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Engine oil press light

6K views 75 replies 12 participants last post by  imae34driver 
#1 ·
I replaced my valve cover gasket yesterday and im getting this engine oil press light coming on and so I checked my oil level its got plenty of oil and the engine sounds great but this light scares me

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#2 ·
hmmm, VCG should have such an effect on the oil pressure.. coincidental? Did you torque it all down right? Its the gasket on properly? More details please..
 
#7 ·
Same thing happened to me and it was the dreaded notorious oil pump bolts that were coming loose and falling out. Dropped the pan and there were 4 bolts laying in there. Replaced the bolts and it was OK for a few thousand more miles then the light started coming on again at idle and would stay on longer and longer. I put a new oil pump in it and it took care of the problem.

Rick in Ohio

I replaced my valve cover gasket yesterday and im getting this engine oil press light coming on and so I checked my oil level its got plenty of oil and the engine sounds great but this light scares me

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App
 
#11 ·
Could you shoot a vid of the engine noise and post it? It's terribly difficult to diagnose noises without being able to hear them.

I note that you have a 92, so that rules out Vanos which can typically cause a noisy engine.
 
#14 ·
Hmm... nothing jumps out at me. It could be a worn/early failing hydraulic lifter. It doesn't really sound like what I've heard before with a loose spark plug, but it may be worth checking to ensure that all of yours are tight. It's easy to do and it's free. You could at least rule that out.

By they way, you da' man for taking the vid in the snow like that. Props.
 
#18 ·
I don't think this is an octane issue, doesn't quite have the knock I would expect from a misfire. Metallic tapping is what it sounds like to me, which would likely be cause by the valve-train. Though before you go tearing things apart check the simple things, I once had a similar sound that was caused by a small piece of plastic hitting the fan. Keep in mind though, if you did have low oil pressure before, and are now getting a ticking noise from the head a stuck hydraulic lifter fits the bill. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hydraulic lifters shrink/expand due to changes in oil pressure.

Also, can a valve cover gasket really have an effect on oil pressure? I've never heard that before...
 
#20 ·
Best of luck! When you first start it up tomorrow, try to see if the noise is a bit more pronounced then quiets down after a second. That could be a hint toward a valve-train problem.

Unfortunately, remember that lifters should be replaced as a set, rather than individually.
 
#22 ·
Are you sure your oil was actually changed? I would suggest another change.

I had the exact noise, lifter was ticking. Changed oil again and gone.

I'm glad the filter rid you of that pesky light.
no i literly was just out in the garage today and put 7 quarts in so its changed haha i did some research and saw on other BMW forums guys are swearing by lucas additivies
 
#30 ·
Ok I know I should wait about the ticking but I was driving it today and at the oil light flickered barely at a red light and the engine made some shaking I never got before I might just be getting over worried for no reason but does this mahbe mean something that that light flickered and I got shakes? Should I not drive it is there harm I could be doing to the engine

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#32 ·
Is it common on the M50 to lose oil pump bolts like that?

Low oil pressure would explain the light and the valvetrain noise in the video. Does the noise go away when you increase rpms or get worse?
 
#40 ·
Ok got a lot worse ticking louder shaking a bit oil press light back and the ticking seems to gett highrr till about 3rpm but then fade out but I do have my resanators and a freeflow muffler so ttying to hear engine noise like ticking at higher rpms is hard

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With progressively worsening symptoms I suggest you stop driving the car and do some digging through the whole lubrication system. Take the valve cover off and run the engine briefly, checking oil distribution around the head. Tightening the pump bolts isn't out of the question either. Lastly, check your oil frequently, you may be losing/burning some. If none of this helps oil gears may be worn and may require the pump to be replaced.
 
#38 ·
anytime you hear noise like that you should not be driving the car. anytime oil pressue comes in to play park the car and start checking most of the time its the pump or main bearings start to wear lowing the oil pressure enough for the valvetrain to become loud. a collasped lifter doesnt give a noise across the whole valvetrain as yours sounds.
 
