"Check Engine Oil Lev"

DanSanDiego · #1 12-21-2011, 09:51 PM

I just bought an '03 X5 3.0i with 72K miles. "Check Engine Oil Lev" is displaying every time I turn the vehicle off (not at startup or while driving). The engine oil is fine (I check dipstick regularly and changed oil today). I replaced the Oil Level Sensor at the bottom of the oil pan, but the error message still appears when I turn off the vehicle. (Note: I haven't put the stiffening plate back on yet so I can continue troubleshooting things like the wiring harness). When I unplug the sensor wire connector I still get the same message at vehicle turn off. I also checked fuse #5 in the glove compartment (is that the right fuse to check).

One thing that I didn't do was disconnect the battery when changing the oil level sensor (and I haven't disconnected it since). Do I need to disconnect the battery to clear the error (note: I have an OBDII code reader and there aren't any error codes on the vehicle).

I have read through countless postings on this topic, but can't figure out what to check next?
Help. I really would like to fix this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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rayxi · #2 12-21-2011, 10:42 PM

Did you check the sensor connector? Could be a bad contact due to dirt and/or oil.

DanSanDiego · #3 12-21-2011, 10:51 PM

Thanks. I have checked the connector. It definitely has oil in it, but I've cleaned it with several Q-tips.

rayxi · #4 12-22-2011, 01:34 AM

If you have a can of contact cleaner handy it's worth giving it a blast to both the connector and the socket on the sensor. The fact that there was oil in there makes it a prime suspect. Brake cleaner may work but I'm not sure if it leaves a residue. Follow up with cotton swab dipped in alcohol to be sure.

bowin · #5 12-22-2011, 02:51 PM

Disconnect the battery for a few minutes. I had the same issue and it disappeared after disconnecting the battery for several minutes.

Clockwork · #6 12-22-2011, 03:24 PM

using brake cleaner will work just dandy. i've used it lots to clean out oily connections on my 850i.

DanSanDiego · #7 12-22-2011, 06:36 PM

Thank you all for your tips / advice. I cleaned out the connector with brake cleaner (and Q-tips), dried it with a hair dryer on cool setting, traced the wire harness to the top but couldn't find anything more than knicks in the tube, put everything back together, disconnected the battery for 15 minutes (difficult position for battery) before reconnecting...and then drove 10 miles - no warning light when I turned it off, so hopefully it is fixed (that would be awesome since I spent two full days on this, but am much more acquanted with my new/used X5 now).

Thank you!

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