engine eating oil

[propkaPT]

Hi guys got the N55 at 5600 miles and it already ate a quart of oil and was giving me the low oil warning. Is this normal? doesnt seem so

[cooler2442]

Originally Posted by propkaPT

Hi guys got the N55 at 5600 miles and it already ate a quart of oil and was giving me the low oil warning. Is this normal? doesnt seem so

Yup. Had it happen to me as well. I think first at 7-8k miles or so. Then I did an oil change at 9-10k and had it come up again at 12k or so. So mine already ate 2 quarts or maybe I didn't fill it with enough oil when the change was done.

[propkaPT]

just a bit concerned with the low mileage and driving it with little oil in it. Can anyone confirm that the turbo is lubed from the engine oil or does it have its own supply.

[Guildenstern]

Sadly with a lot of cars (this included) the warning point is 1Q/1000 miles so your oil consumption is "normal" At 1 Qt low you are still good, but need to fill ASAP. The turbo does draw from the sump, but at a quart low there's still enough to do the job. Just don't dilly dally on putting more in. Why do you think they sell those nice Velcro backed oil bottle holders for your trunk.

Make a habit of checking your oil level once a week.

[BFD99]

Originally Posted by Guildenstern

Sadly with a lot of cars (this included) the warning point is 1Q/1000 miles so your oil consumption is "normal" At 1 Qt low you are still good, but need to fill ASAP. The turbo does draw from the sump, but at a quart low there's still enough to do the job. Just don't dilly dally on putting more in. Why do you think they sell those nice Velcro backed oil bottle holders for your trunk.

Make a habit of checking your oil level once a week.

Exactly. Mine eats about 1Q every couple thousand miles. I've sorta gotten used to it.

[BrokenVert]

Mine has eaten 2 quarts in its 75K miles.
It ate 1 quart before its first oil change (I just assumed it was from break in)

and the second one during my most recent oil change interval.


So in other words unless it keeps up youre fine.

[1911A145]

Mine does not "eat" any oil in the 15k mile OCI that ive noticed.

Could be that your turbo seals are going bad or that you are burning it up from another engine related issue. 2 things I would do is first take an oil sample and send it out to Blackstone Laboratories. Go on their website and they will mail you a free kit. Take a sample when you change your oil and incluse 25 bucks. They will tell you EVERYTHING that is going on inside your motor and look out for any abnormal wear that may be going on.

secondly, do a leak down test if the oil analysis comes back normal. if the leak down test also comes back normal un bolt the downpipe and look in the dowpipe before the converter to see if you can see any oil that is building up. Also look at the spark plugs for any signs of oil build up.

If ALL of that comes back normal, then drive the car and dont worry about it. keep an extra qt of oil in the trunk and just monitor it. All of the above may be too much for the average person to care to do, but I wouldnt hesitate to do it if I were in you shoes. I would still do an oil analysis through blackstone. they are great people and have done numerous reports for me in the past and can literally pinpoint an issue, if there is one, before it becomes worse. You can look at a sample report on their website.

I hope you find the cause of your issue and that it turns out to be just the car needing to be driven more. Keep us informed.

[dtwyim]

I am at about 7,500 miles after the last oil change and the gauge showed it is a tick below full. The low oil light never came on.

[Ash83]

Same here N54.. i change oil every 7K and i always notice that when i get close to 7K i see 0.75 QT is missing (according to the fancy onscreen dipstick)

[2012one35i]

4850 miles and oil light came on. This seems excessive to me. Yes/no?

[PA135i]

Yes, but as a earlier poster said. According to BMW it is not excessive. My N54 has just started to eat oil at 50K. But, not enough to come close to having a warning light come on.

[mineo77]

Originally Posted by propkaPT

just a bit concerned with the low mileage and driving it with little oil in it. Can anyone confirm that the turbo is lubed from the engine oil or does it have its own supply.

tubro is lubed from engine oil

[ILoveChess100]

10k miles, ate a quart. I drive pretty agressively all the time.

[JimD]

Whenever you are low on oil, it is possible it got burned in the engine but the other possibility is a leak. I would look under the car too.

I do not have repair experience on a bimmer yet, fortunately, but on the other cars I have owned, oil burning occurs mainly because of valve stem seals. With a boosted motor, you have more pressure in the intake which may mean more pressure in the engine pushing oil harder at the seals. The shorter plug change interval for your motors would also be consistent with some oil consumption in the combustion chamber potentially fouling the spark plug (eventually).

Jim

[thoglette]

Originally Posted by JimD

I do not have repair experience on a bimmer yet, fortunately, but on the other cars I have owned, oil burning occurs mainly because of valve stem seals. With a boosted motor, you have more pressure in the intake which may mean more pressure in the engine pushing oil harder at the seals.

I've got the problem at the other end - 1l per 600km (about 1qt/750). I suspect valve seal hardening due to mild driving.

I'd heard rumour that a problem with the crank case ventilator can make this worse but have not been able to confirm or deny

[ignote]

I'm at 25k miles and it hasn't used any oil. N55.

[Ammonia]

My N54 just needed a quart after a healthy 20k modded. So not bad.

[135Pats]

FML my turbos burn a quart of oil every like 1.5-2K miles stupid seals. It's like a get away smoke screen when the motor goes into vacuum coming to a stop. Once it heats up it's nowhere near as bad, but it still smokes.


Oh well STG2 turbos here we come

[bbbbmw]

Many new cars I've had over the years will burn a quart of oil at 3-5k miles, as the rings "seat" themselves, and then it stops. Prob not a problem. Be sure to use the appropriate weight synthetic oil, however - I buy the BMW oil from the dealer, as it tends to be the cheapest, strangely enough.

[djpeetur]

was told when my engine was getting serviced that the oil filter housing area was leaking and that i needed to change gasket next time. but mine burns 1qt every oil change.

[Tommeh]

change your oil every 5,000 miles, and you will not get the warning >.>

[propkaPT]

Originally Posted by bbbbmw

Many new cars I've had over the years will burn a quart of oil at 3-5k miles, as the rings "seat" themselves, and then it stops. Prob not a problem. Be sure to use the appropriate weight synthetic oil, however - I buy the BMW oil from the dealer, as it tends to be the cheapest, strangely enough.

I think you are absolutely right about this as mine stopped burning oil after 7k or so. I had to add 2 quarts throughout the 19k i have on the car now