Shop used wrong oil!!

[KillaCams]

A few months ago i had my engine pulled out of my alpine 4 door and put into a zinno coupe. After the engine swap the oil light would flicker, the mechanic said it was a bad oil pressure sensor and it would need to be replaced.

3k miles later i changed over to synthetic, when the old oil was drained it was very low and it gas mixed in it.

After checking my receipt I just discovered the shop put the wrong oil in my car at time of swap. They put 5w30 in the car, the head is built it has cams and port and polish, i am now hearing a very hard tapping on the valve cover. I have to pull the valve cover when i get a chance and see if anything is broken or loose or what happened.

What are my potential actions in this? I talked to the shop and they said all the BMW's they work on get 5w30 oil, if something is now messed up in the engine it is clearly their fault for using the wrong oil.

The receipt from the engine swap clearly states 5w30 oil was used, i never bothered to look at it until i started hearing the noise today because i stupidly assumed they knew what type of oil to use.

GRRR sorry for the long ass post

[lifeiskaos]

that oil should be fine... i dont think that would have caused any problems

[Charlie]

that oil should be fine... i dont think that would have caused any problems

That's pretty thin for an M20.

-Charlie

[nando]

adjust your valves. a new head will likely need a valve adjustment after the first oil change.

[Fidhle007]

It's fine, there's nothing wrong with running 5w30 in the northeast in the winter. I have customers that run 10w30 all year long but most who use dino oil get 20w50 in the summer. The synthetic guys get 5w40 Pentosyn because it pretty much rules.

The noise you're hearing is probably a broken or dying fuel injector. Obviously you have an injector issue if there's gas in your oil so chances are if you replaced your injectors a lot of that would clear up.

And seriously, don't be a fucking noob and whine about the shop. BMW specs 5w30 for the majority of their cars and it's only those of us who are enthusiasts who would go against what the book says. They owe you nothing and they did nothing wrong, especially if you never asked them to use anything specific.

[TDE30]

Does the shop provide a warranty on their work? Unless you are in sub-zero climates, 5W30 is a bit light.

[yberther]

lol change your own oil?

[TexasTerp]

5w30 should not be that harmful, but I agree that it is still too thin for an older m20. I use 10w30 year round without any issues. The shop doesn't owe you anything but if you want to try and get them to do anything it would be to give you a free oil change.

[KillaCams]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I will pull the valve cover this weekend and see what's up, and check out the injectors as well.

Another question, the nut on top of the engine mounts doesn't look like it is screwed all the way down, is that how they look or was the nut never tightened? The nut is even with the top of the bolt...

[thereisnoyun]

I been using 5w30 in fall and winter for the longest time. My motor runs fine and its been more than 2 years.

x10

the oil is not your culprit.

Then again, old skewl m20 need only conventional oil.

[yert315]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I will pull the valve cover this weekend and see what's up, and check out the injectors as well.

Another question, the nut on top of the engine mounts doesn't look like it is screwed all the way down, is that how they look or was the nut never tightened? The nut is even with the top of the bolt...

tighten it down? things like this are common sense. Motor mount bolts are supposed to be tight.

Check everything out under the cover, get your injectors cleaned, and tighten down your motor mounts. E30's are DIY cars. If you can't perform simple tasks like trouble shooting, you will have a hell of a time maintaining it.

Good Luck!

[bimmerboy12]

lol change your own oil?

+1