Oil level sensor issue with new sensor

[nudleboy]

My old oil level sensor would randomly drop one tick at at time during long drives and then read perfectly fine after I restarted the car, so I decided to replace it at my oil change. New OEM oil level sensor and 9L of oil. From there on out, it started to read sporadic readings.

At oil change, it read 3/4 full. 2 weeks ago, it read at half. Yesterday, it read max level. Today it's at minimum (add 1qt). I changed the sensor about 800 miles ago and its been over a month since then. There's no leaks or anything but it's been a bit hot lately.

Anyone else have this similar issue and have a recommendation to fix this?

[spammysammich]

They all suck. Barring any defects to your wiring or connector, these sensors are a complete bullshit pain in the ass. Dumbest thing to be added to a car; hey let’s run the engine at a potentially low oil level until it is fully warmed up just to get a semi accurate, usually inconsistent and sometimes faulty reading from a garbage quality sensor. You wouldn’t be the first to have one dead out of box.

All the more reason to keep your oil change intervals well under the recommended 15k mile insanity. Carefully clean and inspect the common culprits; valve cover gaskets, oil filter housing gaskets, air oil separators and main seals. Then monitor the car regularly to make absolutely sure you do not see oil leaks and not smoking out the exhaust. Note the amount of oil you drain at each OCI. If you’re really desperate to have accurate oil level checks, get a modified oil pan to run with a dip stick. That’s prohibitively expensive though.

[spammysammich]

I should add to make sure your battery is in good condition. Sensors go crazy with poor input voltage and grounding

[nudleboy]

Originally Posted by spammysammich

They all suck. Barring any defects to your wiring or connector, these sensors are a complete bullshit pain in the ass. Dumbest thing to be added to a car; hey let’s run the engine at a potentially low oil level until it is fully warmed up just to get a semi accurate, usually inconsistent and sometimes faulty reading from a garbage quality sensor. You wouldn’t be the first to have one dead out of box.

All the more reason to keep your oil change intervals well under the recommended 15k mile insanity. Carefully clean and inspect the common culprits; valve cover gaskets, oil filter housing gaskets, air oil separators and main seals. Then monitor the car regularly to make absolutely sure you do not see oil leaks and not smoking out the exhaust. Note the amount of oil you drain at each OCI. If you’re really desperate to have accurate oil level checks, get a modified oil pan to run with a dip stick. That’s prohibitively expensive though.

Yup this absolutely drives me nuts. I may just replace it again, given that there is a warranty for it...

Thanks!

[RocketyMan]

Originally Posted by nudleboy

My old oil level sensor would randomly drop one tick at at time during long drives and then read perfectly fine after I restarted the car, so I decided to replace it at my oil change. New OEM oil level sensor and 9L of oil. From there on out, it started to read sporadic readings.

At oil change, it read 3/4 full. 2 weeks ago, it read at half. Yesterday, it read max level. Today it's at minimum (add 1qt). I changed the sensor about 800 miles ago and its been over a month since then. There's no leaks or anything but it's been a bit hot lately.

Anyone else have this similar issue and have a recommendation to fix this?

It's a bit finicky, yes I agree. Keep in mind, 9L of oil changes volume with temperature and driving style. The sensor also has a "quality check" aspect to it. So if you have "older oil" (more fuel dilution and/or moisture), then the reading won't be as high--potentially, or just off/inconsistent.

Some strategies that worked for me on reading it, is making sure the engine is up to proper temp level, relatively flat driving areas (no large hills), and no excessive RPM. I usually get pretty consistent readings.

When the level says its like 1/2 quart low on the screen, I will usually add about 1/2 a quart and wait for a more accurate reading the next day after the car fully sat and cooled, repeating the process of letting it slowly warm up while driving without excessive RPM. Then just doing another reading. I won't, however, add more oil until I see something change. For instance, going up to oil 1/4 quart low.


https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...0&postcount=33


You know...one thing you can do is open up INPA and get a raw data reading when the car is cold and all the oil is in the sump. This should be over the "max" oil level as all the oil should be drained. This is how the DME tells the car is "safe to start" when questioning if there is oil in the sump or not.

I do agree with what spammy said. Since this level sensor is on the BSD/LIN network, making sure you have a good battery, and working alternator/IBS is imperative. This could potentially contribute to squirrelly readings.

Hope some of this helps.

[nudleboy]

Just an update on this issue. Drove approximately 40miles at 70mph. Somehow it went from 3/4 full to minimum line within that period. I have no idea whats going on anymore lol.

[deansbimmer]

Understand its function. The sensor takes periodic readings while the vehicle is in operation. Depending on variables the system tries to compensate for driving parameters but it will ultimately produce different level readings. If the system produces a measurement while you're driving on the highway, it will show differently than if you're stationary in traffic, and different again if the reading is produced while you're on any incline, or any combination of those. It would be no different if you were able to take multiple measurements with a manual dipstick while driving.

If you never pay a second mind to oil level readings, this system prevents your engine from running too low on oil without producing a driver notification.

If you wish to monitor this a bit more accurately, take readings in the same environment- i.e. your level garage to produce a consistent measurement parameters. Still, don't fret by frequently attempting to chase a full reading via the oil level measurement function. To do so helps nothing but cause more stress and worry.

[nudleboy]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

Understand its function. The sensor takes periodic readings while the vehicle is in operation. Depending on variables the system tries to compensate for driving parameters but it will ultimately produce different level readings. If the system produces a measurement while you're driving on the highway, it will show differently than if you're stationary in traffic, and different again if the reading is produced while you're on any incline, or any combination of those. It would be no different if you were able to take multiple measurements with a manual dipstick while driving.

If you never pay a second mind to oil level readings, this system prevents your engine from running too low on oil without producing a driver notification.

If you wish to monitor this a bit more accurately, take readings in the same environment- i.e. your level garage to produce a consistent measurement parameters. Still, don't fret by frequently attempting to chase a full reading via the oil level measurement function. To do so helps nothing but cause more stress and worry.

Thanks for this. I think the problem is it does give me a driver notification. After 30 minutes of highway driving, the oil level shows from max to min-add 1qt. It goes away after the vehicle restarts, but the error notification is left on screen until then.