Oil Temperature Reading
 

Being a teenager, I am good at running through oil quickly by driving to redline everywhere, so it would be nice if I could monitor the oil temperature easily. Word on the street is that the E53's don't have an onboard oil temp sensor, but that was on an M3 forum so... :dunno: Also, does anyone know of a product that could read the oil temp from the obd2 port that doesn't cost like $200 because I'm on a budget. I also read something about specialized PID codes that you would have to use with an obd2 device in order to actually find the information that I'm looking for. Any tips, advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

If there is no sensor fitted, you cannot read the oil temperature. Some of the engines fitted to the e53 don't have the sensor, some do. I know my M57TU doesn't have the sensor, and I don't think the M54 engine does either - not sure about the V8 variants. :dunno:

*edit* turns out this is wrong - it is possible to calculate the oil temp using aftermarket devices etc. - see below.

Do you know specifically which model years / variants have them? I have a 2005 3.0

Pretty sure I can read oil temp on my M54. Can't with base scanner though need the likes of nt510


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I know they all support trans fluid temp but perhaps not engine oil temp....

I know the 4.6iS/4.8iS cars do - there's a gauge on the cluster!

The 3.0i replaces the oil temp gauge with a consumption gauge (same as on my 3.0d, although reversed) so maybe the 3.0i doesn't actually measure oil temp.

The 4.4i seems to support it, as I've seen it on the iBus app in screen shots from members here (Mike/semcoinc for instance). Loperamide in the UK had is displayed but then it vanished...

I'm thinking I may have seen it on Overboost's 3.0i but I'm not sure though, as I can't find the screen shot.

This page sheds some light on oil temp indications in the iBus app - and also indicates that the oil temp is a direct sensor read on the M54 but a calculated value on the M62...

https://wiki.ibus-app.de/index.php?t...,_Tacho_spinnt

There's also refernces to oil temp on the M57 - now I'm thinking i might really need to look more closely at an Android head unit - the reasons keep stacking up!

Or then there's this..

https://www.car-solution.de/produkt/...er-e38-x5-e53/

Translation of the German text is: -

With this module, you can call up the following information by pressing and holding the BC button on the turn signal lever:

- Display of the oil temperature

- Display of the cooling water temperature

- Display of the battery voltage

- Digital speed display

No additional sensor or sensor is required, as the oil temperature is determined by the thermal oil level sensor installed as standard on every vehicle!

NOTE for E39 and E38 models: Only for vehicles from year 09/1997 and high instrument cluster! (For vehicles prior to 09/1997, the thermal oil level sensor must be replaced so that the eCombi module works)

The installation is very simple: The module is only connected with 6 cables: 5 cables at the plug of the instrument cluster and one cable at the plug of the lamp module.

I'm pretty sure I've pulled up coolant in coolant out and oil temp simultaneously to address problems with the cooling system


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No oil temp sensor on the M54 AFAIK. My iBus app does not show oil temp ad I removed the blank value box from the screen. I think if you have the 4.6/4.8 with oil temp in the cluster, the iBus app will show it.

I added a triple gauge set to the M54 in my 03 330i ZHP from LeatherZ.com. It uses an oil temp sensor, an oil pressure sender and a voltmeter. The sensors get fitted to the oil filter housing using a machined distribution block; it's sold seperately for about $100.