Busso V6 - How to Change Oil & Which One is Best | Alfa Romeo 2.5/3.0/3.2

This video answers the following questions:
Which cars have this engine?
What oil should I use?
How much oil am I going to need?
How often should I change it?
What is the step-by-step procedure?

In case you can add another good option for oil or you have any additional advice or feedback for Busso owners, please feel free to comment! Let’s keep these cars on the road for as long as possible!

Useful links:
Eni Racing 10W60: https://amzn.to/3PCdxwI
Motul 8100 10w60: https://amzn.to/3rs4R3Y
Oil filter: https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styli...
Oil drain plug: https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styli...
Engine air filter: https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styli...
Cabin air filter (pollen filter): https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styli...
Oil filter tool: https://amzn.to/3ZH64RE

So, you have bought an Alfa Romeo with the mighty Busso V6 engine – congratulations!
Now you have to change the oil – regularly...

You probably know the history of this engine – everything about Mr. Giuseppe Busso, the evolution of the engine and it’s glorious sound. If not and if you want me to make a video about its history – leave a comment!
What is important to know is that this video concentrates on the 24 valve versions of the engine, mounted on different Alfa Romeo models between 1995 and 2005.

So here comes the first question – Which cars have this engine? You have three options:
2.5 – litre displacement:
o Alfa 156 and 166
o Take a look at the chrome intake runners – they are 42 mm wide and that’s how you recognize the 2.5 litre engine (screenshot)
Then comes the 3-liter engine. It can be found in the Alfa Romeo 166 and in the Alfa Romeo GTV. The runners here are 45 mm wide. (screenshot)
The final iteration of the engine is the 3.2-liter. The runners are still 45 mm wide and it can be found in the Alfa GT, Alfa GTV, Alfa 147 GTA, 156 GTA and also in the 166 facelift. There was a GTA project for the 166 with a V8 engine, but this is a topic for another video – leave a comment if you want me to make it!

So, you own one of the cars we have mentioned, now what oil should you use? At the first years of the production of this engine, Alfa was recommending 10W40, but later changed the specification and started recommending 10w60 fully synthethic oil. Why? Well, there are several reasons, but the most important one is that the Busso engine produces a lot of heat, especially in the later years with the additional catalytic converteres and 10W60 handles extreme heat better than 10W40. In addition to that, many owners have experimented and state that 10W60 leads to a small decrease in oil consumption. And yes – these engines consume oil, especially at higher rpms and this is perfectly normal. You should check the oil regularly and top it up if needed. I personally check it about once a week. 9 out of 10 times everything is good and I just return the dipstick to its place, but sometimes I need to add a little bit of oil.

I use the Eni Racing 10W60. There are two packaging options for this oil – golden bottles and black bottles and both are fine. There is a link in the description where you can see prices and purchase the oil.
Another good option is the Motul 8100 10W60. The manufacturer recommends it for cars like the old BMW M-series, Audi R8, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Maserati, and the V12 engines of Ferrari. There is a link in the description to that as well.
Of course, you are also going to need an oil filter, but this one is easy – it is just a regular filter that is fitted to dozens of cars. There might be some build differences between manufacturers, so a rule of thumb here is to choose the big companies that you have heard about – Eni, UFI, Champion and not some chinese random options. There is a link below for that as well.
Sometimes I also add an additive like the Bardahl Long Life with fullerene. It is an interesting product, I have left a link so you can read more about it.

The next question that comes right after that is how much oil you are going to need. The V6 engine holds 6.1 liters of oil, which is why I usually buy 7 liters for the oil change. This way I know that I am going to have enough for the oil change and I am left with an almost full bottle for topping the oil up whenever needed. If the price of the oil is good, it never hurts to buy one additional bottle and store it in your garage just in case. Depending on the wear of your engine, the 0.9 liters left for topping up might not be enough to get you to the next oil change. Acccording to Alfa Romeo, the maximal range of standard oil consumption is 400 grams per 1000 kilometers or 4 liters between changes.