oil - to thin/to thick, fil strength...dangerous or not...pross and cons

[foler]

We can read that some oils is to thin for some type engine and that some type oils is to thick. What complication can be if used oil is to thin or to thick for engine? How we can diagnose that we have to thin or to thick oil in engine?

[STEALTHYZ4]

hello, very nice car u have there. may i suggest reading the owners manual for the specific type and grade of oil to use. maybe ask BMW dealer in person or via e-mail? hope this helps.

[foler]

everyone have own grade oil for different cars and here is 10000000 combination. And every dealer have own formulation what he recommend for some car.:eek:

In last change I use castrol edge 10w60 and with this oil engine need 1sec for turn off oil pressure light and engine have hard running on cold start, like no breath. I think that this oil is simply to thick for this engine and oil pump inside. Before I use mobil 15w50 and 5w50 and with this oils engine perform much better, like better breathing. Today I will change oil and use for first time mobil 0w40 protection formula for test. This is bmw LL-01 approved oil.

I ask this question about thin/thick because my experience is that I can really feel different oil in engine and want to hear what other people can write about his experience.

[325bob]

The 1st # is supposed to indicate the actual viscosity i.e. 10w should all be equal at the same temp., the 2nd # is film strength remaining after reaching operating temp., but I've seen remarkable differences between brands with the same #'s.

[Kevlar]

Too thin and it will not be able to withstand the stresses of mechanical forces which will allow metal to contact metal and grind/seize.

Too thick and it "ramps up". This means that the oil is too thick to get to certain places and actually acts as a blockage factor preventing the thin oil from reaching critical places which means oil starvation in tight clearance areas. Plus too thick is added drivetrain loss from having to sling mud.

[R1pper]

The dealer clearly stated 89 octane would be fine for me.

[Rob24857]

The 1st # is supposed to indicate the actual viscosity i.e. 10w should all be equal at the same temp., the 2nd # is film strength remaining after reaching operating temp., but I've seen remarkable differences between brands with the same #'s.

Got this
" Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). "

From http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change.htm

Read up on this for some information, or use Google.

[Clutchkick]

Its all about esnos 0w-50
I run this in my sr 240sx and my 328is. Its pretty expensive, but works good imo

[325bob]

Got this
" Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). "

From http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change.htm

Read up on this for some information, or use Google.

I read it, buts its bullshit, ie. lots of oils "meet the high temp. ratings" AND have a W in them! Actually the example listed,"SAE30" is usually a very poor oil, like for lawn mowers, and doesn't meet any manufactures specs.

[xtremsiege2]

So lets say the oil pressure is high, run a heavier weight oil correct?

[MIMI1]

this thread = lol wut


not you OP but the responses you are getting

In the euro, I run 10W40 currently and am pretty happy thin enough but thick enough i will run 15W40 next

[foler]

thick oil = more pressure than thin oil?

[325bob]

Yes, but beware, too thick on a cold morning can cause slow cranking, low circulation until warmed up. These problems are the reason the so-called multi-weight oils were developed.

[foler]

yesterday I am change oil again. castrol edge sport 10w60 out and in mobil 0w40. engine is more noisy with this mobil 0w40 and vanos have more ratle. So, I will go back to 10w60. Here in croatia winter temperature is rarely bellow -10 degree celsius (15F). So, I think that 10w60 will be good. Best oil used in my car is mobil motorsport formula 15w50 but this oil is no more produced.

[MIMI1]

yesterday I am change oil again. castrol edge sport 10w60 out and in mobil 0w40. engine is more noisy with this mobil 0w40 and vanos have more ratle. So, I will go back to 10w60. Here in croatia winter temperature is rarely bellow -10 degree celsius (15F). So, I think that 10w60 will be good. Best oil used in my car is mobil motorsport formula 15w50 but this oil is no more produced.

10W60 is not for the S50 engines. That oil is for the S62 and S54 in the E39 M5 and the E46 M3. You need to use a lower weight.