#39 ·
Yeah, i don't know why you are suggesting the spark plug. I think you missed his post about the oil light coming back on after the filter change. I missed it too. Checking oil pressure I think is not necessary, if the light is on, and when you can here valve ticking, there is too little pressure!
OP, please don't drive this car anymore until you fix this problem. Your engines might seize up on you.
Since you just did the vcg, you should check to see if the spark plugs and the coils are all tight. Its not connected to the oil problem, just that, whenever you do a repair and something else goes wrong, its just a good idea to recheck your repair, just in case.

This is an M50 engine. The oil pump is bulletproof. I think you need to flush your engine. It is clogged with dirt. Use 2 litres of a famous flush like stp, wynn's or liqui moly, or a cheap one like diesel fuel. Importantly, use alot, not a little. Or you can use a special dedicate light oil flushing oil, and run that through your engine at idle. You need two oil filters. Flushing oil is much slower though.
If you cannot find dedicated engine flushing oil, people used to use Dex3 transmission fluid in their engines for a flush. Its about as light as flushing oil anyway. Use at least 50% by crankcase volume of tranny fluid. Follow the flushing method correctly.

Please look at this thread for more info: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=667661&page=9
 
#49 · (Edited)
IH,

I'm just coming back to this and read a few of the posts again,

AGAIN, this is the EXACT same thing that happened to me multiple times. The first time it was the oil pump bolts. I dropped the pan and put the bolts that fell out back in and tightened the rest of them and it ran perfect with NO oil light for many more miles. The second time it did it I dropped the pan and all the bolts were fine. I put in a new pump and it was fine again for many more miles. The 3rd time the light came on I dropped the pan and the screen was plugged with grit. It was fine again after that. The 4th time it happened to me it was grit again but the grit was caused by a fuel wash/flush.

IMO DO NOT....I repeat....DO NOT FLUSH YOUR ENGINE as this WILL CAUSE more problems than you care to deal with. Flushing a known clean engine routinely 'may' be OK but DO NOT flush your engine with 170k miles on it. Mine had 173k miles on it and the flush absolutley killed my oil pump and I had to remove the pan 6 TIMES to get rid of all the carbon grit that was washed into the oil pump screen.

Also, IMO the oil pump is NOT 'bulletproof' as indicated by my experience.

Rick in Ohio

This is an M50 engine. The oil pump is bulletproof. I think you need to flush your engine. It is clogged with dirt. Use 2 litres of a famous flush like stp, wynn's or liqui moly, or a cheap one like diesel fuel. Importantly, use alot, not a little. Or you can use a special dedicate light oil flushing oil, and run that through your engine at idle. You need two oil filters. Flushing oil is much slower though.
If you cannot find dedicated engine flushing oil, people used to use Dex3 transmission fluid in their engines for a flush. Its about as light as flushing oil anyway. Use at least 50% by crankcase volume of tranny fluid. Follow the flushing method correctly.

Please look at this thread for more info: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=667661&page=9
 
#47 · (Edited)
Just be aware that there IS NO WAY ON EARTH any mechanic can diagnose bad bearings from valvetrain noise without tearing into the engine. I would be very suspect of that diagnosis.

I would be pulling the oil pan to see if there is an obstruction on the pump screen if the oil pressure does not test well.

You test for oil pressure to see how it behaves, only an idiot will rely on an idiot light to diagnose an engine:rolleyes:

I would run not walk for the flush idea as well. If there is debris clogging the pump pick up, flushing will make it worse not better.
 
#44 ·
Probably a good choice, don't feel too bad about it. Once you start getting into engine internals, especially as important as bearings, if you don't know what you're doing you can do more damage than good.

When this is done lets hope your BMW will be flawless for a long, long time! :thumbup:
 
#45 ·
Probably a good choice, don't feel too bad about it. Once you start getting into engine internals, especially as important as bearings, if you don't know what you're doing you can do more damage than good.

When this is done lets hope your BMW will be flawless for a long, long time! :thumbup:
yeah honestly before this my car sounded so beatiful i was so proud it had 170,000 on it and you open her up and she just sang:)
 
#48 ·
it all matters if the mechanic you had look at it is trustworthly.....there is a problem when you are running low oil pressure no matter what the cause is..... you are starving oil from parts of the motor period. listerning to the video cant tell if there is a lower end knock also but standing beside it he may hear it....maybe just putting another engine in it is the best way sometimes
 
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