|
|
|
|
|
|
BMW Garage | BMW Meets | Register | Today's Posts | Search |
|
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
>
Oil
|
|
04-27-2012, 03:47 PM | #1 |
Captain
72
Rep 674
Posts |
Oil
Ok so I know this might be common sense to some of you but this is my first BMW and have no car knowledge except for detailing.
So last night while driving home the warning triangle came up in the instrument cluster. I have no iDrive. So I hit the check control button and it shows the oil canteen. I then go to check the oil and it says +1 quart and the bar was on min. My question is I was 10 miles away from home and drove home with the low oil warning on and then added a quart today like it said and now it's fine. I kept it below 4k rpm on the way home. Would driving home on this little oil hurt my car. I now know to keep a extra quart of oil in my car. Thanks, |
04-27-2012, 03:57 PM | #2 |
Private First Class
8
Rep 113
Posts |
I think you'll be alright since you topped it off pretty soon. I wouldn't drive for days like that ha. I went to the local BMW place and they topped it off for free right then and there and I drive an 06 330i. Something else to keep in mind if you live near one.
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-27-2012, 04:48 PM | #3 | |
Captain
40
Rep 823
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-27-2012, 04:50 PM | #4 | |
Captain
40
Rep 823
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-27-2012, 11:11 PM | #5 |
Lieutenant General
1992
Rep 13,285
Posts |
Check your oil more often.
Check your oil more often.You know how to do it now don't wait
till it tells you there is a problem. You should be doing that on all your autos and things with Internal Combustion Engines. I would be googling for the Mike Miller old school maintenance schedule also. The car has 7 quarts of oil when full so it was down 1 quart. Its not like a 4 cylinder jap car where you have 4 quarts and if you are down 1 its 25 % of the oil. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-28-2012, 12:28 AM | #6 | |
Private First Class
1
Rep 183
Posts |
Quote:
I dont think he could have done anything different here. The manual shows that the system will show "OK" when checking the oil level. It will show that until it shows "+1 quart". OP - Your engine will be fine, you still had roughly 6 of 7 quarts in there. The manual also says that until you see that (+1 quart) you are not supposed to add any oil. Just FYI
__________________
08 TiAg E92 - Current
06 F150 - Sold 07 Gsxr 600 - Sold 03 S2000 - Sold Last edited by Flying_Dutchman13; 04-29-2012 at 01:48 AM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-28-2012, 02:56 PM | #8 | |
Captain
72
Rep 674
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-28-2012, 02:57 PM | #9 | ||
Captain
72
Rep 674
Posts |
Quote:
|
||
Appreciate
0
|
04-29-2012, 01:48 AM | #11 |
Private First Class
1
Rep 183
Posts |
Over how long of a period of time? Also under what driving conditions?
__________________
08 TiAg E92 - Current
06 F150 - Sold 07 Gsxr 600 - Sold 03 S2000 - Sold |
Appreciate
0
|
04-29-2012, 07:04 AM | #12 | |
Captain
72
Rep 674
Posts |
Quote:
Thanks. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-02-2012, 06:05 AM | #13 | |
Banned
176
Rep 3,415
Posts |
Quote:
No flame intended. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-02-2012, 10:11 AM | #14 | |
Captain
271
Rep 726
Posts |
Quote:
The owners manual states that if it is telling you to add a quart, you need to do so ASAP (add oil now idiot!!) or you will damage the engine. Waiting till the idiot light comes on is just for that, idiots. While the e-dipstick does more than just monitoring the oil level, it is not limited to 1 quart measurements. It is fairly sensitive and I've been able to record 1/4 quart increments albeit not instantaneously. Topping off the oil level within the min/max marks will not hurt anything as you suggest. As to the design - BMW's obvious concern was for those unacquainted with e-dipsticks. An uninformed owner that see less than max might keep adding oil till its reads full. The rub is that e-dipstick can take 30 min to register and possibly lead to an overfill and possible subsequent engine damage. That is why BMW played it safe and stated in the manual that it is "OK" if it is not at the max level. In short, there is nothing wrong with proactively monitoring the oil level (every gas fill-up) and adding measured amounts of oil. The system is designed to handle topping-off, that is, unless you are an idiot. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-02-2012, 10:45 AM | #15 | |
Major General
124
Rep 5,626
Posts |
Quote:
Tom |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-02-2012, 10:54 AM | #16 | |
Captain
271
Rep 726
Posts |
Quote:
Page 228 - "Engine Oil Level" "Engine oil level below minimum. Add 1 quart!" Add engine oil as soon as possible, but no more than 1 US quart/1 liter, refer also to Adding engine oil below. If the oil level is below the minimum value, add engine oil immediately to avoid engine damage. Last edited by Clifton; 05-02-2012 at 11:12 AM.. Reason: more detail |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 04:50 AM | #17 | ||
