Oil Level Question

[bluecobra]

Ok, I changed my oil and filter in my 2006 M Coupe and I very carefully put 5.5 Liters of Castrol 10w60 back into it. Started it and checked for leaks, no problem, shut it off and waited for a minute to check the level.

Drove it to the gas station and back, checked it again.

5.5 liters puts the oil level right at the low mark on my dipstick. Is this where I leave it?? My car does not use any oil between changes so that is not a concern but in my mind the car is low on oil at that level on the dipstick.

Opinions???

[inTgr8r]

Something is odd, it should be at least half way with 5.5

[boydgti]

Did u wait for the oil to settle before u checked it again

[gghg]

Confirm the oil was bottled in liters and not quarts, as a quart is less than a liter.

[Geauxkart]

Originally Posted by gghg

Confirm the oil was bottled in liters and not quarts, as a quart is less than a liter.

That was my thought.

[jmillet]

Castrol TWS 10W-60 is packaged in one liter containers not quarts.
S54 engine oil capacity and level chacking procedures found here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41599

[pungo]

My guess is the oil jugs were not completely full. Add some more oil to bring it up to the full mark.

[Caddyshk]

Originally Posted by pungo

My guess is the oil jugs were not completely full. Add some more oil to bring it up to the full mark.

You mean the half (mark)

[pungo]

Originally Posted by Caddyshk

You mean the half (mark)

What ever than manual says, I don't have the luxury of a dip stick, so don't know. I keep my cars with a dip stick near the full mark.

[Caddyshk]

S54 level is half. Most BMW techs overfill our cars...

[bluecobra]

Originally Posted by gghg

Confirm the oil was bottled in liters and not quarts, as a quart is less than a liter.

Yes, Castrol 10/60 is bottled in liters, not quarts, but I double checked anyway.

I started checking the oil 45 seconds after shutdown and continued checking it until about 2 minutes and it is right at the bottom mark on the dipstick.

The oil was brand new and all the bottles were filled to the same level.

According to the manual there is 1.3 - 1.4 liters between the bottom and top marks on the dipstick so if I fill it to the top mark that would mean 6.5 - 7.0 liters. Seems to be a bit much.

I know it has 5.5 liters in it so I guess I will just drive it at the low mark.....

[Finnegan]

Unless you're checking the oil in incline I don't see why the oil level should be that low. Is there any chance that the temperature was really really cold, or things were a bit rushed, and there was a portion of oil left in each bottle that did not end up in the car? (Can't see how, but thinking out loud.)

In any case I might add another quarter bottle just bringing up a bit past the bottom fill line. IMO what matters is what can be measured with the dipstick.

[XMetal]

What do you measured after letting it sit overnight? Mine usually measured on the low side even after 15-20 minutes of shutdown. However, it always measured near the middle when it has been left sitting overnight.

[Finnegan]

^Good question.

[inTgr8r]

That's why there is a sticker under the hood with the idle, then 60 second shutdown procedure.

[bluecobra]

Originally Posted by XMetal

What do you measured after letting it sit overnight? Mine usually measured on the low side even after 15-20 minutes of shutdown. However, it always measured near the middle when it has been left sitting overnight.

I will check it cold tonight as the car has been sitting in the garage for 2 days.

And I was checking the level with the car sitting in the garage, which is flat so there couldn't be any incline issue. It was around 55 degrees when I changed the oil so I doubt I left much in the container on the pour.

It is just weird because I never had this issue with either of my E46 M3s.

One other questions - I am not the original owner of the car - is there any aftermarket way to increase oil capacity?? The car has a lot of mods on it but other than the Dinan throttle bodies, Dinan software and a J&B liteweight flywheel, I haven't found any other engine mods, mostly only chassis/diff stuff.

[Finnegan]

Upgraded (larger) oil cooler is the only one I can think of. That would add some capacity. Take a look, but I doubt it's going to be easy just looking w/o a comparison, gmd2003 has one.

After we've exhausted all the possibilities and run down things like temp, incline, start/stop procedure, etc., I still think what the dipstick says is ultimately what matters.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by bluecobra

I will check it cold tonight as the car has been sitting in the garage for 2 days.

And I was checking the level with the car sitting in the garage, which is flat so there couldn't be any incline issue. It was around 55 degrees when I changed the oil so I doubt I left much in the container on the pour.

It is just weird because I never had this issue with either of my E46 M3s.

One other questions - I am not the original owner of the car - is there any aftermarket way to increase oil capacity?? The car has a lot of mods on it but other than the Dinan throttle bodies, Dinan software and a J&B liteweight flywheel, I haven't found any other engine mods, mostly only chassis/diff stuff.

If you are not measuring the oil level after following the proper procedure, then it can vary considerably (more than 0.5 litres) from the proper reading. Car should be fully warmed up (oil temp around 90°C / 195°F), then parked on level ground, idled for 15 seconds before shut-off, then wait for 1 minute before taking the measurement.

[bluecobra]

Originally Posted by aerobod

If you are not measuring the oil level after following the proper procedure, then it can vary considerably (more than 0.5 litres) from the proper reading. Car should be fully warmed up (oil temp around 90°C / 195°F), then parked on level ground, idled for 15 seconds before shut-off, then wait for 1 minute before taking the measurement.

I guess you didn't read any of the thread - I followed the "procedure" to the letter and, with 5.5 liters of oil put into the motor after the change, the level is AT the low mark on the dipstick.

I checked the level with the motor cold and it is about 1/3 above the low mark. I will add a little and drive it. The car has never used any oil so it should be fine.

I was mainly curious if anyone had experienced this before.

[Caddyshk]

5.5L should bring it to ~ halfway between the markings on the dip stick.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by bluecobra

I guess you didn't read any of the thread - I followed the "procedure" to the letter and, with 5.5 liters of oil put into the motor after the change, the level is AT the low mark on the dipstick.

I checked the level with the motor cold and it is about 1/3 above the low mark. I will add a little and drive it. The car has never used any oil so it should be fine.

I was mainly curious if anyone had experienced this before.

I did read the thread, but when you said "Started it and checked for leaks, no problem, shut it off and waited for a minute to check the level", I didn't read any indication whether you had fully warmed it up, then idled it for 15 secs before shutdown, as this part of the procedure has an effect on the oil level. If it is run and shut off when the engine is cold, a lot less oil will drain back into the pan over a period of a few minutes compared when the oil is hot, giving a lower oil level. Also, 5.5 litres of engine oil at 10°C has a volume approximately 0.3 litres less than oil at 90°C.

[bluecobra]

Originally Posted by aerobod

I did read the thread, but when you said "Started it and checked for leaks, no problem, shut it off and waited for a minute to check the level", I didn't read any indication whether you had fully warmed it up, then idled it for 15 secs before shutdown, as this part of the procedure has an effect on the oil level. If it is run and shut off when the engine is cold, a lot less oil will drain back into the pan over a period of a few minutes compared when the oil is hot, giving a lower oil level. Also, 5.5 litres of engine oil at 10°C has a volume approximately 0.3 litres less than oil at 90°C.

Yes, I also stated that I drove it to the gas station and back and checked again. But, thanks for your input.