I think you missed my point, and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough.
I do NOT know what the original oil that this car came with was!
OP said this:
- Early Production M3's (up to early '99): BMW 15W-40 (Mineral Based, DINO)
But when I telephoned BMW to double check, they said 10W-60 synthetic. The owner's manual has that confusing-as-hell temperature chart. I'm just confused on what oil to use. :/
Good discussion despite tons of contradicting info. That BMW temp chart is a pretty broad stroke but is also pretty clear. I figure I'd revive this for the worried socal folks approaching the butthole of summer. According to the chart a 15w40 would be fine, preferably a synthetic. If your garage is like mine, it faces south and gets blasted with direct sun 2/3rds of the day. My garage door is not insulated so it feels like a pizza oven when I walk out to my car. With that said, that 15 cold weight might actually be lower after reading that the cold weight is measured at 32°F. I'm thinking the only sure way to find the perfect oil to run is to send samples because every engine is at a different stage of wear on this forum. You may also want to consider shoving a glob of Crisco in there so it congeals on the cam lobes and lifters, creating a nice lubed surface on startup.. :p
I know this is an old thread but the “photo bucket” images are not readable nor downloadable. Anyone know how I can read them?
Chrome extension "Photobucket Hotlink Fix"
Thank you kind sir. Helps a lot. If you could please help, what about a stroker M52b30 recommendation? If not thats ok. This helps a lot still.
5W30, 5W40, 0W40 are good choices. If you live in a very hot area and spend a lot of time at high rpm, maybe 5W50. All synthetic. I like Mobil 1. You can buy it cheap at Walmart and there are occasional rebates. I use it in my 08 E61 535xi with JB4, 08 E90 M3 with all the bolt on mods, and 99 E36 M3 with fully built motor and turbocharger.
No surprise here but still using Rotella 5W40 in my 156k mile S52. Idles/revs smooth which I believe has improved cabin NVH and internals are looking pretty clean (had valve cover off recently).
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