Odd oil level LED problem

[jgilber0]

The low oil level LED in the indicator panel comes on and stays on when I drive through traffic circles (left turns at 30mph). It takes a very long time for the light to reset each time.

Is this normal? Can anyone share a fix?


Backstory:

The indicator panel low oil level LED had been on since I bought my E30 back in late 2016.

I finally got annoyed enough with it to spend $105 on a new sender.

After installing the new sender, the light stayed on for another 20 miles and finally went out. Apparently it takes a very long time to reset.

Since I drive through a traffic circle almost every time I use the car, and the light comes on in traffic circles, the light is almost always on.

Any help on this is appreciated!

[ELVA164]

Well, oil will slosh away from the sender in a traffic circle, so you sure there's enough oil in the engine? It should reset when you shut the car off if the level is good and everything's working properly.

[jgilber0]

Yes, I totally agree, the sender is on the left side of the engine, so a hard left turn will pull oil away from the sender.

Your recommendation to check the actual oil level is spot on. A more polite way of saying: “Check the dipstick, dipshit!”

Unfortunately, it’s not going to be that easy. The oil level is up to the second notch on my dipstick, indicating that the sump is full.

So what next? Thank you for helping

[jgilber0]

Any other ideas, anyone? Thank you

[cory58]

Not sure if this helps or not, but the oil level sensor failed on my wife's E46 and it caused the system to show low oil even when it was full. If you are sure the oil level is correct and you are getting a low reading it may be the sensor.

Cory

[ELVA164]

Sounds like funky circuitry. if you short the two wires, does the light stay off? Is the area around the plugs totally clean? Are the wires undamaged?

[jgilber0]

Sounds like funky circuitry. if you short the two wires, does the light stay off? Is the area around the plugs totally clean? Are the wires undamaged?

I'll try that next. The only test I found in the Bentley Manual was for the sensor itself, not the whole circuit, so this is helpful Michael. Thank you!

[george graves]

That's a simple RC circuit in the cluster. I would not be surprised if the cluster is lying due to an old cap.

[ForcedFirebird]

I overfill m20's 1qt by habit. it's not enough for the oil to hit the crank and cavitate, but helps with starvation and the wonky level senders.

[jgilber0]

I overfill m20's 1qt by habit. it's not enough for the oil to hit the crank and cavitate, but helps with starvation and the wonky level senders.

I was thinking similar evil thoughts…