[brewnami]

I searched the forums a little for this, but couldn't find anything about this specific issue...

To preface: I have a 2007 335i coupe 6spd with 28,900 miles. My oil was changed 2,000 miles ago. I have the JB4 tune on map 5 (installed two days ago) and the DCI.

Started my car as I was leaving work today and sat for a moment to scroll through the JB4 steering wheel controls... Started to pull away and the low oil light came on... I shut the car off right away and looked up how long I could drive to get some oil. When I started it back up, I checked the oil level in iDrive and it was at max... I left the oil level screen up all the way home (10 miles) and during the drive, the level dropped to half full... Kept checking it and drove a little more and it's still at half... Bought a quart of Castrol Edge 5W30 to keep in my car, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had this issue and what the result was... Hoping I'm not needing to replace sensors with under 30K miles!

[brewnami]

Bueller?

[Efthreeoh]

So the first question is, whomever did the oil change, did they put a full 7 quarts in the engine when they refilled it? You do not refill the engine like you do with a mechanical dipstick car, meaning add in almost all of the full fill of oil less a 1/2 quart and then warm up the engine and check the mechanical dipstick. On a e-dipstick BMW, you add all 7 quarts in at once. The e-dipstick needs to have the engine run through several cycles, and reach operating temperature until a proper reading is attained.

If it was reading a steady 1/2 low, which it sounds like it was), then add just a 1/2 quart and drive it for at least 10 miles and 20 minutes to get an accurate updated reading.

[Three_thirty_I]

The only time the oil level indicator will "fluctuate" is when a change in oil level has occurred, and then this is only straight afterwards. So if you have topped up or had the oil changed it might take a few readings until it finalises, and then should not change unless the level does.

When I changed oil earlier this year I initially put in 6 ltrs (500 ml less than max) and then after starting the engine for the oil to move around the engine went for a drive. The fist reading I got showed quarter level and then after another 5 or so minutes it went to half level. Topped it up and went for another drive, same things - initially showed three quarters, then max where is has now stayed.

[brewnami]

So ever since this happened, it has been sitting at half full. I bought the car with 28,300 miles on it (Just sold my S4 to buy this) and the oil had been changed by the dealer (not BMW dealer). I haven't added oil, its not dripping oil or burning oil, though I'm sure there is some sort of consumption as most turbo charged cars do, but I don't understand how the level could read "low", "max", and now half on the level in a matter of 15 mins without any change to the oil without a sensor messing up. I am just going to bring it in for another oil change for piece of mind, but I didn't want to add any oil incase it was reading half, but really full... I'm sure a majority of BMW owners say this, but as cool as it is to check the oil level in your car while you drive, they still should have had a dipstick in case something like this were to ever occur... Doubt much R&D would be needed to tuck away a dipstick under an engine cover.

[Three_thirty_I]

Originally Posted by brewnami

So ever since this happened, it has been sitting at half full. I bought the car with 28,300 miles on it (Just sold my S4 to buy this) and the oil had been changed by the dealer (not BMW dealer). I haven't added oil, its not dripping oil or burning oil, though I'm sure there is some sort of consumption as most turbo charged cars do, but I don't understand how the level could read "low", "max", and now half on the level in a matter of 15 mins without any change to the oil without a sensor messing up. I am just going to bring it in for another oil change for piece of mind, but I didn't want to add any oil incase it was reading half, but really full... I'm sure a majority of BMW owners say this, but as cool as it is to check the oil level in your car while you drive, they still should have had a dipstick in case something like this were to ever occur... Doubt much R&D would be needed to tuck away a dipstick under an engine cover.

There is a degree of blow-by oil vapour that can account for a drop in oil level, and with these engines for this very reason, a catch can is very handy which also reduces the inevitable carbon build up in the intake ports due to being direct injection. But, the oil level should not fluctuate like this. Yep, why they could not just give us a proper physical dipstick is beyond me! The diesel engines still have dipsticks in the E90...