leaks, but I also don't have good indication that Im burning it - never any smoke, no signs in the tailpipe, and it is pretty intermittent. I was at least 400 miles in and only less than 1/4 qt down, but then after around 900 miles, it was over a quart... So little in the first 400 (which included some high speed highway driving), and then a lot the next 500 (which also had a lot of fast driving, plus more slow, which Im pretty sure I don't consume or lose oil from). That is how it has gone for the last maybe 20k miles.
Car runs like a top, again no smoke, no odd starting, plugs look good. I do have a lifter tick at cold start... But in case its consuming and not leaking out on the roadway (never seen a drop in my driveway), I went to cheap ST 5w-30 API SN/ILSAC GF-5. Why? Because I figure it is stouter than most 10w-30 or even 10w-40s were 25 years ago, and it way lowers my ZDDP level in interest of protecting emissions.
Here was what is specced in the OM:
Of course, I know that MB specced the same viscosity twice as the specs allowed some to be more stout. While this isn't ACEA A3, the latest specs (though not DEXOS or HTO-06) are surely better than the old days.
I may change to 10w-30 or something, and in the summer Ill put in a 40wt again. But with the cold winter we have been having, I figure this is a good bet.
But so the question... How warm would you go on 5w-30 given the age and specs per the above chart... And modern oil specs???