Dreaded oil level light sensor E46 330iA

[BMWfanforever]

Hello everyone,

I have been struggling with the well known intermittent oil light problem on my E46 for about six months now. The light came on, I checked it at the garage and I was about a pint short so I topped it up and things were fine so I thought. Thereafter, every time I start the car it stays on for a while till I drive about 50 meters up the road then it disappears. BMW said change the pressure sensor first as it is the cheaper of the two which I did without any luck (only to find out later the pressure sensor is totally unrelated and that is if the red oil light comes on).

So I bought a new oil level non BMW sensor( half the price of BMW dealers at onlinecarparts ), replaced oil filter and put new oil and it seemed the problem was gone until after about 10 minutes of driving the light would come on and stay on, even once I exited the vehicle and closed the door. That happened every time for about three days, then it started doing the exact same as the old sensor, just coming on at start up.

What is the likelihood that the new sensor (non BMW) is also faulty? Could it be something else like wiring, oil pump, sludge, I don't know? Appreciate any advice.

Thanks a mil.

Regards,

Jason.

 

[Hotclutch]

What is the mileage? Why was the oil short by so much, do you have a leak somewhere? Sometimes broken o rings and gasket fragments settle in the sump and oil pickup. Maybe both the oil level sensors you have are fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

 

[BMWfanforever]

What is the mileage? Why was the oil short by so much, do you have a leak somewhere? Sometimes broken o rings and gasket fragments settle in the sump and oil pickup. Maybe both the oil level sensors you have are fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

Sorry I didn't mention, it's sitting on 186 000kms, to be honest I never checked the oil for quite some time. It doesn't leak any oil onto the garage floor and since I topped it up and replaced the oil, I check it every couple of days and it is still full so I don't know.

Thank you!

 

[moranor@axis]

have you dont a compression test on this engine? with the low power issues you having maybe this all ties into a larger fault?

 

[Hotclutch]

I notice you say sludge, how did the oil look like when you drained it?

 

[///Moose]

I would bet on the sensor, have the codes read if possible.

 

[BMWfanforever]

have you dont a compression test on this engine? with the low power issues you having maybe this all ties into a larger fault?

I haven't done a compression test yet so that's a good idea. I have booked the car in for Monday to do a diagnostics test so hopefully they can check that as well. Thanks very much for the advice.:coolShake:

---

I notice you say sludge, how did the oil look like when you drained it?

I didn't notice anything strange with the oil, I had to stick my whole hand into the bucket to retrieve my sump plug and it resembled plain old sticky black mess, no grittiness or crap resembling sludge, then again I have never seen an engine with sludge so not sure what to look out for.:skit:

---

I would bet on the sensor, have the codes read if possible.

Thanks, gonna have them read on Monday, lets hope it's something minor. Will post the verdict then.

 

[Bazza]

What is the mileage? Why was the oil short by so much, do you have a leak somewhere? Sometimes broken o rings and gasket fragments settle in the sump and oil pickup. Maybe both the oil level sensors you have are fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

A healthy E46 330i uses about a pint of oil every 2000kms-ish

 

[BMWfanforever]

Codes came back fine, but according to Motech there was a loose wire causing the light to come on. I doesn't really make sense though as it only came on a few seconds after start and then disappear once you get going. It wouldn't come back on again until you restart the engine. Oh well, the annoying yellow light is gone now, that's all that matters.

:rollsmile:

BTW: I now have a spare oil light sensor if anybody needs one, let me know.

Thanks for all the advice.
raise:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Glad it was something this simple!

 

[GPGrobler]

A question here please: does this sensor register a fault in the DME?

 

[ChrisBrand]

It registers as a fault on the instrument cluster as the sensor triggers the light on the instrument cluster. So its stored on the KOMBI unit.

 

[bmdabuka]

Hi guys, whilst you are still on this issue can anyone help me find an oil pick up for an E46 M43 engine 328i 2000 model. I am working on the engine. I have tried GoldWagen without success , BMW price is too high.

 

[Yuben]

I have learnt that the following parts need to be agents only unfortunately :blueCry:
Oil, air, fuel, filter, both belts and all pulleys, any sensor, steering angle, wheel speed, oil level, etc, water pump and thermostat.

Does cost an arm and leg but they are so much superior to the non original parts and actually save money in the long run.

I had pulley, thermostat, water pump, fuel filter failures due to parts from Goldwagen :RedNo:

 

[LPM320]

I have learnt that the following parts need to be agents only unfortunately :blueCry:
Oil, air, fuel, filter, both belts and all pulleys, any sensor, steering angle, wheel speed, oil level, etc, water pump and thermostat.

Does cost an arm and leg but they are so much superior to the non original parts and actually save money in the long run.

I had pulley, thermostat, water pump, fuel filter failures due to parts from Goldwagen :RedNo:

If I remeber correctly, when I purchased a thermostat and fuel filter from Goldwagen previously, it was a BEHR thermostat and MANN fuel filter. These are both OE manufacturers, what failures did you experience exactly?

 

[Yuben]

Thermostat had a crack and water pump bearing collapsed. Fuel pressure regulator in fuel filter was faulty. One of the pulleys broke. All these failures happened within 30000km of replacement.

Can't quite remember the make of parts though...

 

[Loom]

I have learnt that the following parts need to be agents only unfortunately :blueCry:
Oil, air, fuel, filter, both belts and all pulleys, any sensor, steering angle, wheel speed, oil level, etc, water pump and thermostat.

Does cost an arm and leg but they are so much superior to the non original parts and actually save money in the long run.

I had pulley, thermostat, water pump, fuel filter failures due to parts from Goldwagen :RedNo:

If I remeber correctly, when I purchased a thermostat and fuel filter from Goldwagen previously, it was a BEHR thermostat and MANN fuel filter. These are both OE manufacturers, what failures did you experience exactly?

I agree on (some) sensors. However, I also bought a Behr thermostat from them and I buy Shell Helix Ultra wherever it's the cheapest/most convenient.