M60 Oil pressure

[zaleonardz]

Hi All,

I have a wierd problem on my E34, and I hope the smarter dudes can help

I receive a low oil pressure warning when the car is at below idle rpm. When your sitting i JHB traffic, using the manual and clutch, the rpms will drop down to 800 or so as you pull off in first, and I have a oil light coming on for about a second until I build revs back to 1000 and up.

First time I had a heart attack, and stopped to check oil, oil was virtually perfect. I drove her home no problems.

I took it past somebody, and got told that it is just the oil pressure sensor, and confirmed this by as soon as you raise the revs, ie normal driving, the cluster message disappears.

I have added about 200ml of oil since her last service which was when i got her about 6 months ago.

I am using Liqui Moly 5w30. What do you gents suggest ?

Next question. When is the best time to check oil, I have always done it when the car is cold and level, but my dad says I should check it about 30 minutes after driving so that the oil is still hot, but back in the sump.

 

[clutchplate]

I scheme that oil is fine now that its getting winter. but I'm gonna switch to 10W40 after winter and prolly stick to that. kinda what we supposed to be using in the 540i's for our weather.. always thought it was 5W30, but 5W30 is for cold weather.. fully synthetic obviously..

not sure about the oil pressure stuff tho.. my someone else has an idea

 

[STREETRACER]

Bud get a diagnostics test done before changing switches and sensors! It might just as well be your oil pump that doesn't deliver enough pressure under low revs!

I use a 5w40 and no problem summer or winter!
I check my oil before every long distance trip and before every Race day which is once a month! on my BT50 and 320d i dont check oil ever if it brakes its the agents worries!

You can use a 15w40 semi-synthetic which will be awesome for cars not being raced every time it starts!

 

[zaleonardz]

SR.

Yea man, I suspect it could be oil pressure from the oil pump as well. I guess it cannot be a bad idea to change the oil pump out of principle.

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http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=674198

Very very interesting... Guess I am dropping the sump next weekend....

Maybe I can source a new oil pump just because, anybody know what they are going for ?

 

[Jandre]

I currently have the exact same thing on one of our microbusses. Ours is definately the oil pump.

 

[rick540]

M60's oil pump bolts come loose all the time.

I suggest drop the sump, and replace all o rings on the oil pump setup. These pumps don't really wear out so I think it's unlikely the pump itself, though good to check the pressure releif valve in the pump is not worn or sticking.

 

[zaleonardz]

http://www.e38.org/replacing_oil_pump(M60).pdf

Procedure for replacing oil pump, looks pretty straight forward.

Thanks for the advise Rick, I have discovered a lot of guys that had issues with the securing screws on the M60, so I guess its that.

I am going to price a new oil pump anyway, and if it is a couple of 100, then I may as well replace with new. If its 12k, then I will just book the old pump in at a little engineering works company I know, and they can pressure test it for me to make sure its 100's

 

[WerriesM5]

I had the same problem just last week on a 740i, it was a faulty oil filter, in the bottom of the oil filter housing there is a valve that is pressed closed by the filter, and opens up when you take the filter out to drain the oil from the housing to the sump. It had a pirate filter in that didn't have the plastic ring on the botom of the filter to keep the valve closed.

I have opened a couple of M60 sumps and found the oil pump loose, The 3 M8 bolts that hold the pump to the block comes loose and I have found on ocasions that the small m6 bolts that holds the pump together come loose.
Just after I bought my 540i/6 I have now, I opened the sump just to check the pump and found one bold that holds the pump to the block loose in the sump and it had onley 168k Km on it.....

 

[zaleonardz]

Awesome advice guys, nice trick there Werries,

I am going to drive her to work tomorrow, park her off, and bring her home next weekend, and will start then with fault finding.

 

[Billy the Kid]

I had the same problem a while ago and it still happens especially while I am towing the caravan, however I did price a oil pump about two months ago and BMW had no stock three weeks to order from Germany and the price R4500.00.

I was also told that it might be the presure switch.

 

[zaleonardz]

I just got a quote from my parts dude. Price is 1195 and there are two configurations, so I need to bring a sample.

Thats cheap enough I think.

 

[Billy the Kid]

If it is the correct one its a steal for that price, is it a OEm or a aftermarket pump?

 

[zaleonardz]

Its aftermarket. My parts guy is going to let me know the make so that I can do some research,

 

[rick540]

good stuff comes from Germany Italy, Spain and eastern Europe, anywhere else as origin, don't bother.

Also change the oil first before jumping into anything, it could just have thinned out.

 

[zaleonardz]

Hi All,

Ok after some fiddling, I have discovered what is wrong with my oil pressure.

I kept my oil level exactly on recommended line, and while my car did not leak a drop of oil, but used about 100ml every week or so, without leaking a drop.

What I discovered this afternoon is that I do in fact have an oil leak, the mother*^*$*)#r that had the car before me was to cheap to spring for a sump gasket, and resealed the sump with sillicone, which of course is peeling out of the sides and slowly degrading, which is why my entire sump is filled with jucky oil right around.

So what I did is I overfilled my oil just a little bit, after checking with Tony from Club motors Randburg if I could take it to just over the recommended oil level line, and I'll drop the sump next weekend and replace that gasket, they are like R300 from BMW, and thats not even trying to find an aftermarket or asking for a discount.. It really pisses me off..

Oh and I have a tensioner that is going.... will need to look into that one...

 

[FFDGP]

I had a similar problem on my 540/6 some years ago on a long distance trip after having serviced the car and used 5w40 oil, i have since used 10w40 and have never had that fault again.