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5.4K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  bmdubya1198  
#1 ·
Iv been having this problem since November 2022 ,
Rough idle (aT red lights and stop signs) once car gets to operation temp (usually aft a 20 min drive) and a Flickering oil light, sometimes it flashes few tines when I stop sometimes it fkickers then blinks nd goes away, if I put it into park at the stops it let's off the load on rpms and idles smoothly, (Switch to D) sometimes hesitates sometimes takes off as you'd suspect, car has a click or tick when I give it gascor go 70-110km on roads but wen 50 or under it has a (whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) sound like a ac when accelerating, either way once it gets to temp most stops it will flicker red accompanied by a idle, with codes for random misfires On All Cylinders and Lean Codes on Bank 1 And 2 I Am Lost,
I Check The Oil Level Daily And top Off If It Is Ever Low, Oil Filter Was Changed With oil Last Week (fram Filter, Castrol Synthetic, 5w30 gold jug oil) all coil packs are new within last year, and my plugs were changed in feb or March 2023, I replaced the 02 sensors last month, the belt is new alt, bat, pulleys, tensioner, waterpump, thermostat, fan, oil cap seems to be good (idk what to look for if ot was broken or cracked) the car does smell like burning oil or something sometimes after long rides, but it hasn't seemed to effect it to much last few months just annoying os all od like to find the problem and maybe get it dealt with I love my 05 x5 3.0i e53
 

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#2 ·
Iv been having this problem since November 2022 ,
Rough idle (aT red lights and stop signs) once car gets to operation temp (usually aft a 20 min drive) and a Flickering oil light, sometimes it flashes few tines when I stop sometimes it fkickers then blinks nd goes away, if I put it into park at the stops it let's off the load on rpms and idles smoothly, (Switch to D) sometimes hesitates sometimes takes off as you'd suspect, car has a click or tick when I give it gascor go 70-110km on roads but wen 50 or under it has a (whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) sound like a ac when accelerating, either way once it gets to temp most stops it will flicker red accompanied by a idle, with codes for random misfires On All Cylinders and Lean Codes on Bank 1 And 2 I Am Lost,
I Check The Oil Level Daily And top Off If It Is Ever Low, Oil Filter Was Changed With oil Last Week (fram Filter, Castrol Synthetic, 5w30 gold jug oil) all coil packs are new within last year, and my plugs were changed in feb or March 2023, I replaced the 02 sensors last month, the belt is new alt, bat, pulleys, tensioner, waterpump, thermostat, fan, oil cap seems to be good (idk what to look for if ot was broken or cracked) the car does smell like burning oil or something sometimes after long rides, but it hasn't seemed to effect it to much last few months just annoying os all od like to find the problem and maybe get it dealt with I love my 05 x5 3.0i e53
Most likely Oil level sensor at the bottom of oil pan. Replace at next oil change.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I am reading lean codes, rough idle, and flashing red oil light.

The flashing red oil light indicates the system is experiencing lower oil pressure not low oil level. Pretty common on the E39 with same engine.
1. Find your leaks and fix them...oil filter housing and valve cover.
2. Add a quart of ATF for 1-2 hrs (hot engine) before you next oil change to reduce sludge.
- make sure not to overfill your oil pan
3. Replace the oil pressure switch in the oil filter housing
4. Some have suggested a heavier oil 10w40 for instance...but I haven't tried it and would so the other things first.

Your rough idle and lean codes are indicative of a vacuum leak, which is very common given your car's age and the amount of rubber and plastic in the engine.

Have a professional smoke test done for $150+, then replace all the rubber and plastic that is leaking vacuum. Do not try it yourself with an air pump and a cigar... you need a lot of smoke and steady pressure for 10 mins or more to find leaks.
 
#5 ·
To find oil leaks, you'll just need to visually inspect. I recommend smoke testing for vacuum leaks. There are LOTS of resources for diagnosing lean codes, misfires, etc. on M54 engines, so I highly recommend taking a loot at those threads.

The oil level sensor is fine, this red oil light is oil pressure. First thing's first.. make sure your oil is full. Second, make sure you're keeping up on oil changes. This time of year when it's in the mid 90s regularly here in NC, the oil thins out when I'm idling in traffic. This is the first summer with my X5 that I have NOT had a problem with the oil light. Before this, I had a leaking DISA valve o-ring (vacuum leak) and I replaced the leaking CCV oil separator. Had it less frequently, but still happened occasionally. Switched to 0w40 oil (running 5w40 before, believe it or not it was thinner based on the data sheet), problem solved. I have yet to see it flicker once this summer.
As was mentioned, this is a common issue on M54s. It's exacerbated by a low idle = lower oil pressure. Solve those lean codes before further diagnosing the oil pressure light. Obviously it's still a concern, but these things need to be diagnosed one step at a time.
 
#9 ·
Iv used a stp stop leak on my oil and a pensoil stop leak in my coolant assuming either or had the leak but no change in the flickering oil light someday there somedays not its also up to the lines and topped were fluids need to be theres not no milky residue on the caps or anything unusual, it won't start at all anymore just turns and Revs ov tried for 2 seconds iv tried for 10 then 20 and 5 again no start im lost at the moment
 
#11 ·
Ok so those misfires should be looked at before anything else. The flickering low oil pressure light can be caused by low RPM, among other conditions... which is a given with misfires.
 
#12 ·
Okay cylinder 1,2,4,5,6 all soaked in gas at the plugs and black, I cleaned them and tested with meter reader I cleaned the housings let the holes air out a few hours, and re installed im going to chang oil in morning and filter hopefully the gas doesn't mix again with oil or cuase a no spark
 
#14 ·
Yup... that can happen due to excessive cranking when it won't start. This happened on my brother's E34. It had practically zero compression. Poured an ounce of oil in each cylinder, let it sit for a minute, fired right up. He daily drove it for probably 30-40k miles.