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"Check engine oil level" warning came up yesterday...

57K views 57 replies 22 participants last post by  abanjableu 
#1 ·
So the warning came up yesterday on my display... I havent had a chance to check it but will do so during my lunch break...

I am planning on doing the oil change this weekend anyways... Should i just top it out with some regular synthetic oil until i give it the oil change? Ride it out as is until i give it the oil change? or dont put cheap synthetic but good one and still give it the oil change???:dunno:
 
#2 ·
Either way is OK depending upon how many miles you will drive between now and then. The warning light means you are down a quart but you are still in the safe zone. I would add a 1/4 or 1/2 qt, to be safe and kill the light and then change out over the weekend.
 
#3 ·
The weird thing was also that yesterday morning it came on and then by lunch time it went away. The light was no longer there...:confused:
Then when i got out of work a couple of miles into it, the light came back on...

I will probably be driving around 40 miles before i get to change the oil... Should i just top it off???
 
#11 ·
one thing is dont treat it like a 78 dodge... Do the oil change and then get the oil light reset done. I havent done mine for 2 years and it still says i need a oil change. But i know i just did it. The Oil change light are stupid they just cost you money to reset them...
When it comes to engine oil, there are 3 separate issues that people can potentially get confused....

1. Oil Light Reminder (the green bars in the dash). As you said, it is simply a reminder and that is it.

2. I always fill engine oil to the FULL mark. Then I always carry an extra quart of oil in the trunk. I always carry a Plastic Rubbermaid box in the trunk of all my cars to carry liquid (engine oil or milk from grocery etc.) to prevent spillage into the trunk.
By filling oil to FULL mark, you have more room for safety margin.

3. In the dash there are 2 separate lights:
- Oil Level Sensor
- Oil Pressure Sensor
They perform different functions.
 
#6 ·
Check the level with the dipstick ;) and add oil as needed. Remember it'll take a bit of time for the new oil to drip down into the oil pan and register on the dipstick.
 
#7 ·
Top it off, check with dipstick, and get it changed as soon as convieniently possible. Scared me a lot when that warning first appeared on my car, but after researching it, it isnt the end of the world. Its just reached a minimum 'safe' limit, and below that, is too low.

Being BMW, they build a margin of safety/redundancy into most of their components & systems- they wouldnt make the oil message come on if the level was already too low to operate the engine. They make it appear when there's still sufficient oil left to run safely, but you should do something about it.
 
#8 ·
Top it off, check with dipstick, and get it changed as soon as convieniently possible. Scared me a lot when that warning first appeared on my car, but after researching it, it isnt the end of the world. Its just reached a minimum 'safe' limit, and below that, is too low.

Being BMW, they build a margin of safety/redundancy into most of their components & systems- they wouldnt make the oil message come on if the level was already too low to operate the engine. They make it appear when there's still sufficient oil left to run safely, but you should do something about it.
Gotta give it to BMW to put sensors in many forgettable areas.

I think it would be funny to have a *DING* and your High OBC says

"You forgot to check your oil. Engine seized. You fail!"
 
#13 ·
I did not realise the 528s didnt have coolant level sensors... How could they screw that up?? Usually with Germans everythings got 6 layers of redundancies built in... :p
 
#14 ·
http://bmwtips.com/ownersmanuals/2000Manual-5Sedan-SportWagon.pdf Look at page 19 (not necessarily the 19th page in the PDF; I mean the page with 19 written on it) and see if you can spot it. My car's temperature went all wonky and I got worried and had it towed. Could've just checked and found the coolant was too low! :mad:
 
#16 ·
I was having a similar problem in the last couple of weeks. Had my oil changed about 6 weeks ago at the BMW dealer. Then about two weeks ago, I started getting the "low engine oil level" warning intermittently. Had my husband add a quart of (official BMW) oil to the car, bringing the level above the second dip-stick notch. Then yesterday, it threw me a "STOP ENGINE! LOW OIL PRESSURE" warning, then "ENGINE FAIL SAFE" when I started the car. :yikes: I turned the car off, waited a minute or two, started it again, and it was fine. :confused:

Nothing has been leaking from the car, car isn't smoking or running badly, so I don't know where the oil is going...

Car now at dealer for diagnosis. Driving a PT Cruiser loaner, which is the biggest piece of **** I've ever had the misfortune to drive.

So what am I looking at? Oil pressure sensor?
 
#17 · (Edited)
Do not confuse between Oil Level Sensor (mounted at the bottom of the Oil Pan, crawl underneath and you will see it) and the Oil PressureSensor (mounted near the top of the engine).

The bottom line is:

1. When and if ever this happens in the middle of nowhere, and you need to get home then do this:
http://www.bba-reman.com/content.aspx?content=bmw_sensor_faults_and_problems
No Start Caused by Faulty Oil Level Switch
Model: BMW E39 (5series) with M52 engine, BMW E46 (3 series) Vehicles up to November 1998
Complaint: The vehicle will not start, there is no crank. It may also be noticed that there is no transmission range display in the Instrument Cluster. The charge indicator lamp flickers or is permanently on. The oil level switch is stored in the Instrument Cluster (E46). Fuse 15 or Fuse 30 is blown.
This is due to a faulty oil level switch which causes the fuse to blow so there is a loss of input to EWS from the Transmission Range Switch.

