loosing oil... wallet ache worry!

big_al · 12-03-2011, 11:49 AM

I noticed the oil level had dropped below the low level on the meter.... so I fed it a litre, no movement... gave it a bit more, so on and so on... no movement on the meter. Started to worry about a faulty sender unit or something, didn't want to overfill so called BM stealer and they told me I should get a control message to indicate low level... when 1litre off the low mark (only a low fuel marker in the control messages). Then a mechanic mate turned up so I told him the story, he looked around the engine, then noticed oil in the exhaust pipes

Couple of blips on the throttle confirmed its blowing oil out the exhaust... taking it to my BM Stealer on monday to get the bad news. Any suggestions towards it NOT being a serious engine/wallet breaking problem; much appreciated.

BMW Fanatic · 12-03-2011, 11:57 AM

What year's the car? Warranty? If that stuffs still in tact then why you worried bro. Unless you're supercharged or gotta tune to worry about.

Ateam · 12-03-2011, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Fanatic

What year's the car? Warranty? If that stuffs still in tact then why you worried bro. Unless you're supercharged or gotta tune to worry about.

Piston rings are a decently cheap fix. Cracked block is more expensive but very unlikely. I bet its not so bad. A lot of little leaky things or worn things can cause this. My bet is on the piston rings or seals. good luck!

big_al · 12-03-2011, 12:04 PM

2007 - out of warranty!

VCP · 12-03-2011, 01:21 PM

How much oil did u add when the message came up?

big_al · 12-03-2011, 05:47 PM

There was no message... so when I got to adding over a litre (bearing in mind the stealers advise), alarm bells started to ring... can you trust an electronic meter... I don't think so.

There is no dipstick... right?

luis_m3 · 12-03-2011, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big_al

There was no message... so when I got to adding over a litre (bearing in mind the stealers advise), alarm bells started to ring... can you trust an electronic meter... I don't think so.

There is no dipstick... right?

No dipstick

M3PO · 12-03-2011, 06:20 PM

I think you overfilled it. The PCV system is probably pulling a lot of oil into the intake system and whats not being burnt (does it smoke at all?) is coming out of the exhaust. I don't believe that you've done any damage but, if it were me, I'd want to clean all of that oil out of the intake tract. If you pull the intake tube off of the plenum and it's oily, you'll have your answer.

SchnellM3 · 12-03-2011, 07:03 PM

Anyone else think we're possibly getting trolled?

Dannys M3 · 12-03-2011, 07:45 PM

You can not just add oil and expect an instantaneous change to your oil level readout. After adding oil you must drive around and let the sensor calculate the new oil level. Looks like you've over filled it.

From the owners manual:

Checking oil level
Your car is equipped with an electronic oil level
monitor.
The oil level can be displayed when the engine
is warm. Continuous short distance travel or a
very sporty driving style may make measurement
impossible.

12-03-2011, 11:49 AM	#1
big_al Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Cambs iTrader: (0)	loosing oil... wallet ache worry! I noticed the oil level had dropped below the low level on the meter.... so I fed it a litre, no movement... gave it a bit more, so on and so on... no movement on the meter. Started to worry about a faulty sender unit or something, didn't want to overfill so called BM stealer and they told me I should get a control message to indicate low level... when 1litre off the low mark (only a low fuel marker in the control messages). Then a mechanic mate turned up so I told him the story, he looked around the engine, then noticed oil in the exhaust pipes Couple of blips on the throttle confirmed its blowing oil out the exhaust... taking it to my BM Stealer on monday to get the bad news. Any suggestions towards it NOT being a serious engine/wallet breaking problem; much appreciated.
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12-03-2011, 11:57 AM	#2
BMW Fanatic Banned 135 Rep 3,293 Posts Drives: slow Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calgary iTrader: (11)	What year's the car? Warranty? If that stuffs still in tact then why you worried bro. Unless you're supercharged or gotta tune to worry about.
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12-03-2011, 12:04 PM	#4
big_al Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Cambs iTrader: (0)	2007 - out of warranty!
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12-03-2011, 01:21 PM	#5
VCP Colonel 1390 Rep 2,336 Posts Drives: M4GTS BSM/F90comp/BSM M2CS Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	How much oil did u add when the message came up?
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12-03-2011, 05:47 PM	#6
big_al Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Cambs iTrader: (0)	There was no message... so when I got to adding over a litre (bearing in mind the stealers advise), alarm bells started to ring... can you trust an electronic meter... I don't think so. There is no dipstick... right?
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12-03-2011, 06:20 PM	#8
M3PO Colonel 84 Rep 2,792 Posts Drives: '08 IB E92 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: OC iTrader: (7)	I think you overfilled it. The PCV system is probably pulling a lot of oil into the intake system and whats not being burnt (does it smoke at all?) is coming out of the exhaust. I don't believe that you've done any damage but, if it were me, I'd want to clean all of that oil out of the intake tract. If you pull the intake tube off of the plenum and it's oily, you'll have your answer.
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12-03-2011, 07:03 PM	#9
SchnellM3 Digger 205 Rep 2,619 Posts Drives: 03 E46 M3 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Pa iTrader: (5) Garage List 2003 BMW E46 M3 Tra ... [8.00] 2009 BMW E92 M3 [8.30] 2009 Yamaha R1 (FOR ... [9.50]	Anyone else think we're possibly getting trolled? __________________ 2009 E92 M3 /// Melbourne Red /// Fox Red /// M DKG Full Innotech Exhaust - DINAN Intake - IND Engine Bay Appearance - IND Hand Stitched Boot Covers - and much more....
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12-03-2011, 07:45 PM	#10
Dannys M3 Captain 71 Rep 733 Posts Drives: Jaguar F Type R Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: South Florida iTrader: (3) Garage List 2008 M3 [10.00]	You can not just add oil and expect an instantaneous change to your oil level readout. After adding oil you must drive around and let the sensor calculate the new oil level. Looks like you've over filled it. From the owners manual: Checking oil level Your car is equipped with an electronic oil level monitor. The oil level can be displayed when the engine is warm. Continuous short distance travel or a very sporty driving style may make measurement impossible.
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