cointilt

Hi Guys, I have a couple noob questions;
1. I cannot view my oil level in the idrive, it just says that it cant be read (cant remember what it exactly says), do I need to install a new oil sensor like this one, plus is there any coding required or can i do it myself: BMW Oil Level Sensor 12617508003 E39 E60 E38 E65 X3 X5 | eBay

2.What is the average oil temp when driving normal? I average around 90-100c, if I drive it enthuastically then it will creep up to 110-120 (with the outdoor weather temp 14c).

The car is an 04 545i with 110,000 miles, I just want to make sure all is good as have heard a lot of horror stories of oil leaks from these V8's.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts, and apologies for the Noobiness

pcy

Malfunctioning oil level sensor can result in those symptoms. Replacing that oil level sensor should fix the problem. You will need to drain the oil from the pan to replace that sensor, so plan to replace that sensor when you are doing the next oil change.

Trinity Autosport

I believe the 04 models have a regular old school dip stick.

tonyb635

+ 1 but also make sure you are following the procedure to check the oil. It's in your manual. You can't just go out and select it in the iDrive and expect to read it. The car needs to be on level ground and the engine has to be operating for a certain amount of time. This got me once and I couldn't figure out the proper way until I read the information in the manual.

BimmerFan52

The dipstick is by far the most accurate way to read the oil level. Best done on a cold engine on level ground, but a warm engine that has sat for 15 minutes will give you a pretty accurate reading.

Car is designed to run around 105-110C for full combustion of fuel and lower emissions. There is much talk on the forums about efforts to lower this temperature through the use of lower temperature thermostats or oil coolers and their potential effects on gasket life.

I haven't seen enough information on the N62B44 to draw any conclusions. A lot of factors influence gasket life including: gasket material (ability to swell, resistance to temperature fluctuations, resistance to acids, ability to remain flexible) gasket shape and volume, designed clamping force, torque sequence, and designs of thermal expansion rates of housings that apply clamping forces.

Will running the engine coolant at a lower temperature help gasket life? I have seen no methodical studies to suggest this but would certainly like to see some. Will running the engine coolant at a lower temperature cause unburned fuel to collect on engine components as unburned carbon? Who knows?

The only three things I know I can control short of changing or adding components to the engine are:

1. Avoid allowing the engine to overheat at all costs - Over-expansion of aluminum engine components is very hard on gaskets, especially head gaskets. Do preventive maintenance on coolant components (hoses, water pump, thermostat, etc.) if your car has 75K miles or is more than seven years old.
2. Keep your oil fresh. Do not allow your oil to get old enough to become acidic. Acid is very hard on gaskets and other components. I change my oil every 5K miles.
3. Keep your coolant fresh. Change coolant every two years.