Banned
2
Rep 29
Posts |
Quote:
Quote:
So really, who looks like an idiot. |
||
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 09:00 AM | #18 | ||
Captain
271
Rep 726
Posts |
Quote:
The term "idiot light" is automotive nomenclature. The meaning is self-explanatory - light(s) intended to forewarn idiot(s). I did not imply Eninty was an idiot, I simply pointed out his heavy reliance on these lights. To set the record straight, Eninty gave a trifecta of bad advice, non of which can be found in the owners manual. Let's recap - he suggested that people should not check oil often, should only add a oil when indicated, i.e., idiot light and that the e-dipstick was not designed to handle top offs (see bold below). Let's stop and think a minute - on a car with a physical dip-stick you would not wait until the car told you it needed oil to add oil; triggered by low oil - a quart or more. If the car needs oil at any point, .25, .5, .75 qt, a sensible owner adds the required measured dosage. In the age of e-dipstick, it is no different. Just like with the physical dipsticks, you can check as often as you like and top off with measured amounts of oil whenever needed. Due to gravity and mechanical interference, neither physical dipsticks nor e-dipsticks register immediately since oil is measured at the oil pan. However, that slowness to display the oil level has never prevented topping off oil in the history of the automotive world. Years of faithful service unless you do something idiotic, like adding a full quart when only a 1/4 is needed. Apart from giving bad advice, ENINTY is free to wait until the car has to tell him it needs oil. The dash lights are there to protect the car and warn idiots. Quote:
Last edited by Clifton; 05-04-2012 at 11:06 AM.. Reason: typo |
||
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 11:43 AM | #19 | |
Banned
2
Rep 29
Posts |
Quote:
Regarding idiot lights, generally the idiot light nomenclature (in reference to oil) is the low oil pressure light, which indicates either the engine is too low on oil and not enough is available to keep the oil pressure at the minimum pressure, or the oil pump is failing to maintain pressure. From my understanding of the language in the E90 owner's manual, the procedure is to wait until the CBS indicates the engine requires a full quart of oil before adding oil to the crankcase; why else would BMW make specific mention to add oil at a 1-quart measure only. If the system were designed to be topped off at lesser amounts, say ¼ quart, why not have the CBS do so? |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 12:36 PM | #20 | |
Major General
124
Rep 5,626
Posts |
Quote:
From the manual for my wife's 2010 Ford Fusion, referring to the hash marks on the dipstick (emphases in the original): "• If the oil level is within this range, the oil level is acceptable. DO NOT ADD OIL." Tom |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 12:53 PM | #21 | |
Captain
271
Rep 726
Posts |
Quote:
Casper (aka ENINTY), I'm looking at the BMW owner's manual of my two dipstick cars (E36 & E46) and neither support your claim of "not to add oil to the engine if the oil level is within the hatch markings on the dipstick" What they do suggest is to add oil while the level is still above the low mark and to never let the oil drop below the low mark. Which by the way, can and will trigger the low/add oil idiot lights. They also explicitly state not to overfill when adding. Sure on an E90 you can wait till the car tells you it needs oil but you have ~125 miles to take corrective action albeit with possible engine damage. NO THANKS!!! Proactively monitoring the oil level and occasionally topping-off oil is preventative, not forbidden. Case in point, do you only refill your car with gas when the refuel now message appears in the dash? You might, but I digress. As stated before, telling someone not to check their oil, nor to top off when it is low and only add oil when the idiot light tells you, is well, bad advice. Also - per the manual for both mechanical dipstick and e-dipstick cars, wait time is approximately 5 min to register oil level. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
05-04-2012, 02:36 PM | #22 | |
Banned
2
Rep 29
Posts |
Quote:
The oil level should be between the two marks on the dipstick. The oil volume between the two marks on the dipstick corresponds to approx.1.1 quarts/1 liter. Do not fill beyond the upper mark on the dipstick. Excess oil will damage the engine. While you should wait until the level has dropped to just above the lower mark before adding oil, you should never allow the oil level to fall below this mark. So the way I read this is, "wait until the engine needs 1 quart of oil before adding oil to the crankcase." The language in the Z4 manual reads pretty much the same way as the E90 E-dipstick operates: the owner keeps track of the oil level using the e-dipstick and when it gets to 1 quart low (as notified by the CBS), he adds 1 quart of oil. No where does the manual say the owner should top off the oil level in small measured increments to keep the oil level at the top mark. Casper (aka Casper). |
|
Appreciate
0
|
Bookmarks |
|
|