Yellow oil light staying on after oil change....HELP

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Esper06

Member
Change my oil and oil filter, went to drive after i finished after letting it idle for a bit and my oil light is staying on. Every time I have driven it today it has been on. Turns on after around 30 seconds to a minute after turning the car on. First time doing a change myself on my Z not sure if this is common or there is a fault. I put 5 liters of oil in the car.

If anyone can help or have experience with this it would be much appreciated. Thank you guys and gals
 
5L???? I am pretty sure the correct amount is 6.5L. Please don't drive until you have topped up, running with low oil for long periods can damage the engine.
 
Esper06 said:
Change my oil and oil filter, went to drive after i finished after letting it idle for a bit and my oil light is staying on. Every time I have driven it today it has been on. Turns on after around 30 seconds to a minute after turning the car on. First time doing a change myself on my Z not sure if this is common or there is a fault. I put 5 liters of oil in the car.

If anyone can help or have experience with this it would be much appreciated. Thank you guys and gals
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Where did you get the 5l number from? You’ve not stated what model zed you have but if it’s the 3litre version you’re 1.5litres short, so stop driving it! :roll:
Rob
 
Firstly, I want to make it abruptly clear that if your motor is the M54 6 pot then you are class A muppet!
ok, that said, theDan is correct in that (if 2.5L or 3.0L) your zed will definitely need 6.5L if not a bit more.
Maybe someone can chime in on the 2.0L requirement if this is the case.

Don't fret too much however, we all make mistakes and despite what Dan also says about not driving your car until a topup is done yo'd be surprised at how long an engine can actually run on no/residual oil. But definitely make it a point of priority and don't drive your car.

Assuming still that you are a muppet and have a 6-pot I would also have to suggest that you did actually replace the sump plug and tightened it appropriately after you drained the old oil and before you replaced with the new oil? It's been known to happen.

First thing's first: what model and motor code so we can assist you further...?
 
Chris_D said:
Firstly, I want to make it abruptly clear that if your motor is the M54 6 pot then you are class A muppet!
ok, that said, theDan is correct in that (if 2.5L or 3.0L) your zed will definitely need 6.5L if not a bit more.
Maybe someone can chime in on the 2.0L requirement if this is the case.

Don't fret too much however, we all make mistakes and despite what Dan also says about not driving your car until a topup is done yo'd be surprised at how long an engine can actually run on no/residual oil. But definitely make it a point of priority and don't drive your car.

Assuming still that you are a muppet and have a 6-pot I would also have to suggest that you did actually replace the sump plug and tightened it appropriately after you drained the old oil and before you replaced with the new oil? It's been known to happen.

First thing's first: what model and motor code so we can assist you further...?
Click to expand...


Topped it up and put 2 liters more in and its still on.
 
Chris_D said:
Firstly, I want to make it abruptly clear that if your motor is the M54 6 pot then you are class A muppet!
ok, that said, theDan is correct in that (if 2.5L or 3.0L) your zed will definitely need 6.5L if not a bit more.
Maybe someone can chime in on the 2.0L requirement if this is the case.

Don't fret too much however, we all make mistakes and despite what Dan also says about not driving your car until a topup is done yo'd be surprised at how long an engine can actually run on no/residual oil. But definitely make it a point of priority and don't drive your car.

Assuming still that you are a muppet and have a 6-pot I would also have to suggest that you did actually replace the sump plug and tightened it appropriately after you drained the old oil and before you replaced with the new oil? It's been known to happen.

First thing's first: what model and motor code so we can assist you further...?
Click to expand...

E86 07 3.0L And yes replaced everything on oil change. Only put 5l in because its all i had at the time. Did not think it would do damage or anything as its only 1.5l under. Topped up now and its still on, thinking its the sensor as when i try to check oil level, it doesnt, it just shows me the bar and doesn't do anything.
 
Esper06 said:
Chris_D said:
Firstly, I want to make it abruptly clear that if your motor is the M54 6 pot then you are class A muppet!
ok, that said, theDan is correct in that (if 2.5L or 3.0L) your zed will definitely need 6.5L if not a bit more.
Maybe someone can chime in on the 2.0L requirement if this is the case.

Don't fret too much however, we all make mistakes and despite what Dan also says about not driving your car until a topup is done yo'd be surprised at how long an engine can actually run on no/residual oil. But definitely make it a point of priority and don't drive your car.

Assuming still that you are a muppet and have a 6-pot I would also have to suggest that you did actually replace the sump plug and tightened it appropriately after you drained the old oil and before you replaced with the new oil? It's been known to happen.

First thing's first: what model and motor code so we can assist you further...?
Click to expand...

