E36 oil question...

[Rick Lee]

Since the last Inspection II we've put about 1000 miles on her. Checked the oil today for the first time since we got the car. It's slightly below the two tick marks. I'm not sure whether BMW's like their oil level dead even between the marks or at the top. I'm assuming it was at the correct level immediately following the Inspection II. So it looks like there has been some consumption here. I had it up to 110mph last weekend and drove it very spiritedly on a long trip. Still, the car only has 22k miles on it. What is the acceptable oil consumption rate for these cars? Factory specs are sometimes too generous. What do you guys say?

Also, this dipstick is a little strange to read. It's got a lot of plastic on the end. Am I correct in assuming I should be reading the two very faint dots toward the top of the plastic part? Bentley's did not make this very clear.

[Wayne 962]

I replied to this, but my computer crashed before I hit send!

Anyways, you need to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Make sure that you only check the engine when the car is warm or only check it when it's cold. You will get two different readings, because the viscosity of the oil changes when warm, and it also gets dispersed about the engine. I typically check it when its warm.

That said, make a log that you keep in your glove box. Only add oil in quarts or 1/2 quarts, so that you can 'learn' what the result is on the dipstick. I can't remember exactly what the level should be, but it's more of a subjective type of thing anyhow, depending upon how you look at the dipstick and when you check the oil.

I hope this helps,

-Wayne

[Rick Lee]

Thanks - that's how I've always done it with my E30. I just can't figure out where on the E36 dipstick the level is supposed to be. There are 3 dots and several other notches on that strange-shaped plastic dipstick end.

[canyonlands]

You should have two identical marks on the plastic that are just shy of 1/2" apart. If I remember right, the dots the correct marks for your car but I've seen them with lines on the stick instead. That 1/2" separation is the key and should indicate about one quart's worth of oil difference. The one closest to the handle being the high mark and the lower one being the minimum mark. Always make sure your motor has been off for around 15 minutes or more before checking the oil.
Your car should have almost no oil consumption. If you didn't check the level when you got it back from the dealer then I'd assume that they didn't fill it and top it up. Again, those indicators represent 1 quart. Drive it in close to the same fashion checking it once a week to see if you are losing any. I'd doubt it though as I've never had such a problem with any of my BMWs and tight motors are one of the things they are famous for.

Good luck and let us know.

Cheers,

Ron

[canyonlands]

nm