335i Oil consumption (N54)

mpower3o2 · 01-09-2012, 09:58 AM

Have an 07 335i sedan and noticed its been going through a lot of oil lately. Oil change was done about 1.5 months ago and since then I've had to top off 2 times. Pulled the belly pan and saw no visible leaks, & had a friend follow for a good 20 minutes to see if any sort of smoke was coming from the exhaust (result: no smoke). I'm all out of idea's and thought I'd seek forum input before having to take it into the dealer. The car does have an Oil Cooler (Dinan) and I've checked the connections. Everything is seated properly without any visible leaks.

Any sort of input/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

rader1 · 01-09-2012, 10:18 AM

These cars consume oil. It's what they do lol
it does seem like yours is on the high side having to top it off twice in less than 2 months. If you have a CPO car then i'd say take it to the dealer and see what they have to say just to be on the safe side. They'll probably tell you it's normal.

Tzu · 01-09-2012, 10:26 AM

Oil filter housing gasket? It wont consume nearly that much unless oil was dripping out, or going into your coolant though. Still worth examining a little closer.

achien · 01-09-2012, 10:47 AM

did you do the oil change at a BMW dealership?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpower3o2

Have an 07 335i sedan and noticed its been going through a lot of oil lately. Oil change was done about 1.5 months ago and since then I've had to top off 2 times. Pulled the belly pan and saw no visible leaks, & had a friend follow for a good 20 minutes to see if any sort of smoke was coming from the exhaust (result: no smoke). I'm all out of idea's and thought I'd seek forum input before having to take it into the dealer. The car does have an Oil Cooler (Dinan) and I've checked the connections. Everything is seated properly without any visible leaks.

Any sort of input/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

nitehawk · 01-09-2012, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpower3o2

Oil change was done about 1.5 months ago and since then I've had to top off 2 times.

Thanks in advance!

How many miles in those 1.5 months and how much did you have to top off?

JamesM3M5 · 01-09-2012, 04:47 PM

Check the rear turbo compressor inlet. If it's covered in oil/oil-dirt residue, you may want to replace the pipe that runs from the back of the valve cover oil separator to the rear turbo inlet. There should be a flow-limiting valve to prevent the turbo from sucking too much oil vapor/liquid oil from the valve cover. The oil separators are built into the valve cover. If that doesn't fix it, you may need a new valve cover.

Also, what oil are you using? Some brands are consumed more than others in these engines. I've had great results with Motul 5W40 X-cess, full Group IV synthetic, BMW LL-01 approved.

mpower3o2 · 01-09-2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitehawk

How many miles in those 1.5 months and how much did you have to top off?

1,700 miles. Dealer mentioned about 2-3 quarts was put into the car.

I took the intake off to check the throttle body for oil residue and everything was clean.

drocay · 01-09-2012, 07:04 PM

Was told by a tech that a quart every 800 miles is considered np and normal.

1000klr · 01-09-2012, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drocay

Was told by a tech that a quart every 800 miles is considered np and normal.

that is complete bullshit, my bike burns about a qt every 500 miles but im also revving 14000 rpm, my n54 NEVER burnt any oil and i had it tuned from 20,000 until i sold it at 55,000 still tuned

Wedge1967 · 01-09-2012, 10:41 PM

I'm at 65k with fbo and go through a qrt every 4 to 6 weeks. I have no leaks or smoke issues. If you drive your car hard like I do, I doubt you have much to worry about.

boostaholic786 · 01-10-2012, 12:21 AM

Im somewhat having the same issue. I went in to get it topped off less than a week and a half ago and it read max. Today I checked and it was in between min and max. I do not understand how i can consume this much oil in this short of time. Im FBO and yes I drive the car hard but havent had this issue before and I have been tuned and FBO for atleast 12000 miles. Another thing that was mentioned in the OP was something about oil and the coolant. I had the coolant light flash 3 days ago and turned the car off and turned it back on and no coolant light. it was fine again till today when it did the same thing. I took it to the dealer and they said it was an air pocket in one of the coolant lines. Would this have anything to do with my low oil consumption? Im not going to add any more oil because im not going to put 2 quarts to much and F up my motor. I have no smoke coming out (only on cold starts) plus its 45 degrees in DFW right now so I would expect some smoke. Any ideas?

mpower3o2 · 01-10-2012, 09:40 AM

car was topped off, going to wait till I get the oil light, drain, then measure. I'm wondering if my oil level sensor maybe bad.

I find it hard to believe that I went through that much oil in the time period. I like to do the research myself even though the dealership mentioned how much was topped off.

rader1 · 01-10-2012, 10:49 AM

I want to know what genius designs an engine and decides a dipstick is unnecesary. Sensors are cool, but they fail.

Potty_Pants · 01-10-2012, 10:55 AM

2007 30k , oil changes at recommended intervals except first oil change at 1K... never had to put any oil in the engine.

wonder if the 1K oil change is responsible....?

Bash · 01-11-2012, 04:15 AM

not normal at all, my car has 80k miles on it, tuned for over a year now, i go through 1 quart every 3k miles. I do have a tiny front turbo leak.

