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1998 BMW IL Oil Change Interval?
BMW BMW General Discussions (alt.autos.bmw)
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#21
 
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Re: 1998 BMW IL Oil Change Interval? -
01-25-2006
, 12:24 PM
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Apart from possibly the US built X5 they are not filled with Valvolene at the factory. |
That is what is inside the bottle with the fancy silver BMW label.
Valvoline / Zerek G 48. You didn't really think that BMW manufactured
their own coolant did you?
--
-Fred W
#22
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Huw wrote: Apart from possibly the US built X5 they are not filled with Valvolene at the factory. If they are filled with BMW branded / labeled coolant then they are. That is what is inside the bottle with the fancy silver BMW label. Valvoline / Zerek G 48. You didn't really think that BMW manufactured their own coolant did you? |
was the same stuff they use in their European and African factories? No Sir.
BMW may even derive income from sponsership, which a recomended brand of
fluid printed in a manual effectively is unless there is something very
special and unique in the specification. The coolant is nothing special
AFAIK.
I can assure you that Valvolene is near non-existant as a brand in Europe
and is certainly not used as a factory fill in Europe where most of your
BMW's are assembled.
BMW probably put their coolant needs out to tender every few years and the
cheapest supplier gets the deal.
Huw
#23
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Huw wrote: Yes they may well have. The cars now last a very long time without failure if you are lucky and many more hit 200k+ miles in a short period of time than used to be the case. A transmission oil change at 100,000 miles is hardly a hardship for most people so it may as well be done. For those who wish to do it themselves there are instructions on the net on how to drain and refill these gearboxes. I have seen the directions that are an excerpt from an official BMW service note on checking level. http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Mainte...0Autotrans.pdf It shows a drain and a fill hole (on at least these older models). I would like to do a partial drain and refill as a preventive on my 115k mile 540iA trans (ZF model A5S 560Z), but I cannot find the fluid for sale anywhere. |
store shelves but should be available to order if you can find someone who
can be bothered to do so.
As indeed should the fluids from Shell and Esso etc. Best place to order
these would be at a specialist oil distributor who should be more
co-operative. OTOH why not just order two jugs from your BMW spares outlet.
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Here is a nice chart for these older transmissions: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/...luid_Chart.pdf Mine is supposed to use Shell LA 2634. BMW part number is 83 22 9 407 765 which is "conveniently" packaged in 5 liter bottles. Convenient because a fluid change without torque converter takes 5.5 liters... |
to order it then buy 10 litres and accept that as the cost of the fluid
change.
Huw
#24
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#25
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Suitable fluid would be Mobil1 synthetic ATF. It will not be commonplace on store shelves but should be available to order if you can find someone who can be bothered to do so. As indeed should the fluids from Shell and Esso etc. Best place to order these would be at a specialist oil distributor who should be more co-operative. |
any direct evidence from either BMW or the transmission manufacturer
(ZF) that any fluid is acceptable to use in these transmissions except
Shell LA 2634. Some of the synthetic ATF manufacturers claim their
juice is good for applications calling for LA 2634, but do not go as far
to state that they are compatable with it. So if doing a partial
drain/refill (which is what you are doing when you do a standard
transmission filter /service since the fluid remains in the TC) you
would be mixng fluids of unknown compatability.
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OTOH why not just order two jugs from your BMW spares outlet. |
--
-Fred W
#26
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Huw wrote: Suitable fluid would be Mobil1 synthetic ATF. It will not be commonplace on store shelves but should be available to order if you can find someone who can be bothered to do so. As indeed should the fluids from Shell and Esso etc. Best place to order these would be at a specialist oil distributor who should be more co-operative. ...and you base this recomendation on what? I have been unable to find any direct evidence from either BMW or the transmission manufacturer (ZF) that any fluid is acceptable to use in these transmissions except Shell LA 2634. Some of the synthetic ATF manufacturers claim their juice is good for applications calling for LA 2634, but do not go as far to state that they are compatable with it. So if doing a partial drain/refill (which is what you are doing when you do a standard transmission filter /service since the fluid remains in the TC) you would be mixng fluids of unknown compatability. |
compatible. There are very few transmissions that require such fluid. ZF, GM
and Mercedes are the only ones that are common.