[slocar]

yesterday I am change oil again. castrol edge sport 10w60 out and in mobil 0w40. engine is more noisy with this mobil 0w40 and vanos have more ratle. So, I will go back to 10w60. Here in croatia winter temperature is rarely bellow -10 degree celsius (15F). So, I think that 10w60 will be good. Best oil used in my car is mobil motorsport formula 15w50 but this oil is no more produced.
I wouldn't go thicker than 10w40 in the winter.

I run 10w40 pretty much year round except in the extremely hot months, then I go a little thicker.

[foler]

I will simply measure oil pressure with this 0w40 oil and I will repair my vanos unit with drvanos.

[SilverBeam]

The dealer clearly stated 89 octane would be fine for me.

On a new BMW? He was just trying to sell you a car. True the engine will retard timing with lower quality fuel to prevent damage, but you'll get better fuel economy and power if you buy higher octane gas. Besides, if you can afford a 50K BMW you can afford another 3 bucks at each fill up.

[BavTuner]

All the W means is winter, nothing else. It just means what weight the oil will behave as in the cold

[Meatball546]

All the W means is winter, nothing else. It just means what weight the oil will behave as in the cold

Uh, no. The W stands for "weight". What sense would it make to call an oil you may very well use in the Summer, "5Winter-30"?

[s car]

The dealer clearly stated 89 octane would be fine for me.


Yeah, I use 89 octane oil too!

:D

[slocar]

Uh, no. The W stands for "weight". What sense would it make to call an oil you may very well use in the Summer, "5Winter-30"?

Haven't you heard? Castrol is releasing an oil for every season. Gonna have 5W30, 10S40 and 10F30.

[Nic01101011]

Yeah, I use 89 octane oil too!

:D

BMW recommends 91 octane blinker fluid.. FYI

[SilverBeam]

Uh, no. The W stands for "weight". What sense would it make to call an oil you may very well use in the Summer, "5Winter-30"?

No, it stands for winter. It says what the viscosity of the oil is at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. 5w20 means that the oil acts like a 5 weight at 0 degrees and a 20 weight when it is warmer. You can use these oils all year because they are engineered that way.

[BradR127]

No, it stands for winter. It says what the viscosity of the oil is at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. 5w20 means that the oil acts like a 5 weight at 0 degrees and a 20 weight when it is warmer. You can use these oils all year because they are engineered that way.

+1

You guys that are trying to make BavTuner and SilverBeam look like an idiot for referring to the "W" as "winter" need to wake up and get informed....



"5w30 motor oil will be thinner than a 10w30 motor oil when subjected to the same low temperature conditions - because the "W" number is lower. This is an indication of better cold weather performance. In other words, a 5w30 flows better in cold weather than a 10w30 motor oil will. Think of the "W" as a "winter" classification instead of a "weight" classification." -- (http://members.themotoroilevaluator.com/index.php?id=144)
"The suffix W indicates that the oil is suitable for winter use. W oils are rated according to their flow rates at 0° F (-17.8° C); other types are tested at 210° F (99° C)." -- (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/665787/SAE-number)
"Multigrades are easily recognized by the dual viscosity rating (i.e. 10W-30 where the 10W is the low temperature or winter designation and the 30 is the high temperature designation." -- (http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=8264018&contentId=7007302)
"the number before the 'W' is the viscosity of the oil when it is cold, and the number after the 'W' is the viscosity when it is hot. So a 5W40 oil is one which has a viscosity of 5 when cold, and 40 when hot. The lower the 'winter' number (hence the 'W'), the easier the engine will turn over when starting in cold climates." -- (http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html)


You guys need me to cite more sources?

Now apologize to BavTuner and SilverBeam. :rolleyes

[GunnerNell]

SB is right -- W = winter. I see only one post saying w = weight, so I'm not sure "you guys" need apologize. (Admittedly, I might have missed something, though.) Whatever, I like slocar's idea -- four different oils that you can use only in-season: 5W30 for December 21st to March 21st; 10Sp40 from March 21st to June 21st; 15S50 for June thru September, etc. :D

[BradR127]

SB is right -- W = winter. I see only one post saying w = weight, so I'm not sure "you guys" need apologize. (Admittedly, I might have missed something, though.)

