Quote:
Originally Posted by J Roc 328i
I see you drive an E90 as well. Has this ever happened to you? Do you have links to any other places I can read about this? I haven't been able to find too many people that have been having particularly the same problem.
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The sensor operation is quite simple. There are no moving parts in it. Read the link I posted above so you can familiarize yourself with it, which helps with diagnosing the problem. Being the sensor is purely electrical, if it fails, it is an electrical fault, which is why the first step in diagnosis is to scan the car for manufacturer-specific fault codes. You need a BMW-based scan tool to do this. There are numerous scan tools available for BMW, go to the coding subforum to find out what scan tools you can get.
So first off, as you indicated, the last oil change is within 2,000 miles, and you have no major oil leaks, so it is a safe assumption that the oil level is in the safe operating range and will remain as such. This means you have time to get a scan tool and diagnose the issue. The failure can be either in the sensor electronics (very rare) or with the connector (contaminated or damaged), or on the CAN bus circuit that the sensor sends its data over. The alternator, coolant pump, and oil level sensor all communicate on the same CAN bus circuit. There have been several threads on the subject. It could be as simple as the sensor's temperature probe has malfunctioned. The oil needs to be at operating temperature for the sensor to take an oil level reading. Usually the CBS menu brings up an "inactive" notification if the sensor has failed in such a manner.
Have you tried to get a reading since the appearance of the fault?
So I have replaced the oil sensor in my engine, but not for the fault you are experiencing.