E36 M3 EVO oil temps

[unzippy]

I've owned my M3 for nearly a year now and the oil usually sits at 1/3 around the dial. I had it once slightly over a half after a couple of hot consecutive laps of the Nordschleife.

This weekend I changed the oil for the first time in my ownership.
Oil, oil filter, air filter vanos bolts and filter too. (£118, all from BMW)

The oil I put in was Castol Edge 10w 60 as recomended and sold by BMW.

Seems to running a bit hotter on the oil temp now, hovering around the halfway mark even though I'm just pootling around - any thoughts?

[E21_Ross]

it should always be around the half way mark, even when it is just pootling around. understandably will get hotter when giving it the beans but as long as it's not over heating it's really nothing to worry about. just keep an eye on the temp gauge every now and again and it will be fine.

[mat205125]

Sounds fine.

[unzippy]

Yeah, the coolant temps never budged.

Interesting how brand new oil change could change the temps.

Back off the to the Ring on thurs - will keep an eye on it.

[naetype]

Mine has done exactly the same.

Used Silkolene 5/40 and when on a hoon it often went up to 3/4 of the way up on the temp guage (can't recall the exact reading just now) but was still within the handbook guidelines. Prior to changing the oil it would just go above halfway when giving it beans.

Changed the oil when I did the transplant recently and again put 5/40 back in (still Silkolene but rebranded to Fuchs) and now has never gone much over halfway again.

[scz4]

Sure mine settles down between 90-95 degrees, but upto 105 or so on track.

[E21_Ross]

scz4 said:

Sure mine settles down between 90-95 degrees, but upto 105 or so on track.

talking of temperatures...i remember having a 'fun' drive out in an Audi RS4 (we went from southampton, to north wales, then south wales, then dorset and back to southampton!) and on a mountain road the oil temp was showing 114 degrees!

[Neil.D]

10W 60 is quite thick, thicker oil runs hotter so that may be your answer. Just depends on what was in there before.