adding +1 qaurt oil

[Boosted_N54]

I saw the msg display that the oil engine was low so I added 1 qaurt and when I started up my car the oil reading took about 30 sec to tell me the status and then it said again in add +1 quart what should I do?

[generalg]

give it 20 min allows it to reset. Says it in the manual.

[Pig Farmer]

I'd start with the obvious things first... Look for oil pooling in the under tray or any sign of a leak in the oil cooler/lines. If no leaks are found, I'd do a complete oil change before adding an additional quart. If your oil level sensor is bad, you could end up running with two extra quarts in the engine, which is less than ideal. If the level reads low after the oil change, I'd take a 30 minute drive to get the oil up to temp, and see if that frees up the sensor.

[Boosted_N54]

Originally Posted by Pig Farmer

I'd start with the obvious things first... Look for oil pooling in the under tray or any sign of a leak in the oil cooler/lines. If no leaks are found, I'd do a complete oil change before adding an additional quart. If your oil level sensor is bad, you could end up running with two extra quarts in the engine, which is less than ideal. If the level reads low after the oil change, I'd take a 30 minute drive to get the oil up to temp, and see if that frees up the sensor.

I just had my oil filter gasket replaced do to oil leak 4 months ago so I hope no puddles again. I will drive the car and see once I get out from work . and will post

[Boosted_N54]

ok drove it for a while i checked the measurement level again and it was ok thanks

[Ehwnnc]

These cars burn oil. I suggest using Motul 5-40. I have used it in my BMWs and many others. It tends not to break down as easy

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Ehwnnc

These cars burn oil.

No.

[Ehwnnc]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

No.

Yes.

Do some reading my friend. I could go into a huge spill about clogging cats ect. but i dont feel the need to

[mleskovar]

Originally Posted by Ehwnnc

These cars burn oil....

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

No.

Originally Posted by Ehwnnc

Yes. ...

My 128 at 40K miles has never asked for more oil but ALL cars 'burn' oil. Today it can be measured in ounces....or even fractions of an ounce....but it still happens. It can also be measured in quarts depending on how the car is driven. Cars that are driven hard when cold/warming up tend to use more oil.

[JimD]

Oil consumption in any modern engine should be negligible. One daughter drives a Corolla with 240K miles that doesn't need oil added between oil changes. The other drives an old Cherokee with about 140K that can also go between oil changes with no oil added. My Suzuki SUV has over 90K miles and doesn't get filled with oil when I change and still doesn't need oil added between 5K oil changes (it needs 5.5 quarters to be full but only gets 5 and doesn't burn (or leak) a pint in 5K miles).

Turbos are harder on oil both due to operating temperature and pressurization of the intake. So maybe they use a little oil. I've never had one. But NA engines shouldn't use oil.

On an old Plymouth, I nearly elimated oil usage by replacing the seals on the valve guides. That used to be a weak link in OHV american engines. But modern motors have better seals and really should not loose oil.

[CGMike]

My car just did the same thing yesterday. I called the dealer concerned about oil consumption and they told me it was normal... Im at 7500 miles since last oil change (I plan on changing it myself this weekend). I think its BS that oil consumption is normal. I had a turbo 4 cylinder that was heavily modified (400 awhp) that didnt consume a drop of oil at 160K miles. The dealer said they would top it off for me but they are over 45 mins away, so Im just going to change it myself. After searching the forums to confirm what the dealer said, it seems pretty common. Im not giong to keep this car for the long haul if it continues to consume oil.

I think the 15K mile oil service is ridiculous and decided to cut it in half and change my oil myself at 7500 and let the dealer do it at 15K. The dealer was the one who changed the oil last. I think Im going to start changing it myself at 5K miles.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by JimD

Oil consumption in any modern engine should be negligible. One daughter drives a Corolla with 240K miles that doesn't need oil added between oil changes. The other drives an old Cherokee with about 140K that can also go between oil changes with no oil added. My Suzuki SUV has over 90K miles and doesn't get filled with oil when I change and still doesn't need oil added between 5K oil changes (it needs 5.5 quarters to be full but only gets 5 and doesn't burn (or leak) a pint in 5K miles).

