Low motor oil and no Notification!

[motordavid]

Yii,
If you aren't comfortable trying to drain 'some' oil out, go hit an Indie or car repair joint and get an oil change: for less than $100, even in Queens, you can get an oil drain and 8 qts of good synthetic oil replaced. Skip the filter change, if you wish.

A few bucks, but peace of mind, and doesn't require you to do a DIY where you are parked. GL, mD

[Turbo_Bimmer]

May be the OP didn't fill properly, but I always found that the dipstick on my X is not very reliable. I find it always show 1 liter lower than it is in reality.
If I do an oil + filter change, the manual says 8L, so I put 8L, run the engine, turn off, wait a couple of minutes, and the dipstick shows oil at the lower mark, even if I drive the X and the engine is warm.
So, I'm a bit skeptical about the reading of the dipstick.
If you're not sure of the amount of oil in there, just do like it has been suggested, start over with a new oil change, then you will have peace of mind.

[JCL]

Dipsticks are pretty simple devices, so variations in readings generally fall into the camp of:

1) Was the vehicle level?
2) Was the vehicle run for the specified time, and then left to sit for the specified time, before sampling?
3) Was the dipstick fully seated?

I would think there is more variation in how much was left to drain out, and how much was added, than in how well the dipstick reads a static level. I would also trust a dipstick more than a published refill amount, since the refill amount is not qualified in terms of dry or wet engine, etc.

[Yii]

Thanks for your help guys, but since it was late last night i couldn't get a tube that would fit in the dip stick tube to suck out the oil and since i had work early this morning i had to drive it slowly to a Indie 100 bux and 8L of motor oil, came home and double checked the dipstick and it is perfect at the mark so now i have piece of mind. Ill keep an eye on the dip stick though thanks for all your advices... and ill never do that again lol smh

[ECS Tuning]

Originally Posted by JCL

Drain 3 quarts out. Run it for 30 seconds. Check the dipstick. Any foaming, drain it all out. If no foaming, check the level and top off 1 quart at a time. Car holds approx 8 quarts. Dipstick shows the top 2 or 3 only. Nothing on the dipstick doesn't mean bone dry.

^I second this. Over filling isn't very good for the motor, I'd get the X's oil level back to the proper specs asap.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by ECS Tuning

^I second this. Over filling isn't very good for the motor, I'd get the X's oil level back to the proper specs asap.

The following may help non-mechanics reading this if this problem is encountered in future.

Minor overfilling usually isn't an issue. Remember though that what is considered minor on the level can be significant on a hill.

What happens when the oil is significantly overfilled is that the crankshaft acts like a giant blender. It dips into the oil and whips it up, and just like with a blender, you get a frothy concoction. Since it is being pumped and circulated, that froth doesn't stay on top of the oil but rather the whole body of oil becomes frothy. Frothy oil contains air bubbles, and air bubbles take up space, but don't lubricate. Bottom line is that your oil is pumped into the crank bearings (among other things) and the resulting mix doesn't lubricate, potentially causing major engine damage.

If it is a little high, run it for a few seconds and see if the dipstick shows frothy oil. If so, stop immediately. Drain and refil before running it again. But if it looks normal, you may be OK. Proceed cautiously. And to be safe, get it drained back down to the correct level.

[Yii]

Thankx JCL i also avoided hills too when driving to the indie lol. Btw how low does the oil have to get b4 the low oil indicator comes on?

[motordavid]

Yii, good move on the rec'd oil dump and new fill. Yes, a BenFranklin, but worth it, imo...

From fading memory, it takes 2++, more like 3+ qts down for that oil sensor light to trigger on E53s. As it holds 8, even down 2-3 won't murder the engine under most conditions, for a short period. Syn oil, combined with that huge sump capacity, does wonders for 'running low'. Glad you got it taken care of.
GL, mD

PS: JCL is Right On, as per his usual!

[sockethead]

Originally Posted by motordavid

From fading memory, it takes 2++, more like 3+ qts down for that oil sensor light to trigger on E53s. As it holds 8, even down 2-3 won't murder the engine under most conditions, for a short period. Syn oil, combined with that huge sump capacity, does wonders for 'running low'.

I was wondering this myself. In my e46, the low oil light comes on if it's a 1/2 qt low. I was pretty surprised when the dipstick showed that it was extremely low and there was no warning light...

[CTSportX5]

FWIW- When my oil low warning light came on, the truck needed about 1.5L.