Oil Level Warning

[ashrafkh]

Originally Posted by ashrafkh

So its normal to have oil level goes down one bar after 2000 miles?

According to the oil stick...level is almost minimum.... But there is no white smoke

[ashrafkh]

Originally Posted by ashrafkh

According to the oil stick...level is almost minimum.... But there is no white smoke

ok, another bar less today, indicator still says ok! but the stick shows minimum ... i have added 1L 20w-50 is that ok?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by ashrafkh

ok, another bar less today, indicator still says ok! but the stick shows minimum ... i have added 1L 20w-50 is that ok?

Not really. Better than having no oil, but not as good as using the correct oil. Your vehicle uses 5w-30, synthetic (BMW, Castrol, Mobil 1, other name brand..)

Are you checking the oil correctly with the dipstick? Vehicle level, at operating temperature (properly warmed up). Turn off engine. Wait several minutes for the oil to drain down. Then check the dipstick, seating the dipstick fully when you put it back in to get the level.

If you aren't following the above procedure, that could explain why your dipstick readings don't match your sensor readings. It is also the reason that BMW stopped using dipsticks, because most drivers couldn't or didn't use them.

If you are checking the oil properly, then get the sensor checked out. It can read incorrectly if there is too much moisture in the crankcase, for example from doing lots of short trips and having condensation build up. The sensor can also fail, just like anything else, and the wiring harness can be a problem if it holds moisture (external to the sensor).

[lt_texan]

I wish my 6 cylinder had a dipstick.

Foolproof. Or so I thought.

JCL gives good advice.

But take it in for an oil change now. No option there.

And have the mechanic check the level.

[ard]

mixing oils is a BAD idea.

People focus on VISCOSITY, but the real issue is that each brand/type of oil has their own stabilizer/chemistry package. So for one oil, you have a spectrum of oil molecules, mixed in with a stabilizer package. This works well when all the oil is the same- all the oil is stabilized by the interplay of the other molecules in the solution.

When you mix oils, you are mixing these stabilizers, and they are then no longer fully effective....

Hence, when you add different oil, you should CHANGE oil at the next chance you can. like in a few hundred miles, like when you get home, like after your trip is done....

Most non-car guys just drive their BMW between service visits, and would never think to grab a few quarts of BMW oil to carry around... But if they have to pay for an out of pocket oil change by the dealer, they may learn this trick.

And dont ask the SA at the dealer... they aren't experts by any stretch.

A

[ashrafkh]

Originally Posted by ard

mixing oils is a BAD idea.

People focus on VISCOSITY, but the real issue is that each brand/type of oil has their own stabilizer/chemistry package. So for one oil, you have a spectrum of oil molecules, mixed in with a stabilizer package. This works well when all the oil is the same- all the oil is stabilized by the interplay of the other molecules in the solution.

When you mix oils, you are mixing these stabilizers, and they are then no longer fully effective....

Hence, when you add different oil, you should CHANGE oil at the next chance you can. like in a few hundred miles, like when you get home, like after your trip is done....

Most non-car guys just drive their BMW between service visits, and would never think to grab a few quarts of BMW oil to carry around... But if they have to pay for an out of pocket oil change by the dealer, they may learn this trick.

And dont ask the SA at the dealer... they aren't experts by any stretch.

A

So everyone is taking it easy that oil is normal to decrease that much!!
The mechanical told me hat the 1st oil change he made for me was 0-20 castrol and it might be light for my v8 engine so he added 1L and said lets see the consumption and then change it... So i learned now i have to use 5-30 right! But still am going crazy... Where did the oil go...

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by ashrafkh

So its normal to have oil level goes down one bar after 2000 miles?

Dunno what 'one bar' means, as all my '01 has is a dipstick...
I assume that is one quart/liter +/-.

You mentioned your dipstick showed down to the min level; that should equate to about one quart down. In ~2,000 miles, in your climate, I would not be concerned, esp with that 0W-20 you said the mech put in. Doubt I would run 0W-20 in any car, in any climate, except maybe the Arctic circle area.

