m9fdb Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 I have read on here that people seem to use 5w 30 oil in their 330's and wondered if there is any particular make to go for - Mobil, Castrol etc etc The reason i am asking is my amber oil light has started to appear and i was going to do an oil change. Also how much oil does the engine need (ideally in ltrs) Any feedback is welcomed Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 BMW recommend Castrol Edge 5w30. That's what I, and many other on here, use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Castrol Edge 0w30 or 5w30 6.5 litres if driven gently, 7.5 litres if driven hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 6.5 litres if driven gently, 7.5 litres if driven hard ?? How would how you drive change the oil capacity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 ?? How would how you drive change the oil capacity? If you're gonna be driving higher in the rev range a lot of the time you need more oil pressure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 I use 5w40 Fuchs Titan from Opie Oils and get minimal oil usage, though I dont drive mine hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m9fdb Posted July 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 thanks for all the replies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 If you're gonna be driving higher in the rev range a lot of the time you need more oil pressure Ah, never heard this before. *Off to the Google mobile!* WhackyWill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Be sure to report back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Be sure to report back Callin' me a liar? ;-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Low oil won't mean low oil pressure unless it's so low the pump can't pump it. There are markers on the dipstick to tell you the maximum oil level and overfilling is a bad idea. MILLER_102 and B0B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragamuffin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Use 0w/30 Mobil 1. If you have a high mileage engine then a 0w/40 will be a better bet. A 0w rated oil will give almost instant cold start protection. I put exactly 7.0 litres of oil in my engine which takes it up to the "max" mark on the dipstick. Never overfill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Low oil won't mean low oil pressure unless it's so low the pump can't pump it. There are markers on the dipstick to tell you the maximum oil level and overfilling is a bad idea. The low pressure warning light comes on at 1 bar (I think) but if you're gonna regularly be running at 4,000+rpm you should have much more pressure than this. Having more oil in the same volume of space does this. If you overfill enough that the red oil pressure light comes in though you need to drain some (I've been putting 7.5 litres into mine at ~6 month intervals for the past 5 years and never had the light come on). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragamuffin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 (I've been putting 7.5 litres into mine at ~6 month intervals for the past 5 years and never had the light come on). Putting just half a litre more in you may just get away with. Any more than that could result in foaming which is bad news. It would be better to run half a litre less than half a litre more to be honest. WhackyWill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc l Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 I don't go along with more oil equals more oil pressure one bit WhackyWill and sprintman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc l Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Back on topic tho I use castrol edge in mine and can't knock it! 0w 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragamuffin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I don't go along with more oil equals more oil pressure one bit Correct. All car manufacturers get their boffins to see how much oil any given engine needs. For road cars, even the hardest driven, this is more than adequate. Stick to the makers recommendations and you wont go far wrong. Edited July 10, 2012 by Ragamuffin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Putting just half a litre more in you may just get away with. Any more than that could result in foaming which is bad news. It would be better to run half a litre less than half a litre more to be honest. Not if you regularly track your car and want to avoid lifter tick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Correct. All car manufacturers get their boffins to see how much oil any given engine needs. For road cars, even the hardest driven, this is more than adequate. Stick to the makers recommendations and you wont go far wrong. Oh I agree, for normal (what I referred to as gentle in my original post) driving the 6.5 litres recommended by BMW is correct. For cars which spend a lot of time above ~4,000rpm (e.g. if tracked regularly or have a stupid diff ratio) you should put more in. It helps to avoid lifter tick (which I may have erroneously attributed to higher pressure) and helps to stop the oil overheating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Turko Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 BMW used 0-40 on mine. Was only on 67k ish at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arry Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Oh I agree, for normal (what I referred to as gentle in my original post) driving the 6.5 litres recommended by BMW is correct. For cars which spend a lot of time above ~4,000rpm (e.g. if tracked regularly or have a stupid diff ratio) you should put more in. It helps to avoid lifter tick (which I may have erroneously attributed to higher pressure) and helps to stop the oil overheating. Your crank is working its way through a sea of oil down there in the bottom end of the engine you know.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc l Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm still struggling to believe it really, any info on the Internet anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boylin Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) Search Google for something like: (M54 OR BMW) ("lifter tick" OR "high rpm") "more oil" You'll get this: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=%28M54+OR+BMW%29+%28%22lifter+tick%22+OR+%22high+rpm%22%29+%22more+oil%22&oq=%28M54+OR+BMW%29+%28%22lifter+tick%22+OR+%22high+rpm%22%29+%22more+oil%22&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.3...573465.573526.0.575129.4.2.0.2.2.0.145.145.0j1.1.0...0.0.vM2vA9iPVcQ Plenty of info there Edited July 10, 2012 by Boylin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintman Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Use any oil that meets LL01/LL04. Remember most XW30's don't meet spec such as Mobil 1 XW30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Mark Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 I have read on here that people seem to use 5w 30 oil in their 330's and wondered if there is any particular make to go for - Mobil, Castrol etc etc The reason i am asking is my amber oil light has started to appear and i was going to do an oil change. Also how much oil does the engine need (ideally in ltrs) Any feedback is welcomed Thanks Sesame Oil in mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