Remedy:
-If Fuse 15 or Fuse 30 is blown then install a new fuse (7.5A), turn the ignition to attempt to start the engine.
-If the fuse blows again, disconnect the Oil Level Switch at the plug connector. (Basically you fool the car to get the engine started)
Install a new fuse and start the engine.
-If the engine starts, and the range display is shown in the Instrument Cluster then replace the Oil Level Switch.

In order to confirm a defective switch then use a DVM to check the resistance between the pins of the 3 pin connector. If the switch is good it should measure infinite resistance between any 2 pins in the connector.

2. Now your car is at the dealer, then it is an easy job, change the Oil Level Sensor, and you should be fine.
 
#21 ·
If this is truely an Oil PRESSURE Sensor issue, then you likely has engine sludge, "courtesy" of BMW for telling people to:

- Change oil every 7500-10,000 miles instead of 4-5K miles.
- You do alot of short trips stop-and-go driving: perfect setup for sludge when combined with the BMW advice above.
 
#29 ·
I have the high instrument cluster with the text display.

The verdict from the dealer was they couldn't find anything wrong, except the oil level was down about half a quart. They said there were no codes lurking on the computer, and they saw no obvious leakage. They added a quart of oil and didn't charge me for anything.

I'm still not convinced something isn't strange. There's no evidence of leakage, but we've had to add 2 quarts of oil in the last two weeks (only 5 weeks after an oil change) :confused:

I guess we have to keep an eye on it and see if the oil level holds...
 
#31 ·
I have the high instrument cluster with the text display.

The verdict from the dealer was they couldn't find anything wrong, except the oil level was down about half a quart. They said there were no codes lurking on the computer, and they saw no obvious leakage. They added a quart of oil and didn't charge me for anything.

I'm still not convinced something isn't strange. There's no evidence of leakage, but we've had to add 2 quarts of oil in the last two weeks (only 5 weeks after an oil change) :confused:

I guess we have to keep an eye on it and see if the oil level holds...
Damn $tealer! :tsk: Having the audacity not to charge you for checking your car, and adding oil :thumbdwn: DO NOT TRUST THEM. Something is not right.

2. Some cars just burn a lot of oil. See how many miles for you to add 1 quart, and post back here?

How many miles on your car?

mw
 
#35 · (Edited)
LMSenus,

Has anyone other than the BMW dealer changed your oil?
Are you the original owner?

Get some popcorn and Coke and read through this thread, it is like a comedy show by reading through the posts by "dambro24". Pay attention to Post #64:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=349741

As it turned out the Oil Filter Cap has a broken part, the one in the following pic with the 36-mm socket on top of it:



With the broken part in the Plastic Oil Filter Cap, the oil pressure is not registered properly ---> "Low Oil Pressure" Warning Light.
A new Plastic Oil Filter Cap is about $28 at dealer.
It is a piece of cake to replace right in your driveway, provided this is your problem. It may not be the case, but just a thought.
You don't know until the Plastic Oil Filter Cap is removed and compared against a Brand New part.
 
#37 ·
LMSenus,

Has anyone other than the BMW dealer changed your oil?
Are you the original owner?
I am the second owner. I did get the entire service history on the car prior to purchase, and it was only ever serviced by a BMW dealer. As it was still under the CPO, I had the oil change in June done by my local dealer.

The only other thing to note is the original owner only drove about 6,000 miles a year and only had the car serviced annually. I don't know if that makes it more likely to have a sludge problem or not.

Now I'm going for the popcorn and settling in for some (apparently) entertaining reading : popcorn:
 
#38 ·
Where do you find the oil capacity. Don't see it in the mannual for 2001 530i.
 
#46 ·
Dutifully checked the dipstick this a.m. so we know exactly what our baseline is.

Maybe I'm panicking over nothing. The car is still new to me, and I'm still learning what's "normal".

Thanks for your help and encouragement.

Get some popcorn and Coke and read through this thread, it is like a comedy show by reading through the posts by "dambro24". Pay attention to Post #64:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=349741
That was pretty comical (if a bit painful) to read. (Why, oh why, can't people write decently anymore? "u" and "r" by themselves are not words! And would somebody please buy this guy a capital letter, and maybe a punctuation mark or two? :tsk: ) Still, the lesson is important: check the simple stuff first. It's usually the $0.25 washer or the like that's the source of the problem.
 
#47 ·
LMSenus,

Most 530 and 330 that has the M54 3.0 engine consume a bit of oil, believe or not dealer will tell you a quart per 1000 miles is acceptable.
Have you done the CCV system in your car? I would suggest to have it done it will cut the amount of oil consumption in half if not better, plus your engine will love you for it.
 
