[storme]

as the title says.....i am running 0w30

and i want some oil that is a little thicker when WARM

MY COLDEST TEMPERATURE WOULD BE -10C ~(max-usually never in the minus)
and my warmest temp is likely to be 30c...south coast uk.....was 38c last yr

the reason is this

if the oil is at operating temp..and i leave the car for 1/2 hr...when i start it up it has a 1/2 second of tappetty noise.....

but if i start the car,,,,stop it straight away b4 it fires up....then restart again and allow to run...i get no tappetty noise.....

so i reckon the oil is toooooo thin and is running away too quickly
and i reckon by starting it without firing up...i am making the oil pump work sooner

hope this all makes sense????

whats the answer zibby??

i am using castrol EDGE 0w30...used to be called castrol SLII longlife

 

[zibby]

Hi Storme! All the best in 2006!
I personaly use castrol 5w/50 in my engine, it is a really good stuff for all outside temperatures and it is a factory fill for Ford Mustang Cobra.I change the oil every 12000km(7500 miles) or 1 year whatever comes first.I did oil analisis for castrool 5w/50 and after 12000 km it still kept more than 50% its original properties, this oil has same base as castrol TWS 10W/60 , which is recommended for BMW M 3 engines.I know you guys do not have this grade in UK, so I would strongly recommend for your car Shell Helix Ultra 5w/40 it is a really , really good lube, you will be happy with its performance and again you can also go with it beyond 12000 km.If you like castrol oils another good thing is castrol edge 5w/30, primary developped for Audi/VW cars, it is long drain oil and also perform verry well in BMW engines, but personally I am in favour of Helix(just my modest opinion)
Cheers!
Zibby

 

[peterkulesza]

nooooooo! it looks like the lifter has enough left over oil in it so that it is quiet. if you let it sit it drains, and doesn not pump up (cos it may be dirty of feeling bad or whatever).
going to thicker oil will likely make it worse, cos it will have even more difficulty pumpin up.

 

[peterkulesza]

zibby?

 

[zibby]

I can not say for sure, but these 0w/30 oils are known for doing this kinda problems, that is why I am not in favour of using any 0w/30 or 5w/30 oils off the shelf(except BMW 5/30) in E 46 engines. I heard lot of stories , when people switched to 0w/30 weight oils and after developped some noises like tapping or knocking on start ups.These thin oils are good in extremly low temperatures or for engines equipped in "valvetronic" systems like 745i. some european 316i, mini morris engines or new E90 series, but for moderate climate I would stick with some good 5w/40 or BMW 5W/30(softec TXT plus).
Pennzoil 5w/40(european formula) is an excellent 100% synthetic PAO oil , recommended for use in BMW engines or Valvoline 5w/40 synpower HC group III.

 

[storme]

hi


the oil is always changed every 6 mnths...in my case after about 4000 miles...my service indicator is about 14000 miles....


so i can be sure that the oil is of/still is good quality

it really is after it has been on a run..then is off for a while...then when it is still warmish...a restart will give a different start up sound.......if i prime the pump 1st..then restart it..it sounds great again


but rest assured guys...the oil is castrol edge 0w 30 and it is always new.no older than 6 mnths EVER


ps HAPPY NEW YEAR


PPS i only know oils like SHELL HELIX CASTROL EDGE DUCKHAMS OR DO U RECOMMEND THE OIL DIRECT FROM A DEALER??

 

[storme]

4got to mention 1 thing...


when the oil is cold...ie 1st thing in the morning...everything sounds great.....like a beemer should

 

[zibby]

Every known brand full synthetic oil will do as long as it has BMW LL98 or LL01 and ACEA A3 specification(look back label on the bottle).
BMW high performance oil from stealership, has special additives pakage , that is why can be "pushed" 24000km(15000miles) or 2 years, whatever comes first.
Changing this oil every six months if you did not make at least 7500 miles is simply overkilling.Choice is yours as long as you stick to recommended spec., but stay away from 0w/30 oils in British climate.

