Engine Oil light on.

[Yakinho]

The engine oil light on the check panel is on, so I go and check the oil and....no oil on the stick at all, even when the car is cold. I put about a quart in and the light goes off. I check under the pan and can't find a crack, hole, nothing. A couple days later, the light comes on again, so I check the dipstick and no oil again. even in the snow, there is no sign of an oil leak underneath of the car. Anyone have a clue, or is a magician stealing my oil?

[Mike325]

Is the underside of the car covered at all?

[e30_325es]

No oil under the car means your engine is burning the oil internally.

[Yakinho]

No, underside is not covered. How big of a tear-down do you think?

[WillisE30]

No, underside is not covered. How big of a tear-down do you think?

It really depends, if it's burning that much oil it could be a number of things. If you're lucky it's just head work, valve guides, or stem seals(not sure if these are a problem on BMWs). Worst case scenario your rings are dead, along with your cylinder walls.

[StereoInstaller1]

The engine oil light on the check panel is on, so I go and check the oil and....no oil on the stick at all, even when the car is cold. I put about a quart in and the light goes off. I check under the pan and can't find a crack, hole, nothing. A couple days later, the light comes on again, so I check the dipstick and no oil again. even in the snow, there is no sign of an oil leak underneath of the car. Anyone have a clue, or is a magician stealing my oil?

Hey man, I had damn near the same thing happen on mine Turned out to be a oil pressure sending unit was leaking only on the road, never when sitting.

It got worse quickly. Finally found the leak by checking while the engine was running with me under it.

Was like $7.00 at the dealer, took like 2 minuites to change.

Otherwise, look for a guy in a tophat and cape.

Luke

[RobertK]

Hey man, I had damn near the same thing happen on mine Turned out to be a oil pressure sending unit was leaking only on the road, never when sitting.

It got worse quickly. Finally found the leak by checking while the engine was running with me under it.

Was like $7.00 at the dealer, took like 2 minuites to change.

Otherwise, look for a guy in a tophat and cape.

Luke

Same thing happened to me as well. It's a common issue. Jack you car up a little and start it to let it idle. Anything leaking under pressure should rear its head. Otherwise check your exhaust for blue smoke.

Blue smoke when gearing down = bad valve seals

Blue smoke when accelerating = bad piston rings

BTW.. you usually have to be more than a quart low for the oil level sender to trip the check panel light.

[Turf1600]

When you ask how big of a tear down it is - it depends. Do you want a short term fix or a long term fix? Best case scenario it's the head - so you have it rebuilt. Then the tight head will blow through your pistons more and the ring will go badly more quickly. If you determine it's the motor - completely rebuild it or get another one.

[Yakinho]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll check under the car as soon as the slush and snow melts away. If I can't see a leak then I will tear it all the way down and if the engine is going to shit, I guess I'll clean and sell the good bits and drive the minivan around untill I find a motor. Just going to drive it soft for now.

[bimmer8604]

When you ask how big of a tear down it is - it depends. Do you want a short term fix or a long term fix? Best case scenario it's the head - so you have it rebuilt. Then the tight head will blow through your pistons more and the ring will go badly more quickly. If you determine it's the motor - completely rebuild it or get another one.

True story....but for some reason the PCV hose at the top of the head was blown off/not tight and since re-tightening my blue-smoke at startup has dramatically decreased.

Some engines will take a new head without problems, others will blow the rings.

Kyle

[DJB]

I'm with stereoinstall1 on this. Check for oil leaks under pressure.

I had a minor oil "consumption" issue at one time. I would go through more than a quart between changes, but only if I was running at high speed. I had a wet oil cooler hose, but the oil consumption didn't get any better when I changed it. If anything, the problem was getting worse.

About a year later I decided to change the oil cooler hose o-rings again. (They are odd-sized silver ones, Viton I think.) I pulled off the hose and looked for the o-ring... doh! It apparently had fallen off during installation. The metal-to-metal contact had prevented obvious leaking during idle, but when the oil thermostat opened (only while driving), the oil leaked directly onto the road.

[ivo316]

Check your exhaust on the first start of the day, sometimes worn valve guides will let a puff of blue smoke on starts, and then behave normally when hot.

[Yakinho]

Layed under the car for a few minutes today. No leak, no smoke. The oil light came on again, so that's about a quart a week.

[Amarak]

I hate to say, but have you checked your coolant for foaming? If it looks like a chocolate milkshake, then you have a bad problem. This could be where your oil is going. I hope not, but with a blown head gasket, then the oil goes from the engine into the coolant.

[Yakinho]

Nope, it's an ugly dark green color, but no foam. The coolant tank itself looks like it has some brown stains, but I'm assuming that's just from the heat.