Faulty Oil Level Reading ?
 

Hey everyone,

Couple of months ago I started seeing drops in digital oil level on my cesil. Instant readout (hold the sport button ) shows it full almost all the time but the digital average keeps dropping .1 in every 3-400 kms.

To be on the safe side, I installed E46 M3 oil stick for actual level check and the car always shows full on the stick. I replaced the oil lever sensor (12617508003) but still the same. Dropping constantly on average readout. I know the cars has adequate oil at all times but hate seeing the digital reading dropping like a fuel gauge as I am on a long drive.

Any suggestions ?

So every few hundred KM it goes down by 0.1, but then when you park the car, does the reading come back up to what you'd expect?

Exactly. When I park and do instant measurement with holding sport button, it shows 1.0 -1.1. But the average reading keeps falling. Untill i get a yellow oil light at 0.1 average
Funny thing is if I fill more oil, even though it is physcially full, the average level goes back up.

For some reason the digital system requires more oil even when the car doesn't mechanically.

Any ideas people ?

It can take a while for the digital gauge to become accurate.

Short journeys are the worst, then it changes on a long journey, then if you top up the same thing happens again. You might not of gave it time to settle.

I know the adaptation time. What I mention is AFTER that. It starts dropping and keeps dropping until yellow oil light is on but when checked manually, the oil is full.

I haven't had this happen to me. It's not always the most accurate (Mine was reading 0.6 when it was actually full), but the level stays pretty consistent. Maybe your sensor is going bad

Hi, 0.6 on average reading or instant blinking reading while holding the sport button ?

Hi Guys,
My Cecil went through a phase of the reading gradually going UP! I watched and worried and checked with my dealer as I began to wonder what was going on. My understanding had always been that the reading was the amount by which your level exceeded the minimum. The dealer said, "oh no, that's wrong. It's the amount you need to add to bring it up to minimum". I had forty fits and thought of all those miles I'd driven with supposedly low oil, so I added some. The reading didn't change at all. I then went back to them and spoke to someone else who said they didn't have a clue what the first person told me and that it was completely wrong. I booked the car in for a warranty change of the level sensor. They even messed that up by not filling the car sufficiently so that the yellow light came on when I was about 2 miles into the journey home!
However, once sorted the readings then remained at the required 0.8 for the rest of the time that I owned the car, which I stupidly then sold in 2012. All of that fag was before I started using Murketts and then Elms. Motto of the story is two-fold: the oil level sensor can play up and don't trust your CSL to just any dealer as most of them are muppets.

I recently changed my sensor too but the problem continues. Does the new sensor need some type of calibration from ECU or is it just plug and play ?