Just did a search and it seems Texaco also has a suitable fluid.
If you are not confident that these will be adequate, don't use them. It's
as simple as that. Go to your Shell or BMW agent and order what you want and
is available.
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OTOH why not just order two jugs from your BMW spares outlet. Why? I already told you , this stuff is like liquid gold... |
Huw
#27
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Fred W wrote: Huw wrote: Apart from possibly the US built X5 they are not filled with Valvolene at the factory. If they are filled with BMW branded / labeled coolant then they are. That is what is inside the bottle with the fancy silver BMW label. Valvoline / Zerek G 48. You didn't really think that BMW manufactured their own coolant did you? No, but did you really think that the BMW consumer packs available in the US was the same stuff they use in their European and African factories? No Sir. |
Glysantin coolants. Whether you buy it in the US or you buiy it in
europe, the stuff in the BMW bottle is Glysantin G 48.
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BMW may even derive income from sponsership, which a recomended brand of fluid printed in a manual effectively is unless there is something very special and unique in the specification. The coolant is nothing special AFAIK. I can assure you that Valvolene is near non-existant as a brand in Europe and is certainly not used as a factory fill in Europe where most of your BMW's are assembled. |
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BMW probably put their coolant needs out to tender every few years and the cheapest supplier gets the deal. |
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Huw |
--
-Fred W
#28
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Dave asks: Changing the final drive lubricant helped smooth gear changing? Do tell how... ;-) Opps, meant to say changing MANUAL TRANSMISSION FLUID with Royal Purple made by car shift nice and smooth. |
--
-Fred W
#29
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bfd wrote: There you go, BASF make it in Europe. |
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In fact Glysantin an organic acid technology additive licensed to many coolant brands such as Mobil. These coolants meet the standards as laid down by various motor manufacturers. They are not compatible with green/blue/purple or pink coolants though. OAT coolants are red or orange in colour. You can mix brands no problem but do not mix red/orange coolants with the more common conventional SCA glycol coloured coolants. |
lysantin G 30 is an OAT coolant and is red. BMW coolant is G 48 (blue).
I have never seen any recomendation to use G 30 (or any other OAT
coolant for that matter) in any BMW, ever.
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My 100,000 mile 8 year old Land Cruiser was factory filled with organic acid tech glycol coolant [Toyota Forlife] and it is still good. I do intend to change it soon though. Is the Mobil version not available in the US? Stick "borate free coolant" or "organic acid coolant" into Google and see how many brands make equivilent coolants. Any of these can substitute the BMW product. Nothing critically unique and essential in a particular brand for BMW, just the type. |
Here in the US there are a lot of brands of OAT coolants (orange
mostly) and a lot of the green crap. It is a lot harder to find the
correct (blue) coolant in stores.
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| You state that G-48 is almost certainly not to the same formulation today than it was much over 10 years ago. I don't have any proof either that it is or isn't the same formulation. However, according to Valvoline's technical bulletin for its Zerex G 48, its been the same since at least 2003. (see www.valvoline-technology.com and go to Zerex G-48). I agree there are some, if not alot, of car that have over 100,000 miles on it and never changed its coolant. If that's your thing, cool. For me, the cost of changing the coolant every couple of years is cheap insurance even at $25-30/gallon. "cheap insurance" must be imprinted into American brains while they sleep at night in a form of acute brainwashing :-) |
anti-American sentiment. If it's cheap insurance in the US, it's
probably cheap insurance anywhere else.
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Then again, I plan on using Saab "blue" stuff the next time I change coolant. Just remember that if red or orange coolant was previously used then a couple of flushes with clean water and ideally with a flushing buffer chemical is recommended before refilling with a different *type* of coolant such as the common blue or green. |
factories as BMW brand coolant. Blue coolant is not common. It is G 48
which is not anything like the truly commmon green crap.
--
-Fred W
#30
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Dave asks: Changing the final drive lubricant helped smooth gear changing? Do tell how... ;-) Opps, meant to say changing MANUAL TRANSMISSION FLUID with Royal Purple made by car shift nice and smooth. Actually you did say that. Dave is just picking nits... |
But I'll throw this in. Draining your battery, flushing through with
distilled water and replenishing with new electrolyte at about 3 years old
is likely to extend its life. Does anyone bother?
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*I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
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