See posts #20 and #22.

[Imcool]

you got served

[foler]

mobil 0w40 vs. castrol edge sport 10w60 in euro s50b30 m3 e36 engine..........

my experience is that engine much better breath on cold start (75F, 23C) with mobil 0W40 but with castrol 10W60. And this is not low temperature at all. I cant imagine how engine will start with 10W60 when temperature go down to, for example, 15F/-10C in winter

When oil is on working temperature (212F/100C) my engine is quieter with 10W60 than with 0W40. Vanos is much more noisy with 0W40. Maybe is vanos repair solution, but vanos work ok. If vanos is more noisy maybe is this indicator that 0W40 is to thin? Maybe other engine components can suffer from this?

From this two cold/warm condition maybe is solution some oil in the middle this two.

Here I can view term "film strength". How I can know whether MY oil in MY engine have good film strenght or not??????????????? Probably thicker oil have better film strenght but maybe is so thick to provide good protection on cold start.

Today oils is much better than before 15 years and maybe I worry to much. But, who knows, maybe tomorrow my engine seize because I use to thin or to thick oil. BMW have very bad support about this problem.

[sprintman]

W = winter. Why can't people do simple research before posting here or other forums? And as for oil viscosity and brand is irrelevant. For say E46 non-M then oil must have a min viscosity of 12.0 cSt @100C, and a min HTHS of 3.5.

[foler]

...For say E46 non-M then oil must have a min viscosity of 12.0 cSt @100C, and a min HTHS of 3.5.

where I can find this infos for my engine???

[bigwong]

I would use the oil recommended by the manufacturer. They have spent big bucks trying to decide which oil works best in their motors. If the viscosity is too high, the oil has trouble going through the small holes providing lubrication to the rod and main bearings, as well as the hydraulic lifters, among other things.
In the past, used car dealers used to put manual transmission fluid into noisy engines to quiet them down until sold. I've heard stories of sawdust in the rear diff also. The high viscosity oil is acting as a shock absorber for the moving parts, which may or may not be a good thing.
I would use 0W-40, or possibly 5 or 10W-30 or 40. The highest I would use is 15W40. I've heard of racers using higher viscosities, but that is because of high temperatures.

[foler]

I would use the oil recommended by the manufacturer...
This is the problem. I cant find this info for my s50b30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[325bob]

+1

You guys that are trying to make BavTuner and SilverBeam look like an idiot for referring to the "W" as "winter" need to wake up and get informed....



"5w30 motor oil will be thinner than a 10w30 motor oil when subjected to the same low temperature conditions - because the "W" number is lower. This is an indication of better cold weather performance. In other words, a 5w30 flows better in cold weather than a 10w30 motor oil will. Think of the "W" as a "winter" classification instead of a "weight" classification." -- (http://members.themotoroilevaluator.com/index.php?id=144)
"The suffix W indicates that the oil is suitable for winter use. W oils are rated according to their flow rates at 0° F (-17.8° C); other types are tested at 210° F (99° C)." -- (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/665787/SAE-number)
"Multigrades are easily recognized by the dual viscosity rating (i.e. 10W-30 where the 10W is the low temperature or winter designation and the 30 is the high temperature designation." -- (http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericarticle.do?categoryId=8264018&contentId=7007302)
"the number before the 'W' is the viscosity of the oil when it is cold, and the number after the 'W' is the viscosity when it is hot. So a 5W40 oil is one which has a viscosity of 5 when cold, and 40 when hot. The lower the 'winter' number (hence the 'W'), the easier the engine will turn over when starting in cold climates." -- (http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html)


You guys need me to cite more sources?

Now apologize to BavTuner and SilverBeam. :rolleyes

Your"sources" need to apologize to the laws of fluid dynamics, their magic snake oil gets thicker when hot!lol, this"multi-viscosity" has been confused for probably 50 years.

[foler]

final conclusion:
lower first number better cold protection, bigger second number better high-temp protection?

0W40 vs. 5W40 = first have better cold protection but both have same high-temp protection (assume that both is good oil)?