Running hot and burning oil

DL335D · 10-09-2020, 05:46 PM

I'm burning about a quart every 2k and the car always runs a bit above 210 even when I'm not driving hard and it's well below 60 degrees outside.

I'm running OEM oil and the car has 49k miles. Zero leaks found with dye test.

Any thoughts?

Redd · 10-09-2020, 07:22 PM

Thermostat might cause the running hot but not the burning oil.

SAMM3Y · 10-09-2020, 08:04 PM

Scary amount of oil you're burning, I wouldn't be concerned about the temperature, does is blow blue smoke out the exhaust? The cats must be greasy as hell

DL335D · 10-09-2020, 09:17 PM

^ not that I've noticed, but I can smell oil burning after about 30 min of driving.

randrews15 · 10-09-2020, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DL335D

^ not that I've noticed, but I can smell oil burning after about 30 min of driving.

Burnt smell from the exhaust or elsewhere?

pbonsalb · 10-09-2020, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DL335D

I'm burning about a quart every 2k and the car always runs a bit above 210 even when I'm not driving hard and it's well below 60 degrees outside.

I'm running OEM oil and the car has 49k miles. Zero leaks found with dye test.

Any thoughts?

Nothing to worry about.

akkando · 10-10-2020, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DL335D

I'm burning about a quart every 2k and the car always runs a bit above 210 even when I'm not driving hard and it's well below 60 degrees outside.

I'm running OEM oil and the car has 49k miles. Zero leaks found with dye test.

Any thoughts?

my car consumes oil on the higher side but my car runs 190-200 degrees on the highway. 210 if I just let it idle or stop and go traffic, or I'm in the higher revs long enough on the highway. Over 210 only on very hot days or back road driving.

Redd · 10-10-2020, 05:39 AM

My engine consumes 0.5L/quart every 10k kms. Its got 135k kms on the clock, oil changes every 10k kms. I know BMW says up to 1L/1000km is 'normal' but I think that's insane amount of consumption.

CTMike · 10-10-2020, 07:22 AM

Drove about 200 miles yesterday up to New Hampshire... on the highway, no issues. Right around 210. Then I had to pull off for gas, then pull in to a couple of parking lots to try and find a bathroom for the kiddo... lower speed/stop and go for a brief period, no high RPMs. Within minutes temps started climbing... peaked just shy of the dot past 210, got both amber warnings then finally red warning message that it had overheated and I needed to shut the car off immediately. Ambient temps around 50deg Fahrenheit. Figuring I needed airflow... restarted the car, temps were still high, but was able to keep RPMs minimal and get going at highway speed... temps reduced and stayed around 210 the rest of the way.

TL;DR... should driving at low speeds after running on highway cause temps to spike like this? Anything I can do to avoid this in the future? (Was getting “the look” from my wife and frankly I don’t want to strand them somewhere

)

exVtekGuy · 10-10-2020, 08:53 AM

sounds like your radiator fan isn't working. was the fan running when you were stopped?

DL335D · 10-10-2020, 10:29 AM

^ I'll check the fan today. Thanks

CTMike · 10-10-2020, 10:32 AM

Only had the car 2 months so still getting used to it... but yah no audible fan that I could hear. 6MT btw, if that makes a difference. Thanks.

pbonsalb · 10-10-2020, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTMike

Drove about 200 miles yesterday up to New Hampshire... on the highway, no issues. Right around 210. Then I had to pull off for gas, then pull in to a couple of parking lots to try and find a bathroom for the kiddo... lower speed/stop and go for a brief period, no high RPMs. Within minutes temps started climbing... peaked just shy of the dot past 210, got both amber warnings then finally red warning message that it had overheated and I needed to shut the car off immediately. Ambient temps around 50deg Fahrenheit. Figuring I needed airflow... restarted the car, temps were still high, but was able to keep RPMs minimal and get going at highway speed... temps reduced and stayed around 210 the rest of the way.