 

[storme]

i have put the Shell Helix Ultra in...and will see what happens over the coming days

will keep you posted on the results

 

[Black2000328i]

Storme. You don't need a thicker oil unless you have an older BMW.
If it's fairly new, the Castrol edge 0w30 is the perfect oil. This oil has
the same specs as our North American Castrol 0w30 Syntec made in
Germany. It's an A3 rated oil which means it's HT/HS viscosity @ 150 C
is > 3.5. It's Viscosity at 100 deg.C is 12.2 cSt. This means that it is
near a 40 weight oil. It also has the BMW LL-01 approval. The 0w means
that it will not thicken up at extreme cold temps. like -35/-40 deg.C.
At temps around -20C to 0C these oils are actually slightly thicker than
a 5w30/40 weight oil. For any information on oil, check out the
bobistheoilguy.com web site and go to the forum section. Go to the
European oil heading and you will find all your answers.

 

[zibby]

Storme. You don't need a thicker oil unless you have an older BMW.
If it's fairly new, the Castrol edge 0w30 is the perfect oil. This oil has
the same specs as our North American Castrol 0w30 Syntec made in
Germany. It's an A3 rated oil which means it's HT/HS viscosity @ 150 C
is > 3.5. It's Viscosity at 100 deg.C is 12.2 cSt. This means that it is
near a 40 weight oil. It also has the BMW LL-01 approval. The 0w means
that it will not thicken up at extreme cold temps. like -35/-40 deg.C.
At temps around -20C to 0C these oils are actually slightly thicker than
a 5w30/40 weight oil. For any information on oil, check out the
bobistheoilguy.com web site and go to the forum section. Go to the
European oil heading and you will find all your answers.[/QUOTE

This site"bobistheoilguy.com " is for "sickos" ,who have nothing to do , but turn whole universe around motor oil.0w/30 oils are good, especialy this european formula,but for extremly low temperature during the winter in Alaska, Minesota, Norway or Syberia not for Californian or English climates.
It is funny, because some people put this german castrol 0w/30 to american and japs cars which is dummy idea.
BTW BMW North America and Europe recommends for E46 engines specially formulated high performance 5w/30 oils year around ,or 5w/40 in warmer areas.Who gave you this information, that 5w/40 grade is for older engines?

 

[zibby]

One more thing! HTHS @150* for this german made castrol syntec 0w/30 is 2.91cpp not 3.5 as you said, which means is not really suitable for BMW/Mercedes engines ,which require [email protected]* more than 3.5 cpp.
This information is confirmed with Castrol USA and if you do not belive me , you can contact them by phone for confirmation.
Z

 

[storme]

WELL I HAVE THE SHELL ULTRA HELIX 5W 40 IN THERE NOW...AND I MUST SAY,IT DOES SEEM SMOOTHER...and best of all...i dont get the noise i had as described before...

but i will give it a couple of weeks for the oil to breakdown a little before i cast judgement..but atm it is good



i also live in a warm climate..my lowest temperature is likely to be -4c...at the most.....and the warmest average tmp is no more than 25c.....very occasionally it has got to 38c but that was a freak weather situation,,and def not the normal....

i actually could probably go to 10w 50 without any hassle...i wont...just a thought zibby????#

but either way,,,this is oil better for my old 2000 318ci...m43 engine,,with variable servicing
ps the m43 engine is also in the old e36 318's


so yes it is quite an old design..even if it has the variable service indicator

 

[zibby]

WELL I HAVE THE SHELL ULTRA HELIX 5W 40 IN THERE NOW...AND I MUST SAY,IT DOES SEEM SMOOTHER...and best of all...i dont get the noise i had as described before...

but i will give it a couple of weeks for the oil to breakdown a little before i cast judgement..but atm it is good



i also live in a warm climate..my lowest temperature is likely to be -4c...at the most.....and the warmest average tmp is no more than 25c.....very occasionally it has got to 38c but that was a freak weather situation,,and def not the normal....

i actually could probably go to 10w 50 without any hassle...i wont...just a thought zibby????#

but either way,,,this is oil better for my old 2000 318ci...m43 engine,,with variable servicing
ps the m43 engine is also in the old e36 318's


so yes it is quite an old design..even if it has the variable service indicator

Oh , come on Storme, 2000 318 european Bimmer is not an old design car, it is nice litlle "ultimate German machine"
I am glad ,that your engine`s sound improved.Take care!
Z.