PiZauL · 01-11-2012, 07:03 AM

I usually have to add a qt every 5-6k miles. Thats when I know its about that time to do an oil change soon. But yeah adding a qt that often sounds like something isn't right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rader1

I want to know what genius designs an engine and decides a dipstick is unnecesary. Sensors are cool, but they fail.

Think of it like this, do gas tanks have a dip stick? Nope, been a sensor for ages. Guess auto companies are going the sensor route for the oil too, computers are taking over. Older folks who are used to a dipstick are going to hate this, but all the younger folks who will be getting cars in the future will never even know what a dip stick is.

Brentis · 01-11-2012, 08:40 AM

m5's would go through oil like that, but my 335i doesn't burn nearly any oil that I can see.

mpower3o2 · 01-13-2012, 10:29 AM

After Inspection I came up with the following:

- No Smoke during idle or acceleration
- Car is not leaking on the ground
- Took belly pan off and saw no visible oil residue (everything is clean)
- Checked oil cooler & catch can. Everything is seated and properly with no visible leaks
- Checked oil filter housing. no leaks
- Did find some oil residue by valve cover. Picture included below:

Right now I'm also considering PCV, Vent Hose, or Valve Cover Gasket.

If anyone else has suggestions, please post! Thank you!

JamesM3M5 · 01-13-2012, 10:38 AM

Just try changing the PCV vent hose between the valve cover and the rear turbo inlet pipe. There should be a suction-limiting valve in it that can fail and allow the turbo to suck too much crankcase vapor/oil into the rear turbo and push it into the intake.

mpower3o2 · 01-13-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesM3M5

Just try changing the PCV vent hose between the valve cover and the rear turbo inlet pipe. There should be a suction-limiting valve in it that can fail and allow the turbo to suck too much crankcase vapor/oil into the rear turbo and push it into the intake.

Thanks for the input. I forgot to mention that I did remove the charge pipe and saw no oil residue in the throttle body or pipe itself.

2kaccordocoupe · 01-13-2012, 01:14 PM

That's some crazy oil usage, it can't be normal. My car has been tuned since delivery and I put about 12k a year on it and it has never needed oil added nor has the add 1 quart warning ever come up.

mpower3o2 · 01-17-2012, 03:43 PM

Here is a pic of what I mean. I haven't topped the car off since:

Dates:

1/12

1/16

1/17

Goes from 1 below max, then to max, then 2 below max. When the car sat ad idle today, I did smell oil burning. No smoke though, I'm wondering if it's the PCV leaking or valve cover?