Turbos are harder on oil both due to operating temperature and pressurization of the intake. So maybe they use a little oil. I've never had one. But NA engines shouldn't use oil.

On an old Plymouth, I nearly elimated oil usage by replacing the seals on the valve guides. That used to be a weak link in OHV american engines. But modern motors have better seals and really should not loose oil.

I agree with you 100% Jim, though there are some factors to consider.

Oil consumption can be affected by a long OCI. The longer the OCI, the oil will shear and thin, which can affect oil consumption. Also, the longer the OCI, the greater likelihood for fuel dilution, which will lower the flash point of the oil and increase the chance for oil consumption.

Now a LL-01 oil has a pretty high HTHS, so it should be shear resistant. Fuel dilution is pretty dependent on driving habits (short trips, excessive idling, cold weather, etc.)

[dojk]

Doesn't oil with a good NOARK rating solve the 'burning' oil issue?

[lainmike0710]

If I go past 5,000 miles without changing my oil, I see a half a quart low (one level down from the full line) every time using Mobil 1 0w40. Honestly my car has been that way since I bought it with 50,000 miles on it. If it's a long winter and after I add that half quart and it returns to full, another 5,000 miles(only when I can't get to changing it) it shows about the same. I honestly don't think it's an uncommon situation to burn a little oil no matter how "modern" your engine is. I always put 6.5 quarts in when changing and drive and always show full because of oil left behind which will always be the case and my driving habits are only sometimes hard but almost always highway.

Doesn't BMW discourage the warming up(idling) of their cars in cold temps? I read somewhere on here a while back that driving conservatively until your engine warms up for about 15 minutes is what they recommend because more wear on the engine occurs when the car sits warming up, taking much longer than it would if the car was being driven.

[Dackelone]

Always drive the car for 10 miles(or so) before checking the oil level. Sometimes it will come up. I've noticed on my car even after a few mile drive, it will read low(say 1/2 quart) but IF I drive the car for say 45 min... it will read full. I think you have to drive the car for five minutes or 10kms before the gauge will show a reading. I always don't trust what it says until the engine has been on for at least 30 minutes. Here is a pdf on how the sensor works.

Also... some early cars ('08's & '09's) had a sw issue that made the (OCS)sensor not read correctly. This was taken care of thru later sw updates thru dealer visits.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by dojk

Doesn't oil with a good NOARK rating solve the 'burning' oil issue?

Not necessarily. Though it does mean that the oil is less volatile, "burning" oil (consuming oil) could be the result of several different factors.

[MightyMouseTech]

All cars burn "some" oil. Although, my car has never shown anything other than perfect oil level.

I do change my oil every 6000 km though.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by lainmike0710

If I go past 5,000 miles without changing my oil, I see a half a quart low (one level down from the full line) every time using Mobil 1 0w40. Honestly my car has been that way since I bought it with 50,000 miles on it. If it's a long winter and after I add that half quart and it returns to full, another 5,000 miles(only when I can't get to changing it) it shows about the same. I honestly don't think it's an uncommon situation to burn a little oil no matter how "modern" your engine is. I always put 6.5 quarts in when changing and drive and always show full because of oil left behind which will always be the case and my driving habits are only sometimes hard but almost always highway.

Doesn't BMW discourage the warming up(idling) of their cars in cold temps? I read somewhere on here a while back that driving conservatively until your engine warms up for about 15 minutes is what they recommend because more wear on the engine occurs when the car sits warming up, taking much longer than it would if the car was being driven.

Consuming oil probably has more to do with how the engine is/was broken in and how much piston lining/ring wear you have than anything. Typically a heavier weight oil (along with synthetic, but that is a given in your BMW) should help with oil consumption, but a higher mileage engine will tend to consume oil.

[Freon]

I had some oil consumption when I autocrossed regularly (maybe 1/3 quart over several thousand miles and 4-5 autocross events), but zero when not. I think it's mostly high RPM running that seems to drive oil consumption. I haven't autocrossed for a while and am right back to zero detectable consumption.

The same general pattern had seemed to hold true on previous cars. My Subaru would eat 1/2 quart every 3000 miles (signature Subaru boxer oil consumption, they're well known for it), and a full quart if I did a handful of autocross events.