Quote:
Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz
Nice sarcasm. OK, let riddle me this one. Why is my e-dipstick reading full when I only added 6 quarts??
So you can tell me that the capacity is 7 quarts until the end of time but then why is my e-dipstick reading full with 6 quarts?
Or perhaps it's something wrong with my oil change procedure; changing oil is an extremely complex job.  |
I wasn't being sarcastic. There is something wrong with your procedure.
I've changed my oil 9 times, (2 at the dealer) 7 in my home shop with a lift. I've checked the real drained quantity twice against the e-dipstick, and both times the e-dipstick was spot on; once it was reading 1 quart low (after 17,000 miles) and the other it was reading 3/4 low after about 17,800 and me adding a quart at around the 16.5K mark. THE procedure calls for draining the oil just as you described and refilling with seven (7) quarts of oil. The engine is not going to hide a quart of oil somewhere and not let it drain out.
Let me ask you, after 35 years of changing your own oil, have you ever drained an engine of oil, with a filter change and added in the full quantity of oil the sump is rated to hold and have the dipstick read over capacity? I never have. I'd bet you've have the same experience. When you drain the oil out of an engine, it is designed to drain ALL the oil, or there is a special procedure with a second drain plug to drain the rest. I'd bet if you drove your car for a week it would eventually show a quart low. Not that I'm an expert on the system, but I'm sure it is designed to EXPECT a full oil re-fill and (of 7 quarts) and along with a CBS oil monitor reset, starts a new monitoring sequence. German engineers develop a procedure and expect it to be followed. They don't expect the tech to screw with the process.
Just drain the oil, replace the filter and refill with 7 quarts and reset the oil monitor. It works every time. That's the procedure. The procedure is NOT to add 6 quarts, read the e-dipstick then top off as necessary (that's a procedure for some manufacturers engines with a mechnaical dipstick).
If you search hard enough, someone posted the details on how the sensor is built and works, or you could get the Bentley repair manual and read up on the sensor and how it works).
The e-dipstick performs the same function as a mechanical dipstick but works differently because it is electronic; you are expecting it to behave the same as a mechanical apparatus, which it doesn't, nor is designed to. Is the e-dipstick over engineered? Maybe, but maybe it is used for other functions the a mechanical dipstick system can't perform. Oil control in a vanos engine is not a simple matter. The oil pump is a constant-rate pump. The engine needs a constant and consistant oil pressure to properly comtrol valve timing. My old E30 had both a mechanical dipstick and a low oil level light. When the oil level light came on the dipstick always read 1 quart low. I don't see the N52/54 system to be much different.
Do you have an issue with computer controlled ignition, timing, or fuel supply? Distributors, carbs, and vacuum advance all were replaced by electronics, why is the e-dipstick so different and so offensive?