01-09-2012, 09:58 AM	#1
mpower3o2 Lieutenant 61 Rep 424 Posts Drives: 2017 AP M3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (6)	335i Oil consumption (N54) Have an 07 335i sedan and noticed its been going through a lot of oil lately. Oil change was done about 1.5 months ago and since then I've had to top off 2 times. Pulled the belly pan and saw no visible leaks, & had a friend follow for a good 20 minutes to see if any sort of smoke was coming from the exhaust (result: no smoke). I'm all out of idea's and thought I'd seek forum input before having to take it into the dealer. The car does have an Oil Cooler (Dinan) and I've checked the connections. Everything is seated properly without any visible leaks. Any sort of input/advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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01-09-2012, 10:18 AM	#2
rader1 Banned 70 Rep 2,197 Posts Drives: Cobb Stage 2+ 135i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Roanoke, VA iTrader: (0)	These cars consume oil. It's what they do lol it does seem like yours is on the high side having to top it off twice in less than 2 months. If you have a CPO car then i'd say take it to the dealer and see what they have to say just to be on the safe side. They'll probably tell you it's normal.
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01-09-2012, 10:26 AM	#3
Tzu Lieutenant Colonel 29 Rep 1,551 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto iTrader: (1)	Oil filter housing gasket? It wont consume nearly that much unless oil was dripping out, or going into your coolant though. Still worth examining a little closer.
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01-09-2012, 04:47 PM	#6
JamesM3M5 Some dude 92 Rep 1,780 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern VA iTrader: (0)	Check the rear turbo compressor inlet. If it's covered in oil/oil-dirt residue, you may want to replace the pipe that runs from the back of the valve cover oil separator to the rear turbo inlet. There should be a flow-limiting valve to prevent the turbo from sucking too much oil vapor/liquid oil from the valve cover. The oil separators are built into the valve cover. If that doesn't fix it, you may need a new valve cover. Also, what oil are you using? Some brands are consumed more than others in these engines. I've had great results with Motul 5W40 X-cess, full Group IV synthetic, BMW LL-01 approved. __________________ RRT E92 335i/6MT with stuff and things
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01-09-2012, 07:04 PM	#8
drocay Private 4 Rep 67 Posts Drives: SGM E92 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Woodbridge, VA iTrader: (2)	Was told by a tech that a quart every 800 miles is considered np and normal.
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01-09-2012, 10:41 PM	#10
Wedge1967 Banned 125 Rep 2,172 Posts Drives: '07 e92 AT Sport Montego Blue Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Portland, OR iTrader: (3)	I'm at 65k with fbo and go through a qrt every 4 to 6 weeks. I have no leaks or smoke issues. If you drive your car hard like I do, I doubt you have much to worry about.
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01-10-2012, 12:21 AM	#11
boostaholic786 Captain 40 Rep 623 Posts Drives: E92 N54 with MHD Custom flash Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Plano TX iTrader: (0)	Im somewhat having the same issue. I went in to get it topped off less than a week and a half ago and it read max. Today I checked and it was in between min and max. I do not understand how i can consume this much oil in this short of time. Im FBO and yes I drive the car hard but havent had this issue before and I have been tuned and FBO for atleast 12000 miles. Another thing that was mentioned in the OP was something about oil and the coolant. I had the coolant light flash 3 days ago and turned the car off and turned it back on and no coolant light. it was fine again till today when it did the same thing. I took it to the dealer and they said it was an air pocket in one of the coolant lines. Would this have anything to do with my low oil consumption? Im not going to add any more oil because im not going to put 2 quarts to much and F up my motor. I have no smoke coming out (only on cold starts) plus its 45 degrees in DFW right now so I would expect some smoke. Any ideas?
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01-10-2012, 09:40 AM	#12
mpower3o2 Lieutenant 61 Rep 424 Posts Drives: 2017 AP M3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (6)	car was topped off, going to wait till I get the oil light, drain, then measure. I'm wondering if my oil level sensor maybe bad. I find it hard to believe that I went through that much oil in the time period. I like to do the research myself even though the dealership mentioned how much was topped off.
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01-10-2012, 10:49 AM	#13
rader1 Banned 70 Rep 2,197 Posts Drives: Cobb Stage 2+ 135i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Roanoke, VA iTrader: (0)	I want to know what genius designs an engine and decides a dipstick is unnecesary. Sensors are cool, but they fail.
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01-10-2012, 10:55 AM	#14
Potty_Pants Colonel 66 Rep 2,189 Posts Drives: 2012 Genesis Sedan Rspec Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern NJ iTrader: (0)	2007 30k , oil changes at recommended intervals except first oil change at 1K... never had to put any oil in the engine. wonder if the 1K oil change is responsible....? __________________ Olds Starfire > Chevy Malibu > Isuzu I-mark RS & Honda Magna 500 > Grand Am GT & YSR50 > Nissan Maxima & Ninja 750 > X-Wife > Hyundai Excel > Honda Prelude > Honda Accord > Honda Prelude & Ninja 250> Infiniti G35 > E90 335i > Hyundai Genesis Rspec, Hyunadai Sonata > Kia Sorento > Honda CRV-EX
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01-11-2012, 04:15 AM	#15
Bash First Lieutenant 8 Rep 395 Posts Drives: E92-335i Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Beirut iTrader: (0)	not normal at all, my car has 80k miles on it, tuned for over a year now, i go through 1 quart every 3k miles. I do have a tiny front turbo leak. __________________ COBB S2+ - Mr.5 CAI, Catless DP, Catless MP, AMS FMIC.
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01-11-2012, 08:40 AM	#17
Brentis Second Lieutenant 42 Rep 271 Posts Drives: 2011.5 BMW e90 M3 Competition Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Frisco, TX iTrader: (1)	m5's would go through oil like that, but my 335i doesn't burn nearly any oil that I can see.
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01-13-2012, 10:29 AM	#18
mpower3o2 Lieutenant 61 Rep 424 Posts Drives: 2017 AP M3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (6)	After Inspection I came up with the following: - No Smoke during idle or acceleration - Car is not leaking on the ground - Took belly pan off and saw no visible oil residue (everything is clean) - Checked oil cooler & catch can. Everything is seated and properly with no visible leaks - Checked oil filter housing. no leaks - Did find some oil residue by valve cover. Picture included below: Right now I'm also considering PCV, Vent Hose, or Valve Cover Gasket. If anyone else has suggestions, please post! Thank you!
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01-13-2012, 10:38 AM	#19
JamesM3M5 Some dude 92 Rep 1,780 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern VA iTrader: (0)	Just try changing the PCV vent hose between the valve cover and the rear turbo inlet pipe. There should be a suction-limiting valve in it that can fail and allow the turbo to suck too much crankcase vapor/oil into the rear turbo and push it into the intake. __________________ RRT E92 335i/6MT with stuff and things
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01-13-2012, 01:14 PM	#21
2kaccordocoupe Brigadier General 1274 Rep 4,703 Posts Drives: Former ///M Driver Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The 6ix iTrader: (2)	That's some crazy oil usage, it can't be normal. My car has been tuned since delivery and I put about 12k a year on it and it has never needed oil added nor has the add 1 quart warning ever come up.
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01-17-2012, 03:43 PM	#22
mpower3o2 Lieutenant 61 Rep 424 Posts Drives: 2017 AP M3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (6)	Here is a pic of what I mean. I haven't topped the car off since: Dates: 1/12 1/16 1/17 Goes from 1 below max, then to max, then 2 below max. When the car sat ad idle today, I did smell oil burning. No smoke though, I'm wondering if it's the PCV leaking or valve cover?
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