'A Close Call'

[JK-M5]

Sooooo yesterday i was having issues with the car regarding a Misfire which we think is now solved. But!!!

K&N Air filters will and have Contaminated MAF Sensors (Resulting in a Misfire) on mine and another member of this forums car i suggest if you have them in and they are Oiled removed them or clean as much as that oil off the filters as possible before putting them anywhere near your car before the issue starts and you end up £250 lighter in new MAFs

Also the reason i am writing this is the digital oil measurement that the car gives almost cost me the engine yesterday, reading way off the mark no prompts for a top up or any other signs the oil was at a critical level especially when you have other issues which require you to run the car at full chat to simulate

The digital read out was displaying the level at 3/4 full but after a few runs and what sounded like a hydraulic lifter knocking really badly i decided to top up the car. Surprise the car took 5 litres of oil which settled the knock instantly its going in to the dealer to be looked at shortly fingers crossed its a sensor issue and not drinking oil. Cars on 33k Miles

Anyone else had this issue. worth a check of your own motor chaps

[hitenrallye]

Wow. so the air flows worked then? no misfire above 6000rpm? How did you check the oil level if the i drive one didn't work? glad to hear its all sorted thou

[Craze]

I opted for drop in non oiled airfilters

[hitenrallye]

i changed my k and n filters to stock ones

[JK-M5]

Originally Posted by hitenrallye

Wow. so the air flows worked then? no misfire above 6000rpm? How did you check the oil level if the i drive one didn't work? glad to hear its all sorted thou

just topped it up a litre at a time and it started to register the levels accurately.

its the warning i'm concerned with 5 Litres is a joke Niten if it didn't sound tappety it would of just run dry.

[hitenrallye]

Originally Posted by jonathon kelly

just topped it up a litre at a time and it started to register the levels accurately.

its the warning i'm concerned with 5 Litres is a joke Niten if it didn't sound tappety it would of just run dry.

Mad really. I happy its sorted the problem out.

[Msizzle]

the digital dip stick is by far one of the dumbest modern features on a car, some things are just better the old way!!

[TLK]

I recently replaced my oil level sensor on my recently CPO'ed '14 M5 CP at 18k miles. It read at the max line when I got it from the dealer and after 3 months and 1000 miles the level never moved. I read a post about a car that still showed at the max line though the oil level had dropped, and connecting rod bearings were damaged. My wife's F10 550i clearly consumes oil and the level sensor is showing the change, so I became worried.

I immediately stopped driving the M5 and replaced the sensor and changed the oil, sending a sample out to Blackstone Labs to check for trouble. Well, approximately 9 quarts of oil was drained (which seems about right from the specs) so I wasn't too worried after that. The new sensor clearly shows changing level while I worked on topping off to the max line, so at least that is now known to be working, and the car is filled with the correct amount of the correct grade of oil, so now I can trust it's been done correctly.

I feared something bad like only 6 quarts of oil would come out, but that wasn't the case so there's a couple of possibilities:

- Sensor was working correctly all the time and somehow my engine doesn't use oil (hmmm, right).

- Engine was overfilled by the dealer but the sensor didn't show the overfill like it was supposed to.

- Sensor wasn't working, but the oil loss wasn't a problem because either it didn't use much or was overfilled by the dealer.

The oil analysis report was normal, and did not show any excessive mileage beyond the maybe 5k miles since the last reported oil change. So no harm done.

My advice from this experience would be that folks observe their oil levels and get used to their engine's particular consumption rate so that they will be able to recognize if/when the sensor fails and no longer shows any change. If there's any doubt as to whether it is working, make sure to replace the sensor at the next oil change, or do that immediately if unsure.

The part number of the same replacement sensor is 12617607910 and costs about $190 online. ETK/Realoem indicates an alternate part is available that looks different, and which I didn't try. Replacement isn't difficult if you have a lift or appropriate equipment. I could have had the dealer replace it under warranty but I didn't want to drive the car there or mess around having it towed.

You remove the plastic underpanel (a truckload of screws holding it on) and the large stiffening plate (8 bolts) that hides access to the where the oil level sensor fits up into the oil pan, until you remove the plate. Once you have it exposed, it's ready to drain the oil from the pan as per a normal oil change and then replace the sensor. Might as well remove the plate before draining the oil since it makes that part of the job much less likely to make a mess.

The sensor is part #7 in the ETK diagram of the oil pan bottom cover. The snapshot is the fault sensor removed (in a plastic bag because it's oily).