Oil Pressure Light on E30 S52

[ForcedFirebird]

I believe 0w40 is the standard weight that is used by the factory. I'll let someone chime in on that one.

When you say that your oil light is on, is it on even if you rev it up a little bit passed idle? Even mine flickers when the engine is warm at idle. I believe thats just because the original m20 and the s52 operate at different pressure when at idle.

15w40 mineral is what BMW recommended. We run Liqui Moly 10w60 in them (comparable to the later OE Catrol).

The 24v engines seem to have a lower oil pressure at idle than the m20, but the dash light shouldn't come on with either engine.

[sweet3]

I believe 0w40 is the standard weight that is used by the factory. I'll let someone chime in on that one.

When you say that your oil light is on, is it on even if you rev it up a little bit passed idle? Even mine flickers when the engine is warm at idle. I believe thats just because the original m20 and the s52 operate at different pressure when at idle.

[M3PO]

Question: could a bad head gasket cause low oil pressure?

Highly doubt it. There are oil supply (and drain) passages that go from the block into the head which of course pass through and are sealed by the head gasket. Those passages would have to be leaking a MASSIVE amount of oil either externally (onto your driveway), into the coolant, or into the cylinder(s). All of these would be obvious and are extremely unlikely.

[MaxBell]

Question: could a bad head gasket cause low oil pressure?

[cbouchez]

Thank you for the info.^

[nrubenstein]

All the research that I've done it looks like it's a good weight. I'm open for options, I'm new to the S50 world and loud ticking valves are driving me crazy. I need to know if the oil weight will make a difference or I just have to live with the loud ticking for now.

15w40 is usually a non-synthetic crappy oil. Not universally, but typically.

Assuming that your oil system is working properly, clacking lifters under normal driving conditions mean that they are sludged up and clogged. Heavier oil won't fix this, and might actually make it worse (or at least is less likely to clear the sludge out). What you may need to do is pull the lifters and try to clean them out or just replace them.

[cbouchez]

All the research that I've done it looks like it's a good weight. I'm open for options, I'm new to the S50 world and loud ticking valves are driving me crazy. I need to know if the oil weight will make a difference or I just have to live with the loud ticking for now.

[nrubenstein]

Safe to say that 15W40 will be fine for the 24V?

Why would you run 15w40?

[cbouchez]

Safe to say that 15W40 will be fine for the 24V?

[Northern]

I'm going with thicker oil here soon. - appointment on Monday maybe 10-30 Liqui MOly unless anybody have any other suggestion on the weight?

10w30 thicker? Does that mean you're running 0w20 now?

Shouldn't be running anything thinner than a *w40 on a 24v

[nrubenstein]

The one that is on at the moment is the "Check Panel"

regarding the oil weight any opinions?

I usually run a 0w40 or 5w40.

[cbouchez]

The one that is on at the moment is the "Check Panel"

regarding the oil weight any opinions?

[nrubenstein]

Well, there are two oil lights. There's the oil pressure on the cluster, and oil level on the check panel.

If your cluster light is on, that's a problem. That needs to be fixed.

If the check panel light is on, it has nothing to do with the weight. That means that the sensor isn't working correctly.

[cbouchez]

My fresh S50 swap is doing the same thing.

Check Engine Oil light comes On - I thought it was normal with the swaps but I'm glad you mentions something
Valves ticking. - I thought it was the injectors apparently nope. It's the valves.


I'm going with thicker oil here soon. - appointment on Monday maybe 10-30 Liqui MOly unless anybody have any other suggestion on the weight?

[Northern]

Should build enough pressure from cranking, If I pull the fuel pump relay and turn the engine over, it takes maybe 5s for the light to go out after the car has been sitting all winter.