Engine Oil Level Too High

[zedsain]

Hi Guys,

I am the proud owner of a 2010 M3. Today i noticed my engine oil level was a notch shy of the minimum line indicator. I arrogantly topped up the engine with a 1 liter (1 qrt) bottle of Castrol engine oil without checking to see how much i needed to actually add. Well, now the car is showing me the "Engine Oil Level Too High" warning.

Can anyone here tell me how much an M3 needs in oil top-up when it reaches the minimum engine oil level indicator on the navigation/dashboard. I'm not talking about all the way to the bottom. There are two lines on the indicator, once at max and one at min. Mine was almost at min. How much oil does the car need at that level. This will help me know how much excess i have stupidly poured into the engine.

If i had to take an educated guess i'd say i overfilled the engine with 1/3 qrt oil.

Also if you can let me know how worried i should bad and how bad the situation is. I searched the net but didn't find anything to help me out on this.

P.S. Please, no posts telling me how stupid it was doing this or making me feel bad about it. I'm already there ;(

[gthal]

Add +1L when the car actually asks for it and not until. Even then, some here will only add 0.75L to be safe.

[///M Rakete]

Originally Posted by gthal

Add +1L when the car actually asks for it and not until. Even then, some here will only add 0.75L to be safe.

+1, the display will actually say to add 1 Liter.

[Technic]

Add oil in increments of 1/4L; max of 1/2L in one shot and then back to 1/4L even when the prompt is saying "add 1L" until level is OK.

[pmeloche]

The difference between MIN and MAX is actually one liter so by adding one liter when you were already at 1/4 put you over MAX. I personally add oil by 1/4 increments until it reaches MAX.

[zedsain]

Ok so I basically added an extra 1/4 liter. Is that a major issue or can I just drive the car normally until the extra 1/4 burns off eventually?

[mdosu]

http://www.m3post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=129
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=422988
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408366

[Dntlvet]

I wouldn't drive it with too much oil. Time to drain off excess IMHO.

[shendrick]

Look for other posts on this topic. However, drain from the front sump only since it holds only about 1/4 liter. Also, if adding 1/4 liter at a time - be very careful since it is easy to eventually overfill due to the retarded oil sensor in M3s.

[zedsain]

I just read on another thread that if it's only the engine oil level indicator it shouldn't be a problem. If there are no warning lights and no leaks I can drive the car and let the 1/4 qrt burn off.

[zedsain]

Originally Posted by shendrick

Look for other posts on this topic. However, drain from the front sump only since it holds only about 1/4 liter. Also, if adding 1/4 liter at a time - be very careful since it is easy to eventually overfill due to the retarded oil sensor in M3s.

How do I drain the front sump? What is the front sump to start with?

[Mr C]

When I took delivery of my 2011 M3 back in June, the Oil Level was a bit below the FULL. I asked one of the service guys, and he stated that BMW will usually short-fill the Oil, because it was not good for an M3 to be overfilled, even by just a bit. I confirmed it with three other SAs.

Get it checked out, just in case they are right!

[jdgamble]

I have read that overfill on these engines is a bad thing. I have no technical basis for this, but a lot of people on this board seem to think it's a big deal.

[shendrick]

Regarding the front sump. Under the maintenance or DIY sections of this site there is a great step by step with pictures regarding how to change the oil. There are two drain plugs for the oil pan. The front one (front sump) only contains a little oil when the engine is off. Therefore, under an overfill condition if you want to just take a little oil out you use the front drain.

I would also not operate the car if oil>max since the owner's manual heartily discourages it. I also got the story that the car will burn off any overfill from the dealer (when they over filled me) but since it was in direct conflict with the owner manual it was easy to make them do the right thing. If overfilled, I would worry about the crank foaming the oil which creates lubrication problems and premature engine wear,

[elh0102]

There is nothing unique here regarding the M3 motor. It is not recommended that any motor be operated when overfilled with oil, and it can result in damage. With that said, it sounds like the amount overfilled here is minor, and I doubt it would do harm. But if it were mine, since fixing it can be done about as quick as reading this thread, I'd drain a bit out.

