Hi....... i'm new here and have searched for info and read a few of the oil related threads before launching in and posting a question.
I have just purchased a very abused BMW 325 TD 94 (L) 134,000 mls.
the oil is very black and has that gritty feel when rubbed between finger and thumb. i have no history on the car and this was reflected in the price i paid for it.. .. cheap as chips i hope.. .. as everthing works fine..
i want to bring this car back up to a loved and well maintained vehicle and want to do an oil/filter change before i drive it any distance and take it to a BMW service garage later in the year when i know everything is well and its worth spending money on.
to ensure the oil (5w 30 fully synthetic) i'm going to use has a good start i'm considering a full flush 1st (drain completely fill with flushing oil only).
if anyone has comments or advice on this i would appreciate any help here as this is my 1st Diesel powered vehicle. i understand the difference with disel / petrol engines and the loads on the oily bits are much higher here and i'm not sure if flushing is the safest way ahead.
paul..
PS. great forum came accross it by using google search..
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Personally I wouldn't flush in this situation.
I would buy a v. cheap oil, thin as poss. Drain and fill with the thin oil. Change filter.
Run the engine until thoroughly hot and then drain.
Then fill with your oil of choice.
Do another oil & filter change after a month or two.
Flushing might be a bit too radical and 'stir up' problems!
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Hi Aprilia.. ..
This is my dilema.. .. do i or don't i.. .. i was advised that as i do not know what oil is currently in the engine it may not be synthetic.. just draining and refilling with fully synthetic the new oil could "react" with old if not compatible.. is that an old wives tail or is there truth in that..
i'm not a chemist or an engineer.. i do electrickery..
paul..
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My mechanic told me that flushing actually causes wear to the engine, so it is always better to use oil as a flusher and change it as Aprillia recommends.
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Modern oils shouldn't 'react' - so you can follow a mineral with a synthetic.
The cheap oil will shift the obvious debris.
The detergents in the synthetic will then gently clean the engine over a period of weeks without overwhelming the filter and passages with newly-loosened crud. If you then do an early oil/filter change you should have a pretty clean engine.
When I was in the trade we had a customer try to flush a Rover 827 (Honda V6 engine). After a couple of miles the oil pressure warning light came on and the big ends were knocking because the oil pump pick-up screen was blocked with crud.
We had to take off the exhaust downpipes, take the sump off, take the pick-up pipe off and then thoroughly clean it all out. Cost the customer a couple of hunderd £. I've been wary of flushing products ever since.
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Many thanks for the replies and help..
this car has no history and it was just that not knowing what oil is currently in there and the subject of reacting with mineral or semi synthetic and fully synthetic was causing concern.
So its now going to be booked in for a full service in two weeks time (£257.00 inspection 2 inc full service) and i'm going to get under and find that drain plug myself for the "flush" with a 10w 40 quality synthetic as specified by BMW..
i'm spending £300 but, i guess peace of mind and getting this car back on track with service intervalls is what i need.
Great forum... i'll be sticking around..
paul..
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I am aware of this debate. Every new secondhand car I have got, I have treated with a can of Wynns Engine Flush, which is added to the oil. A gentle 10 mile run, and an oil and filter change follow. Never had a problem, and seems to leave the engine very clean. I always felt that the ?clean car? could now benefit from my 6000 mile oil changes. I wondered if this treatment which uses the old oil as the cleaning vehicle was less aggressive, and held more of the gunge in suspension, causing fewer problems.
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I agree that flushes are bad, unless they are required for a specific sluge problem, which shouldn't ocurr these days anyway!
I have one of these engines, they benefit from regular oil changes with good quality oil. It's normal for oil in a diesel engine to be black even though you just changed it.
These engines have a weak waterpump impeller which is made of plastic, it can shatter, leading to overheating and cylinderhead gasket failure or head warpage!
Also check for diesel fuel leaks on the short fabric leak-off pipes on top of the engine under the plastic cover. these will smell of diesel when the engine is hot and have dirty deposits if leaking.
Have fun!
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Took the rocker cover off to adjust my son's rattly '90 Peugeot 309 1.3 OHV clearances [75,000] and used a dessert spoon to remove approx 200g sludge adhering to the cover! No amount of flushing would have shifted it. One oil return channel was completely blocked.
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Yeah if you really want to clean it out take the sump off completely, you can get all kinds of rubbish acculating below the oil plug level. On some engines there is a fair amount of oil left in the car when the oil has been drained on level ground. While you are there you can clean out any rubbish from the oil pump pickup.
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Sooty, that's a good reminder about the water pump, although there's every chance it has already been changed to the later metal impeller type with the car having done over 100,000 miles. Pity it's so difficult to tell which pump it is without removing it.
