BMW X5 and X6 Forum 2014-Current
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      06-19-2017, 08:28 AM   #1
LANDCRUISER
New Member
2
Rep
6
Posts

Drives: X5 GOLDEN
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: OCALA

iTrader: (0)

Stop Engine" Check Oil Pressure

Guys, I can't find a conclusive method on this famous issue because people are saying tighten up the nut on the oil pump, change oil level sensor and oil pressure sensor, change oil pump , upgrade oil etc

my x5 3.0 L has 131k miles on it. recently I drove it hard to beat the red light and I think in my mind I heard 3 minor knock knock knock in the engine, and 20 seconds after the message " stop engine : check oil pressure popped up" never saw this before. the engine isn't knocking and it runs fine. I parked as soon as I was able to get it off the road which was 2 mins after the message appeared .

Today I am going to harbor freight to buy an oil pressure test kit, and I need to know what is the normal psi at idle, and what rev count should I take it to and measure the psi at high.

should I check the oil pressure first or drop the oil pan firstly because something is telling me in my mind that when I drop it , I will see loose bolts and a loose nut on the oil pump.

guys I need help, steer me and the future users who will read this in the right direction. I want this post to be the ultimate guide in the future for anyone with this problem. please don't say take this to the stealership for a diagnosis.
Appreciate 0
      06-19-2017, 11:48 AM   #2
Apple Corps
First Lieutenant
United_States
113
Rep
346
Posts

Drives: 2018 X5 M
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: California

iTrader: (0)

131k miles..."famous issue"...definitive guide.

First, my general impression is that the BMW in-line 6 petrol engine is viewed as one of the best ever made - so at 131k miles to have a warning light go on is a famous issue?

Not all dealers are stealers - that phrase sounds cool and informed but I have had great experience with the BMW Dealer techs doing what little has been needed on our Bimms for over 30 years - East Coast to West Coast - M5s / 7 Series / 550s / X5s / 330s / thumbs up on all of them.
Appreciate 0
      06-19-2017, 12:10 PM   #3
lowlevelhell
Herr Oberst
lowlevelhell's Avatar
244
Rep
531
Posts

Drives: '15 F15, '16 G12
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Boston

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LANDCRUISER View Post
Guys, I can't find a conclusive method on this famous issue because people are saying tighten up the nut on the oil pump, change oil level sensor and oil pressure sensor, change oil pump , upgrade oil etc

my x5 3.0 L has 131k miles on it. recently I drove it hard to beat the red light and I think in my mind I heard 3 minor knock knock knock in the engine, and 20 seconds after the message " stop engine : check oil pressure popped up" never saw this before. the engine isn't knocking and it runs fine. I parked as soon as I was able to get it off the road which was 2 mins after the message appeared .

Today I am going to harbor freight to buy an oil pressure test kit, and I need to know what is the normal psi at idle, and what rev count should I take it to and measure the psi at high.

should I check the oil pressure first or drop the oil pan firstly because something is telling me in my mind that when I drop it , I will see loose bolts and a loose nut on the oil pump.

guys I need help, steer me and the future users who will read this in the right direction. I want this post to be the ultimate guide in the future for anyone with this problem. please don't say take this to the stealership for a diagnosis.
First, I don't think you're in the right forum as it sounds like you have an E70 and no one here has posted about this "famous" issue.

Secondly...if you heard three knocks you need to get that motor opened up now. My SWAG at it would be that you lost oil pressure and starved a main bearing, which led to spinning it.

I'd be hard pressed to believe that your oil pump simply has a loose bolt.
__________________
'15 X5 35d
'16 740i
Appreciate 0
      06-19-2017, 04:01 PM   #4
MN2///M
Captain
MN2///M's Avatar
United_States
520
Rep
865
Posts

Drives: very fast!
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Colorado Springs

iTrader: (0)

What year is your X5? As lowlevelhell stated, you might find more help in the E70 forum if it is an E70 and not a F15.

You state that the "engine isn't knocking and it runs fine"; so to be clear, you have run it since the message? Did the message go away? Does the vehicle indicate the correct oil level?

I'm not a big fan of tearing into a motor unless I have something indicating internal damage, but oil starvation is no joke. You will have to determine what you feel is acceptable risk for you. These engines (like most modern engines) are very sensitive to lack of lubrication.

So since you are looking for advice to determine what to do, I would likely start with an oil change and see what the oil looks like. You may have done some internal damage and it may not really matter or it could be a precursor to major damage. If there are any flakes, then I would drop the pan and do a visual inspection.

After the oil change, I would remove all spark plugs and accessory belt, rotate the motor manually from the crank to see if you feel any rough spots as you rotate. With the belt and spark plugs removed, it should rotate pretty easily and with a uniform resistance. If you spun a bearing or did any major damage to a bearing surface, the oil and rotation should indicate pretty clear that there is an issue. Listen carefully also as it may give you a better idea where the damage may be; you could have a friend rotate and listen with a mechanic's stethoscope.

If you get to a point that you feel safe running the motor, I'm guessing the BMW motor would generate similar oil pressure as other motors I have worked on, 40ish PSI at idle and more with increased revolutions upwards of 80ish PSI.

Good luck, post back please.
__________________
2003 BMW 330i
2016 BMW M4 - ED May 2016, PCD Aug 2016
2017 X5 xDrive35i - PCD Jan2017
Appreciate 1
      06-20-2017, 10:45 AM   #5
Alan l.
Major General
Alan l.'s Avatar
5341
Rep
8,774
Posts

Drives: 2020 F95 X5M Competition
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: United States

iTrader: (9)

From what i recall the older 3.0L inline 6 motors had an issue with the nut holding the oil pump sprocket back out causing catastrophic engine failure. Usually when this occurs your engine is toast within seconds of running because there is zero oil being circulating after the nut backs out. I haven't heard of anyone with a modern bmw engine have this problem so I assume bmw changed the design to fix it.

Dropping the oil pan will tell you immediately if this is the case. I would do that instead of running the motor further.

Alan
__________________
Appreciate 0
      06-29-2017, 09:20 AM   #6
LANDCRUISER
New Member
2
Rep
6
Posts

Drives: X5 GOLDEN
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: OCALA

iTrader: (0)

well I went to harbor freight, but an oil test kit and hooked it up to the port behind the oil filter. it shows 50 psi on start up. I didn't hear any noises since and my engine is ok. I am driving it just fine.

I also did NOT change the oil switch/sensor. I think what happened was the fast acceleration on this old 2003 X5 with 133k miles is not good, it took all the oil away from the bottom pan and it registered something bad on the sensor in my opinion. I said this is my opinion. don't ring my ears if I am wrong. I just can't be sure why it occurred.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:21 PM.




xbimmers
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST