Z4-forum.com

Morning all.

Just checking my oil level this morning and it seems to have dropped dratsdically the last 1,500 miles.

What's your avaerge usage?

Also does anyone know the volume of oil that covers the block on the dip stick?

By this I mean if it's at the base of the rectangular block (minimum) how much oil is required to reach the top (maximum)

Rich,

I beleive Alpina quote about 1ltr/1500 miles but some people are nearer 800/900 on older high mileage cars. I'm around 1200 i think but that was using 0w30. I've recently switched to 5w40 and the usage has slowed down noticably. Also I've lost the occasional puffs of visible smoke on over-run.

There is a thread on here by Perry i think quoting Alpina's stance on the switch of oil away from 0w30, which I'll try and find the link for later.

Mine switched to 10w60 when it reached 80k miles - the Alpina bulletin basically recommends the standard 00w30 or 10w60, but I was informed that 10w60 is better at the higher mileage.

The downside is that you lose some power due to the thicker oil (again, its not something I've noticed as I don't "rag" #108), but the upside is my oil consumption is very low - I've done around 5000 miles since the last service and only topped up with around 0.5 ltr.

Oh, and the Alpina bulletin:

Thank you for the reply guys.

Reference to the dip stick, any idea the difference between min and max (the rectangular block) in terms of volume?

I'm currently at the bottom of it, but don't know if a litre would be too much to pop in?

Rich-hill wrote:Thank you for the reply guys.

Reference to the dip stick, any idea the difference between min and max (the rectangular block) in terms of volume?

I'm currently at the bottom of it, but don't know if a litre would be too much to pop in?

Nope, 1 litre should be fine - I think its more around the 2 litre mark. Just add half, check, then add the remainder if needed.

Brilliant thank you!!

I was driving this morning and randomly had a loud beep.
Next time I started the ignition I got the same.

Both occasions had no warning lights on though.

I didn't know if that was oil related?

Brilliant thank you!!

I was driving this morning and randomly had a loud beep.
Next time I started the ignition I got the same.

Both occasions had no warning lights on though.

I didn't know if that was oil related?

Usually the beep is temperature ?

I did wonder that. Temp would have been around 5C

Yeah, mine pings and the temp flashes if it drops below 5 degrees.

You won't get any alerts, visual or audible, related to low oil level on the Alpina as it doesn't have an oil level sensor fitted - that said, if you let it get low enough you might get a very loud alert that there's no oil left

You have to go 'Old School' and check the dipstick (the one in the engine bay, not the one behind the wheel )

I believe there's at least 1L between high and low markers so pour away.

PerryGunn wrote:You won't get any alerts, visual or audible, related to low oil level on the Alpina as it doesn't have an oil level sensor fitted - that said, if you let it get low enough you might get a very loud alert that there's no oil left

You have to go 'Old School' and check the dipstick (the one in the engine bay, not the one behind the wheel )

I was aware of this, however I doubted myself when the autiable beep went off, and obviously by coincidence the oil was at the base of the block.

Topped up now so all should be well

Whilst appreciating the special mod's on the Alpina this is an Interesting BMW TIS information for dealers on oil consumption in BMW group engines. I'm assuming Alpina modify or perhaps even delete some of the ring sets on the 3.4 conversion so will contribute further to oil consumption maybe?
Full page here http://workshop-manuals.com/bmw/z_serie ... _bmw_mini/

Extract paste
"The surface topography of the cylinder liners and piston rings is the primary variable that directly influences engine oil
consumption, as the piston rings do not provide perfect sealing, but rather form a metering mechanism. In the
configuration, there is a conflict of interests between engine oil consumption and friction reduction. The latter has a
direct effect on power output and fuel consumption. With every stroke of the piston, minimal quantities of engine oil
remain on the cylinder walls. These are indispensable for lubricating the piston rings (see lubricating film above). As
the piston moves downwards, the engine oil on the cylinder wall is plays a role in combustion close to the walls and is
then expelled along with the combustion exhaust gases. The higher the engine speed, the greater the effect,
because there are more combustion cycles for each time unit. For this reason, engines with a high-speed concept
(BMW M engines) tend to have higher engine oil consumption than other BMW engines. The same applies to the
lubricating film on the valve stems.........
.... The measurable result in engine oil consumption is primarily influenced by the quality of the fuel used and the driving
profile. For example, if in the winter you drive a lot for short distances (= high fuel entrainment as the evaporation
temperature is mostly only reached briefly) and then a long distance (fuel can then evaporate readily), this journey will
cause a considerable drop in engine oil level. This is not engine oil consumption, but rather a change in engine oil
level caused by the fuel content in the engine oil. Customer complaints are often the result of this effect. It can
happen that the engine oil level drops by more than 1 litre after driving just a few hundred kilometres. Moreover, the
measuring system on some engines (dipstick/QLT) have a tolerance of up to 0.3 litres. But evaporated particles of oil also escape through the crankcase ventilation (expulsion level technically never
100 %) and plays a role in combustion with the intake air. Configuration is especially difficult here. On the one hand,
the engine oil should be expelled as completely as possible. On the other hand, crankcase pressure requirements
must be satisfied. Other expulsion systems only work optimally with a certain gas throughput, the expulsion effect
deteriorating with greater or lesser gas volumes. Summary It is a technical necessity that very combustion engine consumes engine oil. The level of the engine oil consumption
is greatly influenced by driving style and by the fuel used.

Nothing to do with my humble M54 but this sort of thing just interests me

Interesting read, thanks Ewazix