The genuine BMW replacement pumps have metal impellers in place of plastic ... but come with plastic hubs instead of metal! I'm sure they are OK though. For what it costs I would (and did) fit the genuine part.
Good luck with the BMW, Paul. I had a 1992 525i and without question it was the best car I have ever owned ... even though the water pump impeller shattered at a very inconvenient time and place (the outside lane of the A1)!
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Dizzy.......
Hopefully i'll have the same experience........
I was driving a sierra 2.9 XR4X4 G-reg. Nice car i thought no major problems in 4 years but the steering rack has seen better days 200,000mls passed on the emmisions but failed MOT on front suspension & rack. i don't do a lot of local miles but every now and then i take a trip and it was happy doing 500 miles in one go.
i was looking for a bit of comfort and definately a straight six or V6 and this came up. The bmw has a rather large feel when driving even though its a 3 series and totally different than anything ive driven before being a diesel.
my sierra i could get into 5th before i hit 30 keeping the revs under 1,500 going all through the gears or just second to fith.
the bmw doesn't like doing 30mph in fith and the engine braking when you come off the gas is quite hard in lower gears. i get the feeling this engine is in a few vehicles and smaller commercial. And it has that straight six exhaust note simmilar to a petrol engine which i was surprised at. the gear change is so easy requiring little effort and just a flick of the wrist with the armrest in a comfortable position.
So far with the cost of the car, sorting out the little niggles and getting a service this has been a good buy. Even better when i got the insurance quote as i think the performance of this 325 TD is comparible to the sierra taking into account the smaller engine and weight. And not forgetting the fuel saving..
Am i right in saying this also has a chain and not a cam belt..
regards
paul.........
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nut-magnet
reminder - check hj's car-by-car breakdown section and make ssure that all the recall faaults are dealt with.
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Thanks for the tip about looking over HJ's car-by-car.. there's probably info' in there that manufacturers had hoped everone had forgotten about. i will be asking for assurance that all the recalls have been done.
ive been into other forums around the web for car info over the years and this is the only place where ive had good information in the replies.
thanks again..
paul........
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nut_magnet
According to my 3 series instruction book, there is a supplementary owners handbook for the 325TD/S which lists specific oil grades for that engine. Presumably not the same as those for the other engines.
Regards
John S
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Yes, it has two timing chains, upper and lower, they aren't something which you need worry about.
Main engine problems are
Waterpumps (already mentioned)
Leaking injector leakoff pipes, (easy to replace and cheap)
Glowplugs (almost impossible to start unless they OK)
Unusally frequent oil change intervals (easy for people to forget)
Some problems with porous head castings.
Injector no.5 start of injection period sensor failure.
The grades for oil in the Omega Handbook are in a graph which shows what ambient temperature ranges are acceptable for given grades of oil.
Standard CF Semi or Fully Synthetic 5w40 seems to be in the middle of the graph with the temp best range.
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Hi sooty.. ..
ive gone for the 5w 30.. the "winter oil" for the flush.
overall this motor looked like a lemon when i first came accross it. no history.. fairly high mileage.. the two drivers side doors have a few shallow dents but all the paint is there and i think the "dent man" should get them out. and generally tired looking interior.
after a test drive things felt better.. after a good look underneath and over the engine bay all the right spanners / sockets have been used and no rounded or missing fixings & nuts. (a good sign if its been in peices at some point)
i waved the money at the dealer (what i wanted to pay not what he wanted :-) and bought it..
nice thing is the economy and insurance quote.. very cheap.. with Nationwide B/S they have a good on-line instant quote which is handy when your shopping for a car and looking at several models.
regards
paul..
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Hi John. ..
i managed to pick up an owners pack. it has a basic how-to book wheel changing / lamps / specs / and the as sooty mentioned a graph with oil grades @ diferent temps. the booklet covers both petrol and diesel. i phoned my nearest bmw dealer and they recomended the 10w 40 synth.
cheers paul..
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Probably obvious but when you change the oil try to put the car on ramps, the kerb or whatever, so that the sump plug is at the lowest point.
Another point - with the dubious history of your car, perhaps you ought to consider changing the gearbox and rear axle oil.
IMO you should certainly change the brake fluid and engine coolant.
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Hi Bertj
All the above replies have been very helpful. i need the car this weekend and couldn't get it serviced by BMW in time. So this oil change is going to a be flush now instead of using flushing oil. thanks for all the tips and clearing that one up for me..
my question started as i had been told synth and mineral "react" causing problems. thats now cleared up.
its going in for a full inspection 2... which will address any problems and get it back on its maintenance / service periods. and the gearox oil brake and coolant will be change then.
i wanted to do this one myself so i could take it for a good run 1st without spending too much on top of what i paid for it. let this oil do the dirty work and then the service oil should have a cleaner engine to run around.
many thanks
paul.
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