TL;DR... should driving at low speeds after running on highway cause temps to spike like this? Anything I can do to avoid this in the future? (Was getting “the look” from my wife and frankly I don’t want to strand them somewhere

)

Your problem was not 210 oil temps. Probably cooling system related. I agree with suspecting the fan, which provides cooling at slow or no speeds. 60 mph of air flow does a decent job with no fan. I would be worried about getting stuck in traffic on your way home. Leave early morning. Turn the heat and fan on full if needed to help dissipate coolant heat.

Redd · 10-10-2020, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTMike

Drove about 200 miles yesterday up to New Hampshire... on the highway, no issues. Right around 210. Then I had to pull off for gas, then pull in to a couple of parking lots to try and find a bathroom for the kiddo... lower speed/stop and go for a brief period, no high RPMs. Within minutes temps started climbing... peaked just shy of the dot past 210, got both amber warnings then finally red warning message that it had overheated and I needed to shut the car off immediately. Ambient temps around 50deg Fahrenheit. Figuring I needed airflow... restarted the car, temps were still high, but was able to keep RPMs minimal and get going at highway speed... temps reduced and stayed around 210 the rest of the way.

TL;DR... should driving at low speeds after running on highway cause temps to spike like this? Anything I can do to avoid this in the future? (Was getting “the look” from my wife and frankly I don’t want to strand them somewhere

)

Definitely not normal. I get stuck in traffic in 85-90 degF ambient temps all the time and have never overheated the car. Check your fan and also your cooling system.

akkando · 10-10-2020, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTMike

Drove about 200 miles yesterday up to New Hampshire... on the highway, no issues. Right around 210. Then I had to pull off for gas, then pull in to a couple of parking lots to try and find a bathroom for the kiddo... lower speed/stop and go for a brief period, no high RPMs. Within minutes temps started climbing... peaked just shy of the dot past 210, got both amber warnings then finally red warning message that it had overheated and I needed to shut the car off immediately. Ambient temps around 50deg Fahrenheit. Figuring I needed airflow... restarted the car, temps were still high, but was able to keep RPMs minimal and get going at highway speed... temps reduced and stayed around 210 the rest of the way.

TL;DR... should driving at low speeds after running on highway cause temps to spike like this? Anything I can do to avoid this in the future? (Was getting “the look” from my wife and frankly I don’t want to strand them somewhere

)

You can be well above 210 for oil without warning. Was it your coolant temp? The warning in your case is not normal.

CTMike · 10-10-2020, 11:15 AM

Thanks all... definitely reluctant to hit any stop and go now. When I get home I’ll have to see about the fan, I’ve never heard it kick on.

amrazM · 10-12-2020, 07:13 PM

Hit the snowflake see if it comes on

CTMike · 10-12-2020, 07:47 PM

AC seems to work fine.

This is going to be obvious, but I’m now clear that oil temps are not the same as the temp in the coolant system. I had another overheating episode in stop and go traffic that I couldn’t much avoid... oil hadn’t come up to temp yet but was getting the overheating warnings. The general observation would be that when speeds are below, say, 25 mph then my temps climb. At no point do I hear a fan coming on but I’ll have to look more closely to see if it’s on but at a low speed. Above 25-30mph... things are stable, it drives great. Driving the Kancamagus in the E93 was everything I hoped it would be. At least I made it the 200 miles home back to CT without issue... time to get this problem sorted out. I can check coolant level, listen/look for the fan while it idles, check fuse... beyond that I’d be grasping at straws and will probably take it to a local BMW mechanic.

amrazM · 10-12-2020, 09:52 PM

If the cooling fan is inoperable it will throw a fault light, if you are not technically inclined with bmws I would take it to a professional and have it checked out. There is only so much you will get from the forum without any actual fault codes, even at the mileage it is not unlikely that your thermostat has failed or is experiencing a sticking situation. Try to avoid using the car until you get this sorted out as overheating is one of the last things you want as the damage would be much more costly than repairing this issue you are running into.

kyrix1st · 10-13-2020, 01:23 AM

Check the oil cap, it is prone to leaking.
I used to lose about 1L every 1000km because of the leak.
Due to the stupidly complex magnesium valve cover design the oil cap needs to be changed every 2-3 oil changes, more frequent as the mileage goes up.