[elm3]

Last time when I had to add some oil and it ask me to add 1qt. I only added about 1/2 qt. and drove the car for a little bit and then re-checked the oil level. It was actually near the top, well maybe in between the top and the middle. So I left it alone until I had to change the oil. Everybody is different though. I would just check and see how much you need. It is better to have little less oil than to have too much oil. This engine has a high compression, so too much oil can't be good for it.

[JCtx]

You learned your lesson of not doing something before doing some reading first . Newer cars have a 1/4L accuracy, meaning you had from 1/4 to almost 1/2L over minimum in order for the sensor to show 1/4. You don't want to be closer to 1/2 overfilled, so I'd proceed to drain the front sump completely. It holds 1/2L, not 1/4, so that should put you right at full. No need to even lift the car for that one; just reach under the car and remove the 6mm bolt with a hex socket. I'd also replace the crush washer, or sand it flat with 400-grit sandpaper on a flat surface, to avoid a leak.

And there's nothing wrong keeping your oil topped off, like I do, but most others will tell you to follow the manual . Just do some more reading and understand how the sensor works, and how to check oil level properly. And yes, I also recommend to top off oil 1/4L at a time (3/4L if you get the 'add 1L' message). Good luck.

[e90m3_6MT]

very easy but you need a little math,

at the minimum warning you need 1L

there are 5 notches, so for each notch down from the maximum, just add 200ml of oil. it should be easy as the oil bottles come with a scale in ml on the side.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by e90m3_6MT

you need a little math

You too . It's just FOUR 'notches'. The top doesn't count, as you don't add anything there, so in theory it's 1/4L each. By the way, '08s only have 2 due to different software (gauge is the same). But your reasoning is good . Take care.

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

You too . It's just FOUR 'notches'. The top doesn't count, as you don't add anything there, so in theory it's 1/4L each. By the way, '08s only have 2 due to different software (gauge is the same). But your reasoning is good . Take care.

my understanding was that if you add a litre on empty you fill the bottom notch (the yellow one) plus the 4 others hence the 5 notches. it doesn't really matter, do it in 250 increments if you want but the only difference is that counting 5 notches you end up being more conservative on the amount of oil when you top up. for example, if you count 4 notches, and that there are 2 missing you will add 250x2=500ml, if you count 5 you'll only add 400ml which reduces the chances of putting too much oil in the engine even if 100ml probably doesn't make that much of a difference. In any case I would rather have a little under the maximum then be a little over (which is why I counted 5).

my m3 is an 08 (end of april production I believe) and it has 4 notches, not just 2. I'm not sure if there's a difference between the canadian cars and US cars on that.

does anybody else have an 08 with the 4 notches

[JCtx]

The (reserve) gauge reads: empty/+1, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full, overfilled. If you want to call it 10 notches, that's fine with me . I said 'reserve' because it's not true oil level, but just the amount most dipsticks have between marks. All gauges look the same, but '08 cars will jump from empty to half to full (and overfilled, of course), giving them 1/2L accuracy. Newer cars have 1/4L, but don't know when the change took place.

And again, it's a SENSOR, not a dipstick, so if you show 3/4, you can have 0.75 to 0.99 over minimum. If level just dropped to 3/4, you know it's pretty close to full; that's why it's better to add little by little when you don't know. The overfilled level kicks in at 1.25L, so if you add 1/4L at a time when topping off, you'd always be fine. And we're talking measuring oil level with a manual reset while car is idling on a flat surface (always use same spot, like your garage) with engine fully hot (10/15 miles of use), not by checking the reading car took, since it's never going to be consistent. It's like checking your tires pressures when hot; you'd be adjusting tire pressures daily . Signing off this thread. Good day.

[zedsain]

Hey guys,

I want to thank everyone who supported me with comments/suggestions/facts. Today i unscrewed the front sump and watched the whole 1/2 liter pour out. I rescrewed the sump (it was really easy, it thought it would be a little more difficult), turned the car back on and made sure no oil was leaking out.

Ater driving for 10 miles or so i reset the oil level gauge and was ecstatic to see the indicsator back to the max level and green in color! What a relief! I'm never doing anything like this again before reading up on it.

Thanks again for all your help and support!