[bryanbrian]

Had the oil changed on my 2012 328i. Ever since then, when I try to measure the oil level, the idrive screen shows it starts to measure and then stops at 17% and says the oil is not at the correct temperature or the car is not level. Doesn't matter the temperature or where I check it, same result. And it always stops at 17%. Anybody ever have that problem?

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by bryanbrian

Had the oil changed on my 2012 328i. Ever since then, when I try to measure the oil level, the idrive screen shows it starts to measure and then stops at 17% and says the oil is not at the correct temperature or the car is not level. Doesn't matter the temperature or where I check it, same result. And it always stops at 17%. Anybody ever have that problem?

I ran into this once. From my experience, the engine has to be within a certain temp range. Can't be too cold or too hot. If you just drove a decent amount and the car is fully warmed up, try waiting several minutes for it to cool back down a bit and then try.

[Skyhigh]

Sometimes it is worth actually reading those user manuals...

[bryanbrian]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try again before giving up and going to the dealership. But if the measurement is that finicky, then not having a dipstick is a very bad idea. How does the mechanic tell if the oil is at the correct level? Looks like they have to add a prescribed amount of oil and hope they get it right.

[bryanbrian]

Problem solved. At the last oil change, when they inadvertently removed the oil filter the part of the housing that is inside the filter. It came out when they took out the filter. They should have realized something was wrong when they had nowhere to put that little o ring. Oil change was done at a local garage and obviously they had no clue about BMWs. Problem was quickly diagnosed when I took car to BMW specialist.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by bryanbrian

Problem solved. At the last oil change, when they inadvertently removed the oil filter the part of the housing that is inside the filter. It came out when they took out the filter. They should have realized something was wrong when they had nowhere to put that little o ring. Oil change was done at a local garage and obviously they had no clue about BMWs. Problem was quickly diagnosed when I took car to BMW specialist.

Problem solved how? Replacing the oring or filter? What? Your post is confusing.


In any case "operating temp" for these cars seems to below 160 on the gauge, not half of the gauge (~220* I beleive) like most cars.

You must turn on the car and let it idle until the idrive let's you begin the measurement. Then it should run to 100%. I've found that even at 160 or just above the beginning of the temp gauge it will always stop at 17%. Should have searched. I posted a thread about this maybe last week.

[bryanbrian]

The oil filter housing consists of 2 parts. The part that has the small O ring was what was found to be missing. So I think the first garage took out the oil filter and the part with the small O ring came off with it. Then both ended up in the garbage. When I took it to BMW specialist, he found there was a part missing. And that was the problem. So it had nothing to do with temperature.

[sashatyumen]

Originally Posted by bryanbrian

The oil filter housing consists of 2 parts. The part that has the small O ring was what was found to be missing. So I think the first garage took out the oil filter and the part with the small O ring came off with it. Then both ended up in the garbage. When I took it to BMW specialist, he found there was a part missing. And that was the problem. So it had nothing to do with temperature.

hi! could you send me a picture of the part you're talking about?

[Billfitz]

See the long spindle that extends downward?



There should be something like that on your oil cap too.

[sshivaram]

Its incredible, but the same thing happened to me too !!

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...with-44K-miles

[sshivaram]

If the car's temperature isn't correct, or not level, or not in P or N, the Start Measurement is disabled and one can't measure oil level in the 2012 328i. I am sure the same holds for all other models too.

[BMWF30Noob]

Just wanted to share my experience with this as well. I had a similar problem but my 328i f30 would not measure the engine oil level no matter what. I also got this warning once "Engine Pressure. Stop carefully." I checked the O rings and everything seemed fine so I decided to take car to dealership. Turns out I had the incorrect oil filter in there which was causing low engine oil pressure.

Got the oil filter online from Walmart - K&N Filter Pro Series Oil Filter - PS-7014
https://www.walmart.com/ip/K-N-Filte...-7014/34870973

After dealer performed engine oil and filter change with OEM filter, car measures the engine oil level perfectly fine. Would've never thought the engine oil filter to cause such an issue.

[Fliplegend]

Originally Posted by andrewhyeung

K&N Filter

That's the problem.....especially their oiled air filters.

[MrM135i]

In case anyone ends up here like I did, mine was also stopping at 17%. After trying various things to no effect, I fully unscrewed my filler cap (which released some pressure), then screwed back on. All was well after that, so maybe just too much crankcase pressure or similar in my case

[Eschmacher]

Originally Posted by MrM135i

In case anyone ends up here like I did, mine was also stopping at 17%. After trying various things to no effect, I fully unscrewed my filler cap (which released some pressure), then screwed back on. All was well after that, so maybe just too much crankcase pressure or similar in my case

Your oil temp was probably too high, and it cooled down, thus allowing you to run the test.

[MrM135i]

I'm not convinced it's oil temp - I can never get my oil level measurement above 17% without loosening the oil cap, regardless of how warm/cold the engine is.

I try every time, but every time (without fail), I have to release and replace the oil cap before it will proceed

[Wires]

Originally Posted by MrM135i

I'm not convinced it's oil temp - I can never get my oil level measurement above 17% without loosening the oil cap, regardless of how warm/cold the engine is.

I try every time, but every time (without fail), I have to release and replace the oil cap before it will proceed

When you release the cap, does any air rush in/out? My gut feeling is you have a PVC issue that's creating a vacuum in the crankcase then.

[MrM135i]

Yes - air rushes in. There is significant vacuum... I wondered if PCV might be wrong (I assume PVC is a typo?), but in my experience PCV issues usually cause too little suck rather than too much. What's going on if it sucks too much?

[Wires]

Oh sorry, fat-finger-mistype on the name. Not sure how BMW does theirs, but maybe it's stuck in the open position so it's continuously drawing from the crankcase.

In the "old days" it was a simple metal slug in a tube. Engine sucked some air out, the slug went up to block the hole to stop the vacuum, and then fall back down to open the valve again. There are threads about people parking and idling their cars for long periods of time, and it sticking open, sucking a bunch of oil into the engine causing it to smoke badly.

[MrM135i]

Yes. Did a bit if research and it seems BMW pcv has a rubber diaphragm which controls the amount of vacuum and they are notoriously fragile. Might test mine and let you know the result. Thanks! 😊

[Kashmir56]

If it keeps stopping at 17% all you have to do is let the car cool down, run into this all the time. Best to check engine oil level about 10 minutes after cold start

[MrM135i]

Originally Posted by Kashmir56

If it keeps stopping at 17% all you have to do is let the car cool down, run into this all the time. Best to check engine oil level about 10 minutes after cold start

For me, doesn't matter how hot or cold, the only thing that gets it past 17% is releasing the oil cap