 

[Black2000328i]

Zibby. First, the bobistheoilguy web site is not for sickos.
Second, you don't know anything about motor oil. BMW used
to recommend 40 weight oils in the past (15w40 mineral and then
5w40 synthetics in the mid to late 1990's). Now they recommend
the lighter 30 weight oils which meet the European A3 spec. This
A3 rating means the oil must meet the HT/HS viscosity of 3.5 cp
or greater. All 5w40/50 meet this of course but not all the 30 weight
oil's do. The 30 weight oils designed for North American & Japaniese
cars are energy conserving oil's with a viscosity of around 10 cSt @
100 *C. These oils have a HT/HS viscosity of 2.9 to < 3.5 cp @ 150*C.
The Castrol Syntec 0w30 (made in Germany) exceeds the European
A3,B3,B4 rating which meens it's HT/HS viscosity is >3.5 cp @ 150*c.
It has the same specs. as the Castrol Edge or SLX 0w30 in Europe
meaning it carries the VW 502 00, 503 00, 505 00 ; MB 229.1, 229.5
and most important BMW's LL-01 approval. You got the wrong
information from Castrol North America (USA). I called them a few times
myself and their so called tech. people didn't even know at the time
their 0w30 oil was imported from Germany or that the 5w40 Syntec
came from Belgium.

 

[zibby]

Zibby. First, the bobistheoilguy web site is not for sickos.
Second, you don't know anything about motor oil. BMW used
to recommend 40 weight oils in the past (15w40 mineral and then
5w40 synthetics in the mid to late 1990's). Now they recommend
the lighter 30 weight oils which meet the European A3 spec. This
A3 rating means the oil must meet the HT/HS viscosity of 3.5 cp
or greater. All 5w40/50 meet this of course but not all the 30 weight
oil's do. The 30 weight oils designed for North American & Japaniese
cars are energy conserving oil's with a viscosity of around 10 cSt @
100 *C. These oils have a HT/HS viscosity of 2.9 to < 3.5 cp @ 150*C.
The Castrol Syntec 0w30 (made in Germany) exceeds the European
A3,B3,B4 rating which meens it's HT/HS viscosity is >3.5 cp @ 150*c.
It has the same specs. as the Castrol Edge or SLX 0w30 in Europe
meaning it carries the VW 502 00, 503 00, 505 00 ; MB 229.1, 229.5
and most important BMW's LL-01 approval. You got the wrong
information from Castrol North America (USA). I called them a few times
myself and their so called tech. people didn't even know at the time
their 0w30 oil was imported from Germany or that the 5w40 Syntec
came from Belgium.

You are the "KING", and those tech from Castrol North America and myself know nothing about motor oils-good one !
PS.
If only ignorance have wings, you would fly like an eagle... good day sir !
BTW why then any dealership do not fill engines with a 0w/30 oil on scheduled mintenance if is so good for Bimmer`s engines - eh?

 

[Black2000328i]

Zibby. Are you saying I'm ignorant about motor oil? If you go to
the Castrol UK web site and be smart enough to browse and get
info on the Castrol Edge 0w30, you will see that it is rated A3 with
the BMW LL-01 approval. Then if you were really really smart and
did a search on what grade of oil to use on a 2000 318 ci (m43), you
would of seen Castrol 0w30 Edge recommended for that car. Now go
to a Walmart or Canadian Tire store in your area and look at the back
of a bottle of Castrol Syntec 0w30 oil. It has to be a new bottle that
say's " MADE IN GERMANY". Read all the specs on it and you will see
that it exceeds the European A3, B3, B4 ; MB 229.1, 229.3; Porsche
approved; VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01 and of course the BMW LL-01
specs. Now pick up a bottle of Syntec 5w50 and you will not find
the BMW LL-01 approval. If you knew anything about these European
oils, you would of known that they are a thick 30 weight oil close to
being a 40 weight. If you knew anything about oil, you would of known
that a 40 weight oil's viscosity at operating temperature (100*C) starts
at around 12.8 cSt and these new 0w30 oil's viscosity at 100*C is 12.1
to 12.2 cSt. That is why they have the A3 rating of HT/HS viscosity of
>3.5 cp.
The oil used at the North American dealerships are made for BMW by
Castrol USA. It used to be made by Valvoline in a 5w40 weight. BMW
then got into a partnership with Castrol in F1 racing. At that time, the
shift to lighter weight oils came about. They could not use the North
American 5w30 Castrol because it was like any other 5w30 oil with the
Energy Conserving low viscosity specs for the American and Asian cars.
Castrol had to blend a 5w30 with a higher viscosity to get the A3 rating.
It would be cheaper for Castrol to supply this 5w30 oil made in the US
than to import it from Germany.