bvrider1 · 10-13-2020, 07:02 AM

What version oil cap are you swapping at this interval?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrix1st

Check the oil cap, it is prone to leaking.
I used to lose about 1L every 1000km because of the leak.
Due to the stupidly complex magnesium valve cover design the oil cap needs to be changed every 2-3 oil changes, more frequent as the mileage goes up.

wfdeacon88 · 10-13-2020, 07:45 AM

Not sure if this helps, but in almost to 130K miles, having run LiquiMoly for most of its life. I can go the full 5K miles between oil changes and the oil full bar doesn't drop at all.. I don't burn even half a quart.. I did preventatively refinish the Valve Covers, new gasket, etc in the summer, but it didn't lose oil before that also.. you said there isn't a leak, so it's probably not the VC or OFHG. But, for me, I don't burn any oil at all even at high mileage. I do have the tiny bit of oil escaping the oil cap, which I'm going to get them to replace this week. I see the slight leak at the cap now that the VCs are red and easier to wipe off.

Try the oil cap, and Maybe try switching to LM?

10-09-2020, 05:46 PM	#1
DL335D Captain 591 Rep 941 Posts Drives: 2013 e92 M3 Q4 Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Boston iTrader: (2)	Running hot and burning oil I'm burning about a quart every 2k and the car always runs a bit above 210 even when I'm not driving hard and it's well below 60 degrees outside. I'm running OEM oil and the car has 49k miles. Zero leaks found with dye test. Any thoughts? Attached Images __________________ 2013 e92 M3 2011 X5 35d 2018 F80 M3 ZCP
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10-09-2020, 07:22 PM	#2
Redd Brigadier General 5039 Rep 4,842 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW E92 M3 Dakar Edition Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Malaysia iTrader: (0)	Thermostat might cause the running hot but not the burning oil.
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10-09-2020, 08:04 PM	#3
SAMM3Y Colonel 3110 Rep 2,747 Posts Drives: 2008 m3 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: NorCal iTrader: (2)	Scary amount of oil you're burning, I wouldn't be concerned about the temperature, does is blow blue smoke out the exhaust? The cats must be greasy as hell __________________ 9ers
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10-09-2020, 09:17 PM	#4
DL335D Captain 591 Rep 941 Posts Drives: 2013 e92 M3 Q4 Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Boston iTrader: (2)	^ not that I've noticed, but I can smell oil burning after about 30 min of driving. __________________ 2013 e92 M3 2011 X5 35d 2018 F80 M3 ZCP
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10-10-2020, 05:39 AM	#8
Redd Brigadier General 5039 Rep 4,842 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW E92 M3 Dakar Edition Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Malaysia iTrader: (0)	My engine consumes 0.5L/quart every 10k kms. Its got 135k kms on the clock, oil changes every 10k kms. I know BMW says up to 1L/1000km is 'normal' but I think that's insane amount of consumption.
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10-10-2020, 07:22 AM	#9
CTMike Lieutenant 428 Rep 431 Posts Drives: 2021 X5 40i MSport/2011 E93 M3 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: CT iTrader: (2)	Drove about 200 miles yesterday up to New Hampshire... on the highway, no issues. Right around 210. Then I had to pull off for gas, then pull in to a couple of parking lots to try and find a bathroom for the kiddo... lower speed/stop and go for a brief period, no high RPMs. Within minutes temps started climbing... peaked just shy of the dot past 210, got both amber warnings then finally red warning message that it had overheated and I needed to shut the car off immediately. Ambient temps around 50deg Fahrenheit. Figuring I needed airflow... restarted the car, temps were still high, but was able to keep RPMs minimal and get going at highway speed... temps reduced and stayed around 210 the rest of the way. TL;DR... should driving at low speeds after running on highway cause temps to spike like this? Anything I can do to avoid this in the future? (Was getting “the look” from my wife and frankly I don’t want to strand them somewhere )
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10-10-2020, 08:53 AM	#10
exVtekGuy First Lieutenant 141 Rep 303 Posts Drives: none yet Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	sounds like your radiator fan isn't working. was the fan running when you were stopped?