E86 07 3.0L And yes replaced everything on oil change. Only put 5l in because its all i had at the time. Did not think it would do damage or anything as its only 1.5l under. Topped up now and its still on, thinking its the sensor as when i try to check oil level, it doesnt, it just shows me the bar and doesn't do anything.
Click to expand...
You are having a giraffe aren't you??? Only put 5l in cos you didn't have the full 6.5l available? :headbang:
 
[/quote]


Topped it up and put 2 liters more in and its still on.
[/quote]
So youve now got 7 litres in an engine thats dsigned to tak 6.5 litres. Not an expert but think that could be a worse problem than not having enough oil in it. Get the extra drained out before you start it again. doesnn't have to be exactly .5 litre but between .5 litre and 1 litre will do.
The yellow low warning lights can fail but gat the oil level right first then check it
 
Esper06 said:
Chris_D said:
Firstly, I want to make it abruptly clear that if your motor is the M54 6 pot then you are class A muppet!
ok, that said, theDan is correct in that (if 2.5L or 3.0L) your zed will definitely need 6.5L if not a bit more.
Maybe someone can chime in on the 2.0L requirement if this is the case.

Don't fret too much however, we all make mistakes and despite what Dan also says about not driving your car until a topup is done yo'd be surprised at how long an engine can actually run on no/residual oil. But definitely make it a point of priority and don't drive your car.

Assuming still that you are a muppet and have a 6-pot I would also have to suggest that you did actually replace the sump plug and tightened it appropriately after you drained the old oil and before you replaced with the new oil? It's been known to happen.

First thing's first: what model and motor code so we can assist you further...?
Click to expand...

E86 07 3.0L And yes replaced everything on oil change. Only put 5l in because its all i had at the time. Did not think it would do damage or anything as its only 1.5l under. Topped up now and its still on, thinking its the sensor as when i try to check oil level, it doesnt, it just shows me the bar and doesn't do anything.
Click to expand...


Ok, so you have the N52 engine without dipstick.
Firstly, don’t put any more oil in. It’s designed to take 6.5L. 7.0L will take you to the max allowable. Anything over and you risk damage due to over-pressure in the engine if running.

I think there’s a time period involved where the dashboard oil level indicator needs to be able to register the correct amount before showing it
Someone with N52 engine can clarify this better.

Can you take a foto of what ur dashboard oil indicator looks like on ignition? Your description isn’t clear.

I would also advise getting hold of an obd fault code reader asap to assess if the oil level sensor is actually at fault. You may even retrieve some fault codes you may not otherwise be aware of too.

Bring back the dipstick BMW ffs!
This is a prime example of when things go wrong and uninformed owners not really knowing how to rectify issues properly.
 
Usually the difference between min and max on the dipstick is one litre of oil. I know your car doesn't have a dipstick but it still applies. So if you are 1.5 litres short then thats way below minimum level.
 
Best start again, drain the oil into a clean container, filter the oil through an old stocking or pair of tights, refil using a measuring jug, only put in 6.5litres no less and no more. The oil level sensor will take time for it to stabalise and produce the reading on the dash. Once you have the correct amount in the sump take it for a drive, stop and start the engine a couple of times whilst your out then when back home see what response you get from the oil level indicator and light. If its still the same then maybe the sensor is duff and needs replacing, that will involve draining the oil again and fitting the new sensor, before doing that just check the wiring on the sensor is ok.
Probably best to do that first before you drain the oil, you will have to drop the undertray to get at the sensor.
 
colb said:
Best start again, drain the oil into a clean container, filter the oil through an old stocking or pair of tights, refil using a measuring jug, only put in 6.5litres no less and no more. The oil level sensor will take time for it to stabalise and produce the reading on the dash. Once you have the correct amount in the sump take it for a drive, stop and start the engine a couple of times whilst your out then when back home see what response you get from the oil level indicator and light. If its still the same then maybe the sensor is duff and needs replacing, that will involve draining the oil again and fitting the new sensor, before doing that just check the wiring on the sensor is ok.
Probably best to do that first before you drain the oil, you will have to drop the undertray to get at the sensor.
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I can’t really agree with that suggestion to drain, filter and re-insert the original oil. You’re a decent mechanic Colb and you always impart sage and experienced advice but this is a bit hanky janky for you if I’m honest. :?
I was advised never ever to feed drained oil back into the engine, no matter how new it is.

I think his best bet would be to leave what oil is in there and if he’s confident that it’s no more than 7L then let the excess just sit. It will burn off eventually.
I’ve drained 7.5 L from my M54B30 previously when the dipstick was showing max and was quite surprised that it was 1L over recommended and I‘m quite fastidious about checking and having the correct oil level.
 
[ref]davidmudley12[/ref],

Doesn’t the electronic dipstick on the N52 only read correctly when the engine is running after a few mins?


It’s something like 5km/5miles before it’ll read. It just disappears without giving a level if it’s not warm enough.

Another option it to let approximately 1/2 litre out via the sump plug. Run up to temp and top up accordingly rather than drain and refill
 
Did you make sure the oil o rings were on the filter cap ? 1/2 litre OTT isnt going to affect the actual oil pressure light. Check you havent knocked the oil pressure sensor connection .
I
 
Still stick with my suggestion of draining and straining the oil to recover it as its only been in there a minimum of time, at least he will start with an empty sump, should have mentioned pulling the filter up as well so the contents drains back into the sump and gets drained as well. Seems really an expensive waste to drain new oil and replace it when a good filter will recover it for use again. I did consider draining a litre out of the sump but it still would leave an unknown quantity sitting in there wouldn't it.
 
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