Engine oil consumption measurement

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13.0 Engine oil consumption measurement

Attention!

This procedure for engine oil consumption measurement may not be used for the S 85 due to the oil pan design.

Many customer complaints about motor oil consumption are caused by using the incorrect measuring procedure.

The engine oil consumption measurement should be measured after a mileage of 7, 500 km at the earliest, as the process of running in the engine is essentially complete by this time and motor oil consumption has stabilized.

The engine oil consumption of an engine can only be determined by the customer by the amount of engine oil that has been topped up. As soon as the engine oil level has fallen below the maximum mark on the oil dipstick, engine oil is topped up without observing a few basic rules, such as the vehicle being horizontal, the after-run time, etc. The maximum mark can easily be exceeded due to the currently available container size (e.g. 1 liter can). Excessive engine oil is harmful to the engine and is consumed more quickly due to the splashing effect.

It is therefore recommended to let the engine oil level drop to the minimum mark and only then top up the missing amount of engine oil. The difference between the marks is approximately 1.0 to 1.5 liters.

The prescribed procedure for checking the engine oil level can be found in the respective Owner's Manual.

The customer service representatives will only process warranty claims based on exact measurements by weighing (see below).

Engine oil consumption measurement by balancing out

For the assessment of any warranty and goodwill cases, only the following engine oil consumption measurement carried out by a BMW sales partner by weighing applies:

NOTE: The engine must not leak any oil.
Motor oil may only be drained off when the engine is at its normal operating temperature. The engine
oil temperature must be at least 95°C; read out with the BMW diagnostic system.

Eliminate any leaks before measuring the motor oil consumption.
Allow the engine to run idle for 5 minutes, whereby the engine oil temperature must not fall below 90°C.
Loosen the main flow oil filter cap (the engine oil runs back from the oil filter housing into the oil pan).
Unscrew the oil drain plug.
Allow the motor oil to drain off for 15 minutes.
Turn the engine once through 360 degrees by the vibration damper.
Allow the motor oil to drain off for 15 minutes.
In all N4x; N5x engines, remove and clean the oil level sensor. To do this, blow out the oil level sensor upside down with compressed air through the intake opening on the floor until it is dry on the inside.
Refit the sensor with a new sealing ring.
Retighten the primary flow oil filter.
Fill in the prescribed amount of engine oil for the respective engine type (with filter exchange).
Drive the vehicle for a distance of about 1, 000 km. Increasing the distance will produce significantly better measurement results.
Drain off the motor oil as described in steps 1 to 8, collecting it in a suitable receptacle.
Amount of the amount of drained motor oil. (The density of engine oil at room temperature is about 0.86 g/cm³ )

For the calculation of oil consumption, the RECORD FOR MOTOR OIL CONSUMPTION MEASUREMENT must be used.

Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Example:

Volume of the oil quantity filled at an odometer reading of 44, 800: 4, 000 cm³

Weight of the oil quantity drained off at an odometer reading of 45, 900: 2, 700 g

Courtesy of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.

0.78 cm³ /km = 0.781/1, 000 km