#48 · (Edited)
LMSenus,

Back to that comical thread:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=349741
It took us a long time to diagnose the problem for "dambro24". The interesting part about that thread is that I thought it was a defective Oil Pressure Sensor, and since it was a $5.00 part (aren't you pleasantly surprised there is such thing that costs only $5.00 in a bimmer....:)), I told "dambro24" to replace it.
In the process of removing the Oil Filter Plastic Cap (that needs to be removed to get access to the Oil Pressure Sensor), "dambro24" discovered that his Oil Filter Plastic Cap is missing a part, maybe from the many times the oil is changed, the previous mechanics accidentally broke something off. Then "dambro24" never bothered returning to post a follow-up. I had to send him a PM to tell him please post a F/U so all of us can learn from it and voila.....see post #64. It was a valuable lesson for everyone to see how a small little part can wreak havoc.

Since engine oil is the lifeblood of the car (no engine oil pressure is like having a heart attack, the car engine will seize in 1-2 minutes = $5-6K repair!), if I were you, I'd do the following for peace of my mind:

I use EACTuning dot com for many of my cars, so here you go.

1. Change the Oil Filter Plastic Cap. Use only BMW part:
Part# : 11421744000 = $25.00
http://eactuning.com/parts/product_details/11421744000

2. Go and buy 7 qts of good synthetic oil (I use Valvoline Syntec). At 4K miles, you are due for an oil change anyway.

3. Get a new Oil Filter. You can use either brand from here:
PN 11427512300 = $5.90; I use "Mann" for all my bimmers, Volvo.
http://eactuning.com/parts/product_details/11427512300

4. And lastly get a new Oil Pressure Sensor (aka Oil Switch).
This is basically a switch: On-Off type, which means when oil pressure falls below a pre-set value, let's say 3-4 psi rather than 7 psi at idle:

Then this Oil Switch will trigger a warning light on the Instrument Cluster, which may even shut your car down to protect the engine.

PN 12617568480; Get TRW-MERA (OEM) $6.50
http://eactuning.com/ssf/part_number_search/12617568480

The Oil Switch fits right behind the Oil Filter Housing:



Then go for the oil change, at the same time, swap the new Oil Filter Plastic Cover and then install a new Oil Switch (changing the Oil Switch is a 5-min job).

All in all, this next oil change only costs you an additional $30 (Oil Filter Plastic Cover and Oil Switch) and you will have eliminated these 2 items as a culprit should the warning light came back later (I doubt it).

Good Luck and this is the joy of owning a bimmer!
 

Attachments

#49 ·
Alrighty, then! I've got some homework, apparently. You guys will be amused by this: my husband (who has worked as a mechanic) insists that I work on my own car. He helps me, but he insists that I do as much as I can (with his help) and learn what's what under the hood. So this is my project.

Checked the oil level tonight, still holding steady.
 
#50 ·
Alrighty, then! I've got some homework, apparently. You guys will be amused by this: my husband (who has worked as a mechanic) insists that I work on my own car. He helps me, but he insists that I do as much as I can (with his help) and learn what's what under the hood. So this is my project.

Checked the oil level tonight, still holding steady.
1+!!!

You will soon realize that 90% of the routine maintenance (oil change, air filter change, spark plugs change, brake job etc.) is within the scope of a Saturday mechanic willing to learn.

The heavy duty stuff (muffler, clutch, strut etc.) can be left to a shop as you don't run problems very often.

Welcome to the Saturday Mechanic Club!
 
#52 ·
:thumbup:

Let's keep monitoring. You know the mileage when you filled up to the base line, right?

How many miles so far from the fill up?

mw
 
#53 ·
low oil level

I got the "low oil level" warning today, and checked it. Sure enough it was on the lower section of the dipstick. It has been about 3,500 miles since the last oil change. I added about half a quart of oil and now it is showing closer to the top of the dipstick indicator.

Should I be concerned with burning around 1/3 of a quart after 3,500 miles?
 
#54 · (Edited)
I got the "low oil level" warning today, and checked it. Sure enough it was on the lower section of the dipstick. It has been about 3,500 miles since the last oil change. I added about half a quart of oil and now it is showing closer to the top of the dipstick indicator.

Should I be concerned with burning around 1/3 of a quart after 3,500 miles?
So you're getting 10,500 miles / quart. Based on threads here and other forums that I've read for M52/M54 oil consumption your result is well within the normal/good range for the M54B30 engine in your car.

You may be interested to hear that BMW's TIS specifies "For BMW spark-ignition and diesel engines the maximum permissible oil consumption is 0.7 litres / 1000 km" which converts to 936 miles / quart. For M engines the standard is 1.5 litres / 1000 km, (437 miles / quart) due to their "increased power output and torque" which I take to be the M3, M5, etc. vehicles rather than the M52/M54 series engines.
Not a very difficult standard to meet, is it?
 
#56 ·
I was surprised that a search for "oil consumption" in the bestlinks only found this one other thread:
- Oil consumption - mitigation of the PROBLEM (i6)

So, I'm adding this thread so that others will find this information in the future more easily.
 
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