 

[Black2000328i]

Storme. I'm sorry for all this indepth talk about motor oil. The new 0w30
A3 motor oils are not thin oils at operating temps. The switch is now made
using 0w40 weight. The 0w means that these synthetic group III PAO
or group IV polyolester basestocks will not thicken up at extreme low
temperatures. At operating temps of around 100*C these 0w30 oils are
near a 40 weight oil. I don't know the details about your engine or what
you did, but that 1/2 second noise could of been from your oil filter not
retaining the oil or your engine's oil could of contained water and fuel
from cold starts and not being able to burn off the contamination.
This Zibby guy had to be put in his place.

 

[zibby]

Fiirst thing you came to this forum, duplicated everything what I written above and said "Zibby you know nothing about oil".
Which part in my post indicates I know nothing or I give wrong information ?
Second:
Bmw strongly recommends for all 3 series E46 1999 and up, High Performance Synthetic oil 5w/30(year around) ,BMW branded, made for them by Castrol(SoftecTXT Plus), which can be "pushed" up to 24000 km(15000 miles) or 2 years ,save without any oil analisis.If should ever occur that is impossible to get this oil, they recommend using oils , which are on their "special list", as follow:Valvoline SynPower 5/w40,LubroMoly 5w/40, Shell Helix Ultra 5w/40,
and PentoSynth 5w/40. ACEA:A 3 only, if the "special oils" are also not available.Bmw never ever recommended 0w/30 weight oil year around for these engines, that oil company like Castrol "recommends"this grade, because they want to sell their new products(Castrol 0w/30 is ACEA: A3 RATED!)
If you were just a little mechanicaly inclined, you would know that most internal engine wear occur on starts up in the morning ,it is critical this 10 seconds , which is comparable to driving about 60 miles with engine at normal operating temp.That`s why is important to have enough lubrication at this point(cold starts).
If you park your car in deep subzero temperatures overnight ,it is OK to use 0w/30 grades, but when you live in warmer places where temp. very seldom goes below freezing point or you park your car in"cozy" garage never, ever use "0" weight oils.Any ways these 5w/30 or 5w/40 flow far below -30, so no need for even lighter oils.
Third:
I am a simple,modest men and for your information I have academic degree related to petroleum industry and I used to work for a leading Italian oil company, so tellin me "you know nothing about oil "or puting me in the place of an oil filter is like walk in the doctor office and telling him , he knows nothing about medicine, while you are garbage men(no offence to this profession).
So pal, get some college and chemistry classes and we can start entry level conversation about oils- OK?
Regarding 5/40 oils and old engines , just for your information:
Audi/VW just intrduced in Canada and I assume in United States new oil at dealerships for oil service including 2006 models, french made Motul 5w/40($65.00 per jug),I do not think these 2006 Audis A6 or A8 have old design engines requiring 5w/40 grades Do you?

P.S Personally I would recommend -2.5w/30 oil for your car, because 0w/30 is still to thick for you.
Say hello to this little "elves" on bobistheoilguy.com, who are responsible for supplaying "GC green"
Z.

 

[storme]

ANYWAY!!! back to the original topic

the 5w 40 seems to have silenced my engine..when the engine oil is warm and has been allowed to sink to the sump...so the thincker oil seems to work

my temperature isnt likely to get to -4 degrees centigrade


so the oil has worked

but Black2000328i did raise one good point about the oil filter!! explain more

as for contamination..the oil is never more than 6 mnths old..and has just passed its yearly test and the emissions were all in stated tolerances


and i do trust zibby