You added a qt of 20W-50; I agree with posters that viz oil is pretty 'thick', though its detrimental effect on your oil fill is minimal, imo.

Fwiw, I run 0W-40 M1 for the past several years, as I prefer the low 0 for cold starts in our cold to coolish mountain climate, and the 40 aspect seems to be consumed less at my high rpm road speed with my short geared 5spd manual trans.

Oil threads are ubiquitous here...If I ran a car in your clime, I would run 0W-40, 5W-40 or maybe 5W-30. Get an oil change when you can, dump that 0W-20 crap, use a good brand of synthetic, make sure you/the tech does a full fill, and keep an eye on consumption. That's the best opin I can offer.

If you use a quart in a couple/few thousand miles, it is what it is, esp in your warm to hot clime, and none of us knowing 'how you drive'. Keep an eye for leaks under the hood, on the pavement when you park and the tail pipe. But, otherwise I would not worry about your oil consumption. Time and some observation on your part will be helpful in diagnosing as to whether you really have something other than 'normal oil consumption', imo.
GL, mD

[ashrafkh]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Dunno what 'one bar' means, as all my '01 has is a dipstick...
I assume that is one quart/liter +/-.

You mentioned your dipstick showed down to the min level; that should equate to about one quart down. In ~2,000 miles, in your climate, I would not be concerned, esp with that 0W-20 you said the mech put in. Doubt I would run 0W-20 in any car, in any climate, except maybe the Arctic circle area.

You added a qt of 20W-50; I agree with posters that viz oil is pretty 'thick', though its detrimental effect on your oil fill is minimal, imo.

Fwiw, I run 0W-40 M1 for the past several years, as I prefer the low 0 for cold starts in our cold to coolish mountain climate, and the 40 aspect seems to be consumed less at my high rpm road speed with my short geared 5spd manual trans.

Oil threads are ubiquitous here...If I ran a car in your clime, I would run 0W-40, 5W-40 or maybe 5W-30. Get an oil change when you can, dump that 0W-20 crap, use a good brand of synthetic, make sure you/the tech does a full fill, and keep an eye on consumption. That's the best opin I can offer.

If you use a quart in a couple/few thousand miles, it is what it is, esp in your warm to hot clime, and none of us knowing 'how you drive'. Keep an eye for leaks under the hood, on the pavement when you park and the tail pipe. But, otherwise I would not worry about your oil consumption. Time and some observation on your part will be helpful in diagnosing as to whether you really have something other than 'normal oil consumption', imo.
GL, mD

Number of bars am referring to is the reading of oil level on my iDrive.
That was a detailed good advice, i will change oil tomorrow better than losing the engine
By the way... Now a days the climate is ok, 16-24 degree ... And the worst could reach 2-15 degree .... At summer it vary from 40-50 all day so i will go with ur oil type advice ...
Thanks

[JCL]

If there are 4 or 5 bars before it says to add oil, each bar represents about 200 ml. In 2000 miles, that is nothing. It is being burned, or it is leaking. There is nowhere else for it to go. If there are no visible oil leaks on the ground (and I wouldn't expect anyt with that low a consumption), then that rate of burning oil is perfectly reasonable.

Use the right oil, keep a log to see how much it uses, and carry on. I wouldn't using anything lower than a 5 for the cold start viscosity (ie 5w-30) and nothing higher than a 40 for the hot viscosity, due to your summer temperatures (5w-40 would be reasonable).

[ashrafkh]

Originally Posted by ashrafkh

Number of bars am referring to is the reading of oil level on my iDrive.
That was a detailed good advice, i will change oil tomorrow better than losing the engine
By the way... Now a days the climate is ok, 16-24 degree ... And the worst could reach 2-15 degree .... At summer it vary from 40-50 all day so i will go with ur oil type advice ...
Thanks

i decided to change oil..while on the way i discovered that my engine already started to give blue smoke from the axhuast i have bad experience with this sign on my previous E53 .. ended up changing some rubbers and valvs costing me around $2K .. i hope it simpler with this engine .