Working on the M3 has commenced

"Trunk Impaired 318" (matteocscaptura)
11/13/2018 at 21:40 • Filed to: None

Changed the oil last night from the ridiculous 20w-50 that the PO used to the magical T6 Rotella 5w-40 that all the E36 fanbois use as a condiment. Actually does run a lot smoother on startup than before but that’s all down to the weight of the oil being proper now.

Up next is a coolant flush and spark plugs. I am slightly worried that there’s something relatively major wrong with the engine as it appears to be consuming oil at an alarming rate and has a bit of white smoke at startup and while cold. A rebuild right away is not something I had planned for nor am capable of doing myself but I could swing it if absolutely necessary. Hopefully it’s something relatively minor but I won’t get my hopes up too much seeing as she’s done 267k miles.

My Schroth harnesses came in today, as can be seen and went in with minimal effort. I wasn’t planning on getting a pair this soon but a set came up for a price that I couldn’t pass up. The drivers seat needs to get replaced sooner rather than later so a fixed back racing bucket is on the list, probably a Bimarco as they’re cheap, comfy and FIA certified.

DISCUSSION (15)

random001 > Trunk Impaired 318
11/13/2018 at 22:06

T6 is liquid gold....

Or so I thought, until I bough the Montero, and it was liquid moly at $35 for five quarts....

Trunk Impaired 318 > random001
11/13/2018 at 22:19

I was dead set on Liqui Molly 5w-40 which is also what I use in my Cayenne and the thought of only using 1 oil was wonderful but I didn’t want to wait for it to get shipped here so I went with the T6. My personal M3 guru adores the stuff and I was able to get 12 quarts for $40 so I'm not complaining.

DipodomysDeserti > Trunk Impaired 318
11/13/2018 at 22:25

Burning oil at an alarming rate and smoke e is a good indicator that a rebuild is absolutely necessary. Your oil control rings are shot.

If you’re burning enough oil to produce smoke, oil weight won’t make a difference. Running heavier oil helps on an aging engine, but not a worn out one. 40 vs 50 weight won’t really ever make a difference.

random001 > Trunk Impaired 318
11/13/2018 at 22:26

I use the stuff with the UV reactive dye in it, so I can find leaks...because montero...

Cash Rewards > random001
11/13/2018 at 22:31

I see it recommended for the miata frequently, on here even. But my brain screams "it's for deisels!"

Trunk Impaired 318 > DipodomysDeserti
11/13/2018 at 22:32

Im well aware, it’s going to be a dedicated track/racecar so a full rebuild was always in the cards, just wasn’t expecting one right away since the car had a clean PPI and had no symptoms prior to it being in the cold.

And the difference in weight is all 5 vs 20 since it’s routinely below 30 degrees here.

random001 > Cash Rewards
11/13/2018 at 22:36

It’s for TURBOS!!!!!!!!!!

DipodomysDeserti > Trunk Impaired 318
11/13/2018 at 22:47

Word

AestheticsInMotion > Cash Rewards
11/13/2018 at 22:49

I’ve got a full bottle at home, but I couldn’t bring myself to use it with the *diesel* tag across the front.

Someday...

Trunk Impaired 318 > DipodomysDeserti
11/13/2018 at 22:59

Ive got to do a leakdown test and clean up the underside of the engine so I can see if there’s an active leak which is entirely possible. There’s a ton of possible reasons for why it has the symptoms that it does. Plus the spark plugs are less than 10k miles old so they’ll be a good indicator of any oil getting in the combustion chamber.

Trunk Impaired 318 > AestheticsInMotion
11/13/2018 at 23:20

I was in the same boat, couldn’t get over the fact that it says high performance diesel oil right there.

I was eased a little when I took a look at my Liqui Molly jug and it said for gas or diesel engines.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Trunk Impaired 318
11/14/2018 at 04:23

20W-50?

you need 30-70 oil and an oil stabiliser.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Trunk Impaired 318
11/14/2018 at 10:23

I am slightly worried that there’s something relatively major wrong with the engine as it appears to be consuming oil at an alarming rate and has a bit of white smoke at startup and while cold

Combined with

Changed the oil last night from the ridiculous 20w-50 that the PO used

Screams t hat something relatively major is wrong. Boosting the viscosity of the oil is an unfortunately common trick among unscrupulous sellers who are trying to sell a wounded duck. Car stays together and seems to run okay, you get home and change the oil like a responsible buyer, and everything falls apart.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
11/14/2018 at 15:20

There most likely is and I bought the car knowing full well that the engine would need to be rebuilt at some point. PO was an older guy who just used whatever oil he was told to and 20w-50 is a recommended oil from the factory.

There’s a ton of different potential reasons for the symptoms that it has and I’ve just got to work through all of them before throwing money at it and hoping it gets better. With the new oil I’ll be able to track just how much it consumes plus changing the basically new spark plugs will tell me if there’s oil in the combustion chamber.

The amount of oil consumption that the factory deemed acceptable is also ridiculous and is something like up to 2.5 quarts every 2k miles.

Regardless I’m fully aware of what I signed up for, haha.

Trunk Impaired 318 > pip bip - choose Corrour
11/14/2018 at 15:21

Haha we’ll start with some proper maintenance and go from there. Could be as simple as a bad CVV and active leak somewhere. Could be as bad as a blown headgasket, worn piston rings, etc.