Burning oil

[128ibro]

I have 128i 10' N51 with 134,000miles. I have changed the oil in less than 2 months. I drove couple of thousands miles. Now I got that I need to add +1qrt. I have no leaks what it could be.

[blackberryq10android]

Originally Posted by 128ibro

I have 128i 10' N51 with 134,000miles. I have changed the oil in less than 2 months. I drove couple of thousands miles. Now I got that I need to add +1qrt. I have no leaks what it could be.

Sounds like you have a leak. Bring your car to a bmw dealer to use your sulev warranty if it is a part covered before you hit 150k miles

[128ibro]

My oil pan gasket isn't leaking and was replaced not too long ago even when It was leaking I never got the yellow warning light that early. Valve cover gasket not leaking. OFH gasket not leaking. And no signs on my drive way that the car is leaking that much. Take to the dealership and tell them what? I don't have SES light

[spidertri]

If the PCV system isn't operating correctly it will suck more oil into the intake and burn it through the engine.

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by spidertri

If the PCV system isn't operating correctly it will suck more oil into the intake and burn it through the engine.

How to know if the PCV operating correctly?

[wayman519]

At similar mileage my 128i would have the same oil burning symptoms as yours. My vanos solenoids were failing but not enough for the computer to acknowledge a fault. My engine sounded like it was struggling (louder exhaust than normal) and the solenoids passed the ista test. I cleaned my solenoids and the car ran stronger and quieter for a couple days then slowly return to loud. I replaced the solenoids with cheap vaico solenoids and did and oil change, now all is fine. My oil consumption dropped significantly. I will replace the solenoids with genuine bmw ones when they start to fail.

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by wayman519

At similar mileage my 128i would have the same oil burning symptoms as yours. My vanos solenoids were failing but not enough for the computer to acknowledge a fault. My engine sounded like it was struggling (louder exhaust than normal) and the solenoids passed the ista test. I cleaned my solenoids and the car ran stronger and quieter for a couple days then slowly return to loud. I replaced the solenoids with cheap vaico solenoids and did and oil change, now all is fine. My oil consumption dropped significantly. I will replace the solenoids with genuine bmw ones when they start to fail.

Thanks for the insight. I see that they're covered under the SULEV warranty. How can I get bmw to replace them if they aren't failing the test?

[zx10guy]

Is the add 1 quart warning constant? If not it could be the oil level sensor. I had the same warning with my N55. Shut the engine off. Restarted. Waited for the oil level to update and it showed full. Over the next few weeks, the oil level has bounced around from 1/4 above min to full max. No leaks I could tell. Haven't crawled under the car yet but with the oil level bouncing around, I'm pretty convinced it's the sensor.

[Jeb_]

It may not effect you, but something to keep in mind about the SULEV warranty is that I think you can only take advantage of it if you live in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and DC.

[wayman519]

Originally Posted by 128ibro

Thanks for the insight. I see that they're covered under the SULEV warranty. How can I get bmw to replace them if they aren't failing the test?

Hmm i doubt they would do anything if it passes the test. I read that early n52 and n54 motors had a very sensitive fault tolerance for the cam position request vs actual. But due to long oil changes the vanos would randomly stick then throw a vanos /cam code. Bmw updated this sensitivity. It takes a stumbling engine to throw a code now. Its tough to prove these are faulty. I used mpg and oil consumption over months to determine these were the culprit. Also its common knowledge on this forum that these are maintenance replace items at 100-150,000km.

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by Jeb_

It may not effect you, but something to keep in mind about the SULEV warranty is that I think you can only take advantage of it if you live in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and DC.

I'm in California and SULEV covered here too

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by wayman519

Hmm i doubt they would do anything if it passes the test. I read that early n52 and n54 motors had a very sensitive fault tolerance for the cam position request vs actual. But due to long oil changes the vanos would randomly stick then throw a vanos /cam code. Bmw updated this sensitivity. It takes a stumbling engine to throw a code now. Its tough to prove these are faulty. I used mpg and oil consumption over months to determine these were the culprit. Also its common knowledge on this forum that these are maintenance replace items at 100-150,000km.

I gotta find way to let them do it. Better than spending $152 on each one

[chris_flies]

Exactly how many miles are have you driven since changing the oil? I went 10k miles between changes once and only had to add a quart at 9k.

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Exactly how many miles are have you driven since changing the oil? I went 10k miles between changes once and only had to add a quart at 9k.

I would say 3,000 miles or less, and less than 2 months ago.

[spidertri]

Originally Posted by 128ibro

How to know if the PCV operating correctly?

One of the signs is a whistling sound coming from the PCV on the valve cover. On the N51, the PCV has a hose coming out of it that attaches to the plastic elbow just in front of the intake manifold, because it's a sealed system. The N52 doesn't have the hose and the PCV nipple is capped but still open to atmosphere.

There's a TSB floating around out there that says "normal" oil consumption on a BMW non-M engine can be 1 quart per 1000 miles. I would think that is very excessive based on all the BMW engines I've owned over the years.

[128ibro]

Originally Posted by spidertri

One of the signs is a whistling sound coming from the PCV on the valve cover. On the N51, the PCV has a hose coming out of it that attaches to the plastic elbow just in front of the intake manifold, because it's a sealed system. The N52 doesn't have the hose and the PCV nipple is capped but still open to atmosphere.

There's a TSB floating around out there that says "normal" oil consumption on a BMW non-M engine can be 1 quart per 1000 miles. I would think that is very excessive based on all the BMW engines I've owned over the years.

The PCV has been replaced not too long ago due to the recall.