Oil filter and type

[inovermyhead]

Hey gents,
As my car gets such limited miles I have forgotten which oil I should use and the right amount,
It‘S a 1988 m30b34 but I’ve never been completely sure of the level according to the dipstick.

Thanks in advance
John

 

[deQuincey]

Hey gents,
As my car gets such limited miles I have forgotten which oil I should use and the right amount,
It‘S a 1988 m30b34 but I’ve never been completely sure of the level according to the dipstick.

Thanks in advance
John

hi joahn yo present two different issues,

one is the oil level according to dipstick, this is odd, usually is very easy to tell, very intuitive, maybe you have a wrong dipstick, otherwise we can not understand., can you share a picture ?

oil volume is also fixed in the engine specs

second is oli type, as m30b34 is not an original engine, i can not help, but there will be plenty of formal information in the www to help you with this, a modern 1988 engine will have clear indications of modern oils to use

 

[inovermyhead]

hi joahn yo present two different issues,

one is the oil level according to dipstick, this is odd, usually is very easy to tell, very intuitive, maybe you have a wrong dipstick, otherwise we can not understand., can you share a picture ?

oil volume is also fixed in the engine specs

second is oli type, as m30b34 is not an original engine, i can not help, but there will be plenty of formal information in the www to help you with this, a modern 1988 engine will have clear indications of modern oils to use

Thanks Jesus,

I have never been 100% sure that the dipstick is the correct one based on the fact that the b34 has the old 3.0 ltr sump( oil pan) and possibly reads differently. I will take a photo in the morning.

 

[Ohmess]

You will get several opinions on which oil to use. My opinion is that modern synthetics are excellent and should be used in any of the BMW M30 engines. However, the "extended life" oils that are being sold today are not appropriate for our engines.

I have been using Redline 20W50 Full Synthetic in my car for eight years now and am very happy with it.

 

[sfdon]

Next time you change oil- Drain and then pour in 6 quarts and make a nice big mark on the dip stick with a file.

Done.

yeah - wipe the dipstick after filing!

 

[deQuincey]

You will get several opinions on which oil to use. My opinion is that modern synthetics are excellent and should be used in any of the BMW M30 engines. However, the "extended life" oils that are being sold today are not appropriate for our engines.

I have been using Redline 20W50 Full Synthetic in my car for eight years now and am very happy with it.

i would present my discrepancy on fully synth; i used it once and spills started on the front gaskets specifically,
i use semisynth

but again i feel that there is a different thing an M30 from the 70s than the one from the 80s

maybe i am wrong

 

[deQuincey]

Thanks Jesus,

I have never been 100% sure that the dipstick is the correct one based on the fact that the b34 has the old 3.0 ltr sump( oil pan) and possibly reads differently. I will take a photo in the morning.

i will show you how my M30 looks like from inside:

 

[lip277]

I have used Mobil 1 15W50 in my 2002 and 2800CS from 1984 through to the present day. That's 38 years and TONS of miles.
Zero leaks. Zero oil consumed. Zero issues.

Back even then, there was discussion about 'your car will leak like crazy if you use synthetics' - That is fine. If your car leaks with dino oil, it will leak more (probably) with synthetics. But if you have a dry motor currently - you should have a dry motor after changing.... IMO....

I use the Delvac 1 (or Mob1 Turbo Diesel) 5W40 currently in my F250, 740i and 997 - all with no problems. Have also used that oil for decades. Probably around two million miles all told on my cars since the late 1980's - From my Mercedes (500k miles - across two) to Explorer (200k miles) to different trucks.... I had 270,000 miles in my Yukon when I let that one go. Again - no issues... My E38 has 235k on it currently. My Escalade is just over 115k as I type this. All on Mobil 1 products.

The F250, Escalade and second Mercedes were switched to synthetics after they had some miles on them. My 2002 and E9 were also switched (by me). No leaks on any of them. No leaks before either.....

YMMV as always

As to SFDon's dipstick trick - that is spot on. The only thing I would add to his comment is to run the engine for a short time before marking the full level - so you will ensure the filter and pump and all are primed (and not drained out after an oil change).

 

[bavbob]

I use VR-1 racing oil with that little extra zinc. I do not use synthetics for one reason. I do not drive my cars that much and it would take years to get to the 7k mark . I would be compelled to change the oil based on age and not miles, so why spend the extra money. I do use Redline in the transmissions and diffs in all my cars. DD's do get synthetic oil, Liqui Moly.

 

[inovermyhead]

Thanks guys, valuable information.
Just for interests sake as I plan to use Don’s file tip, what is the correct dip stick for the 3.5 block with the 3.0 pan?

Cheers John

 

[captaindigme]

Bav Bob was wondering if you were kidnapped.Call me when you get a minute .Thanks!!

 

[Strato102]

I use Liqui Moly in my S38 engine and VR1 in my coupe because of the extra zinc benefits. I also use it in my Moto Guzzi motorcycle and this is where the concern comes in: I don't ride it much at all and have done two oil changes in the last 3 years. The first time had oil from the previous owner and I forgot what he told me was in it and I put vr1 in the bike. Moto Guzzis like mine require that the pan be dropped to change the oil. When I changed it recently there was sludge on the bottom of the pan. Very thick. I don't doubt Vr1's performance when used as intended but if you just putt around occasionally maybe it's not the right oil.

 

[sfdon]

The dipstick matches the dipstick tube for diameter.
tubes come big/little and long/short