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10-10-2020, 10:29 AM	#11
DL335D Captain 591 Rep 941 Posts Drives: 2013 e92 M3 Q4 Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Boston iTrader: (2)	^ I'll check the fan today. Thanks __________________ 2013 e92 M3 2011 X5 35d 2018 F80 M3 ZCP
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10-10-2020, 10:32 AM	#12
CTMike Lieutenant 428 Rep 431 Posts Drives: 2021 X5 40i MSport/2011 E93 M3 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: CT iTrader: (2)	Only had the car 2 months so still getting used to it... but yah no audible fan that I could hear. 6MT btw, if that makes a difference. Thanks.
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10-10-2020, 11:15 AM	#16
CTMike Lieutenant 428 Rep 431 Posts Drives: 2021 X5 40i MSport/2011 E93 M3 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: CT iTrader: (2)	Thanks all... definitely reluctant to hit any stop and go now. When I get home I’ll have to see about the fan, I’ve never heard it kick on.
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10-12-2020, 07:13 PM	#17
amrazM mTekMods 2478 Rep 3,150 Posts Drives: like a granny. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Manhatan iTrader: (1)	Hit the snowflake see if it comes on
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10-12-2020, 07:47 PM	#18
CTMike Lieutenant 428 Rep 431 Posts Drives: 2021 X5 40i MSport/2011 E93 M3 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: CT iTrader: (2)	AC seems to work fine. This is going to be obvious, but I’m now clear that oil temps are not the same as the temp in the coolant system. I had another overheating episode in stop and go traffic that I couldn’t much avoid... oil hadn’t come up to temp yet but was getting the overheating warnings. The general observation would be that when speeds are below, say, 25 mph then my temps climb. At no point do I hear a fan coming on but I’ll have to look more closely to see if it’s on but at a low speed. Above 25-30mph... things are stable, it drives great. Driving the Kancamagus in the E93 was everything I hoped it would be. At least I made it the 200 miles home back to CT without issue... time to get this problem sorted out. I can check coolant level, listen/look for the fan while it idles, check fuse... beyond that I’d be grasping at straws and will probably take it to a local BMW mechanic.
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10-12-2020, 09:52 PM	#19
amrazM mTekMods 2478 Rep 3,150 Posts Drives: like a granny. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Manhatan iTrader: (1)	If the cooling fan is inoperable it will throw a fault light, if you are not technically inclined with bmws I would take it to a professional and have it checked out. There is only so much you will get from the forum without any actual fault codes, even at the mileage it is not unlikely that your thermostat has failed or is experiencing a sticking situation. Try to avoid using the car until you get this sorted out as overheating is one of the last things you want as the damage would be much more costly than repairing this issue you are running into.
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10-13-2020, 01:23 AM	#20
kyrix1st Colonel 2432 Rep 2,441 Posts Drives: '25 718 GTS 4.0; E92M3 MT&DCT Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: nyc iTrader: (0) Garage List 2004 BMW Z4 [0.00]	Check the oil cap, it is prone to leaking. I used to lose about 1L every 1000km because of the leak. Due to the stupidly complex magnesium valve cover design the oil cap needs to be changed every 2-3 oil changes, more frequent as the mileage goes up. __________________ Pass me if you can.
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10-13-2020, 07:45 AM	#22
wfdeacon88 Major 1123 Rep 1,390 Posts Drives: E90 M3 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Triad, NC iTrader: (0)	Not sure if this helps, but in almost to 130K miles, having run LiquiMoly for most of its life. I can go the full 5K miles between oil changes and the oil full bar doesn't drop at all.. I don't burn even half a quart.. I did preventatively refinish the Valve Covers, new gasket, etc in the summer, but it didn't lose oil before that also.. you said there isn't a leak, so it's probably not the VC or OFHG. But, for me, I don't burn any oil at all even at high mileage. I do have the tiny bit of oil escaping the oil cap, which I'm going to get them to replace this week. I see the slight leak at the cap now that the VCs are red and easier to wipe off. Try the oil cap, and Maybe try switching to LM?
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