Low oil indicator

[mexicobmw]

A couple of days ago I got the low oil indicator and added a quart of oil, the indicator now showed full. I drove the car for 500 km and stored it. Today took it out and again got the low oil indicator, should I add another quart? The car has 16k kilometers. Or should intake it to the dealer?
Thanks
Diego

[robertm]

God I hate no fricken dip stick. Sounds like something isn't right. I wonder if the oil level sensor is screwed up. If you added oil and it reset to the full mark but now it's reading a quart low again there should be a big pool of oil where you stored it. I'd be hesitant to add another quart if you don't see any indications of leaking. Over filling can be just as bad as running low.

If it were me I'd probably drive it very gingerly to the dealership if they are close. If they are an hr away I might get it towed. Maybe call the service advisor and see what he thinks.

[Dackelone]

The OCS(Oil Condition Sensor) can read a false reading when there is lots of condensation(water) in the oil(like when doing lots of short trips and the engine never fully warms up). Look under your oil cap for yellow milky sludge... that would be from doing lots of short trips.

If you drive the car for an hour or so... you should be fine. Normally with my car, the oil level will read fine cold... but after an hour or so it can read 80% full instead of the 100% the OCS read when the engine was started after ten minutes.

You might want to have your dealer read the fault memory. If you don't do lots of short trips... it sounds like your OCS could be bad. When was your last oil change? Some guys have had their sensors replaced, oil changed and their SW updated. Some early cars('08's & '09's) had new SW to correct the OCS readings.

Be sure to read page #5 of this BMW document....

[mexicobmw]

I also hate there's no dipstick! Thanks for your replies guys. The car just had one oil change at 5k. I checked the oil cover but found no residue, but it's a fact I only use the car for short weekend trips. I will try to run it for an hour and measure the leek to see if I should add another quart. The car is a 2012.

[Toed64]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

The OCS(Oil Condition Sensor) can read a false reading when there is lots of condensation(water) in the oil(like when doing lots of short trips and the engine never fully warms up).

If you drive the car for an hour or so... you should be fine. Normally with my car, the oil level will read fine cold... but after an hour or so it can read 80% full instead of the 100% the OCS read when the engine was started after ten minutes. ...

Dackelone...thank you. This may be why my car historically indicated a varying oil level. You have also provided more justification for my only serious criticism of an otherwise excellent car: no dipstick.

In addition to not having a physical dipstick, my 2010 135 has an intermittent fault - most of the time the electronic oil level indicator it fails to work at all. BMW failed to fix it under warranty, just telling me that it's quite normal that the level indicator fails to read... Now my warranty has expired, they want to charge me LOTS to investigate (yet again) and probably replace potentially faulty sensors.

Has anyone retro-fitted a proper dipstick? I can't help thinking this would be a better fix.

PS Sorry for hijacking the thread...

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Toed64

Dackelone...thank you. This may be why my car historically indicated a varying oil level. You have also provided more justification for my only serious criticism of an otherwise excellent car: no dipstick.

In addition to not having a physical dipstick, my 2010 135 has an intermittent fault - most of the time the electronic oil level indicator it fails to work at all. BMW failed to fix it under warranty, just telling me that it's quite normal that the level indicator fails to read... Now my warranty has expired, they want to charge me LOTS to investigate (yet again) and probably replace potentially faulty sensors.

Has anyone retro-fitted a proper dipstick? I can't help thinking this would be a better fix.

PS Sorry for hijacking the thread...

Yea... I would like to see BMW go back to using a simple dipstick too. I mean the electronic CBS is ok, but I prefer a metal dipstick. I had false hopes when I saw the first 116i/118i F20's with dipsticks. Turns out those cars get a dipstick and CBS bc those engines are from the MINI group.

IF your oil level sensor is not working, I would just buy a new one and replace it on your next oil change. It don't not look very hard to replace. It comes out from under the belly pan - when changing the oil. I think the sensor is: bmw p/n 12617607910

Schmiedermann.com has it for 143 euros. So under $200 bucks for the part.

http://www.schmiedmann.de/1261760791...uctnumber.aspx


http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...12&fg=05&hl=25

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...64&hg=11&fg=10