Oil went from max to needing a quart today (Pinhole in valve cover)

[Iyzmi]

This morning my oil level was almost at the max line, somewhere between 3/4 and full. i had some errands to run so I jumped on the highway and took it up to redline 2 or 3 times to hear the engine sing (just got this thing and can't get enough of the noise). The car was obviously fully warmed up by this point, I don't take it past 3k until it is. On my way back, I stopped at Walgreens and when I got back in the car it was telling me the oil is below the minimum level and I need to add a quart ASAP to avoid damage. Luckily I was only 2 miles from home at this point so drove back and parked it in the garage.

I let it recalculate the level 3 times and it is consistently showing that I need to add a quart now. I'll drive my other car to the dealership and pick up a quart tomorrow but in the meantime I'm concerned about how the car can go from almost full to requiring a quart of oil. Is this normal?

I've read a lot about the finicky sensor so I plan on adding about 1/4 of the bottle at a time. If it would've gone from less than half on the display to needing a quart I wouldn't be too worried, but going from almost completely full to low just seems really odd to me. Thoughts?

[admranger]

From what I can figure out, the oil level indicator is powered by pure witchcraft.

[Amirsm3]

Originally Posted by admranger

From what I can figure out, the oil level indicator is powered by pure witchcraft.

made my night

[fhaze3]

Is your engine bay covered in oil?

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by fhaze3

Is your engine bay covered in oil?

No. The leak was so small that the mechanic used a pick (like a dentist uses) to locate it. He also said he used some soapy water to see if/where it would bubble up to help locate it.

Not anything big enough to let out enough oil to cover the engine bay from what I understand.

[Agent-GHQ]

What yr/miles??

Never had any issue when I get the low oil alert. The oil level shows at the minimum line and says to add a qt. Added a full qt and within minutes of driving I'm back at the full mark.

There was one time when I was driving for about 40-50 miles after the oil level had alerted me at the minimal mark. Added a qt after driving 40-50 miles and the oil level was at full again

[Iyzmi]

2009 with 39,800 miles. My mechanic called the dealer and they said they have never seen or heard of this problem before either so yeah, I'm special.

[E90M3velocity]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

2009 with 39,800 miles. My mechanic called the dealer and they said they have never seen or heard of this problem before either so yeah, I'm special.

Check to see if you have a faulty oil level sensor? I did an oil change and the read up after the changed showed it half full. I do have a very tiny leak on the passenger side head gasket, but it wouldnt caused half the oil to disappear. I sent the car to my indie shop and they clarified my oil sensor needed to be replaced. Im at 65k

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by E90M3velocity

Check to see if you have a faulty oil level sensor? I did an oil change and the read up after the changed showed it half full. I do have a very tiny leak on the passenger side head gasket, but it wouldnt caused half the oil to disappear. I sent the car to my indie shop and they clarified my oil sensor needed to be replaced. Im at 65k

That would be plausible if I hadn't actually lost oil. The car formed a small but noticeable puddle after sitting in the garage for only 5 minutes after I got back from warming it up to get a reading. It also formed a puddle in the shop parking lot that the mechanic and I were able to see after it sat for an hour. If I had not actually lost a visible amount of oil and if the mechanic wasn't able to get the sensor to show a full reading after topping the oil off, then the sensor might be to blame. In this case, it looks like the sensor worked perfectly to let me know as soon as the problem occurred.

So if anything, this is the opposite of the typical electronic dipstick hatred threads. If it wasn't for the sensor, I probably wouldn't have caught this problem in time and potentially done some serious damage. I do wish they put in a regular dipstick in addition to the sensor though.

[xpunisherx]

My baby has a termpermental oil level sensor.

Will show half way between min and max level during normal city driving or short communtes...

but drops down to minimum when driven at speed on the autobahn.

Once i stop and reset the sensor, it levels back out at half way between min and max.

Damn car loves to play games...like a woman...no wonder i am in

[Iyzmi]

I reset the sensor each time after adding oil 1/4 bottle at a time. And a couple times yesterday. It was consistently showing that I needed to add a quart. After adding 1 3/4 bottles, it now stabilized at full level, which is about where it consistently was before yesterday, give or take a tick.

[Iyzmi]

Given that our cars use 9 quarts of oil, does anyone have any thoughts on how much the engine can lose before serious damage becomes a possibility? I imagine 2qt is right on the borderline and 3 might be where the line is drawn. Can the engine run safely on as little as 5-6qts of oil at low speed and for <10 miles? Just curious...

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Fun fact: only 5 valve covers have been sold in North America ever. I am therefore potentially one of 6 people ever to have this problem in NA. Great luck, right? The repair will be just under $1,300 total for parts and labor, which is letting me off pretty easy since I was expecting the worst when I saw oil on the floor. Could've been a lot worse.

If it were truly a pin-sized hole, I probably would've had it welded and called it a day. Props to you for paying for the replacement, though

[Iyzmi]

Getting it welded was not an option presented to me by the mechanic, I'm assuming this may be based on the location of the hole. Either way, I'd feel much better with a brand new part than a repaired part, given that the repercussions of future oil loss are pretty scary. I got away with a light scare this time, I'd rather fix it right and forget it.

[admranger]

Can you get some pics on where this pinhole is please? Would love to see that.

[BzsBimmer]

$1300 for parts and labor seems steep to me
The part is less than $500 however I can understand if you have to get it from Germany.
If you read the spark plug DIY, the steps are very similar to get access to the valve covers. You just need to replace the gasket along with it.

YMMV

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by admranger

Can you get some pics on where this pinhole is please? Would love to see that.

Yup, I actually asked for a pic this afternoon and the mechanic should send it over tomorrow.

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

$1300 for parts and labor seems steep to me
The part is less than $500 however I can understand if you have to get it from Germany.
If you read the spark plug DIY, the steps are very similar to get access to the valve covers. You just need to replace the gasket along with it.

YMMV

I'll get a more detailed estimate emailed over after he sends the pic tomorrow.

[whats77inaname]

Yeah, that looks like it could be welded closed on the underside by a competent welder. If you feel competent as a DIYer, I'd strongly recommend doing the install yourself.

[BzsBimmer]

Well maybe you can sell the part and recoup some money.
I'd JB Weld that up lol

[admranger]

I'd be talking to BMW Customer Service about this...that's a manufacturing defect that they should eat in my opinion (warranty or not). Or have I missed something?

[BzsBimmer]

That might be a mfg defect however it does look like something sharp was used in that area. The metal appears to be shiny around that hole so something nicked it after the valve cover was produced. On top of that, there are rub marks near that bolt so someone has been all up inside that thing
Since you are not the original owner and and don't know if the PO/PO's always had the dealer service the car, I don't know how you can prove that BMW is liable.

Also if that hole was there since day 1, you would have been using up quite a bit of oil for as many miles on the car.

[Iyzmi]

The hole has not been there since day one. I have all of the maintenance records for the car since it was new. Always dealer maintained and never had work done that would have necessitated removing the valve cover. The mechanic started the car and put some soapy water on the valve cover. It started to bubble up in that area so he started poking around the area with the pick. It went through with little effort and that is why the hole is now easily visible. It was just a weakness in the casting most likely.