Getting STOP OIL PRESSURE When Stopping Car with Hot Engine?

[LuckyBill]

I just had a lot of work to my newly-purchased 159K 2003 530iA M-Sport, my first BMW. Oil & filter change (Liqui Moly 5W-40), coolant change, replaced CCV system, DISA valve, fuel filter. Also replaced intake manifold, valve cover, and oil pan gaskets. Also replaced the oil pressure sender as it was giving me a code. I took the car to a BMW mechanic but it turns out the mechanic that did this work was not familiar with my type of BMW.

I had already replaced the plugs & added Dinan coilovers.

Next day I drove the car for ten minutes, but when I pulled into a parking lot just before I turned the key off I was startled to briefly see STOP OIL PRESSURE in the dash. Five minutes later I'm in the car, stopped at a stop sign & saw that dreaded warning again. Stopped the engine, turned it on again and got it home without another warning. It's been sitting in my garage since.

I only get the warning when the engine is hot and I've stopped the car. Searching tells me this may or may not be serious in this circumstance. The warning only happens when the car is stopped when the is engine hot. Some people live with this, but I'm not that certain I should do that.

One solution I've is to raise the idle by 50 or 100 RPM - how do I do that? I've read INPA can raise the RPM but its temporary. Can anyone please tell me what diagnostic tool can change my idle RPMs?

Could it be the oil pump?

Any help is appreciated!

[effduration]

You need a better, non-dealer BMW specialist....BMW only sold a couple million M54 engines.

Keep searching on this...I daily drive an '03 530i with 415k miles and orig engine.. I think I only had this error once due to low oil... But I believe I read that changing oil viscosities can help.

[LuckyBill]

You need a better, non-dealer BMW specialist....BMW only sold a couple million M54 engines.

Keep searching on this...I daily drive an '03 530i with 415k miles and orig engine.. I think I only had this error once due to low oil... But I believe I read that changing oil viscosities can help.
Thanks. I had them put in Liqui Moly 5W-40 (just added to my OP). Can you tell me what do you put in your 415K miles 530i?

[R Shaffner]

It could be a number of things -- the pump or any thing that hold the pressure in the system.

But I agree about starting with the oil. If you're using something that is -30, try something that is -40, (like 10W-40).

[R Shaffner]

Sorry - I think I was typing when you posted.

It would be nice if you could test the pressure. Or the sensor. (I dont't know that engine.) Easiest thing to try might be to try a new sensor. The current one might just be giving an intermittent false warning.

Something similar kept happening to a 540 owner here. He checked the oil pump and found that the spring in the pressure relief valve was bad.

[effduration]

Thanks. I had them put in Liqui Moly 5W-40 (just added to my OP). Can you tell me what do you put in your 415K miles 530i?

I bought this car 2 years ago with 395k miles and a bad auto transmission. I manual swapped it to a 5-speed (and only then discovered it HAD 395k miles) and have put 20k miles on it since.

I don't go in much for oil brands and usually use the cheapest synthetic I can find, but I use 5w30 in winter and 5w40 in Summer.
I also usually put a quart of ATF fluid in my oil and run it hot right before an oil change, to try and reduce sludge

[ross1]

This is an ominous sign, especially on a just bought car.
Since you've already changed the sensor and symptoms are consistent with a real problem I'd say it's safe to say that the warning is correct but confirmation with a mechanical gauge will be the final arbiter.
Worn crankshaft bearings are usually the cause of low oil pressure. Oil pumps in these seldom fail. Perhaps others can chime in with other potential internal "leak" sources. I'm wondering if failed VANOS seals could contribute enough leakage. Oil pumps don't come loose on M52/4s(ala M60s) do they??
I hope you are Lucky, Bill you're gonna need it.

[blarf]

Oil pumps don't fail that often but yeah the bolt that holds the sprocket to the pump backs off with prolonged high RPM operation. That's mostly a 3L problem though. That'd be the third thing I'd check after the oil level itself and the oil pressure as measured with a mechanical gauge.

[pleiades]

LuckyBill, just an FYI if your issues aren't obviously mechanical. I went through this oil pressure charade with my 528i (M52TU engine), and after a lot of digging around, changing parts, testing oil pressure, tracing connector pins for continuity, etc etc, it turned out to be a faulty warning from an LCM with a toasted chip, apparently caused by a bad (overcharging) voltage regulator in my alternator.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Stupid question, might have missed it, Bill, when the light was flashing on at idle, did you check the oil level?
Another thing, this BMW mechanic you took the car to, what the hell kind of BMW mechanic was that??? A BMW mechanic that is not familiar with an M52/M54??? No such thing as a BMW mechanic with those credentials.

[LuckyBill]

LuckyBill, just an FYI if your issues aren't obviously mechanical. I went through this oil pressure charade with my 528i (M52TU engine), and after a lot of digging around, changing parts, testing oil pressure, tracing connector pins for continuity, etc etc, it turned out to be a faulty warning from an LCM with a toasted chip, apparently caused by a bad (overcharging) voltage regulator in my alternator.
Oil level is fine. I just replaced the LCM4, but thanks for the suggestion.


Stupid question, might have missed it, Bill, when the light was flashing on at idle, did you check the oil level?
Another thing, this BMW mechanic you took the car to, what the hell kind of BMW mechanic was that??? A BMW mechanic that is not familiar with an M52/M54??? No such thing as a BMW mechanic with those credentials.
The mechanic was familiar with BMWs not not specifically my engine. He called the DISA valve an intake manifold actuator. I'm going to have to have the oil pressure checked with a mechanical gauge to know for sure. One thing I've heard is this symptom (low pressure only when car is stopped suddenly when hot) can be caused by a dirty oil pump screen.

[Monark John]

I discovered something similar with my wife's 03 Mini. We got the low pressure warning when hot at idle. I found the spring and filter needed to be oriented in a particular way. No more oil warnings. I am not familiar with the M52 but my 540 doesn't care. I think it's the British heritage of the Mini!

[LuckyBill]

I discovered something similar with my wife's 03 Mini. We got the low pressure warning when hot at idle. I found the spring and filter needed to be oriented in a particular way. No more oil warnings. I am not familiar with the M52 but my 540 doesn't care. I think it's the British heritage of the Mini!
I have a 530i so my engine is an M54. Can you tell me what you mean by the spring & filter have to be oriented in a particular way?

[E39 Newbie]

Oil level is fine. I just replaced the LCM4, but thanks for the suggestion.


The mechanic was familiar with BMWs not not specifically my engine. He called the DISA valve an intake manifold actuator. I'm going to have to have the oil pressure checked with a mechanical gauge to know for sure. One thing I've heard is this symptom (low pressure only when car is stopped suddenly when hot) can be caused by a dirty oil pump screen.

I had this exact problem on my E46, M54 2.5L, 190K-ish when purchased. When hot, pressure light would come on. Raising idle a bit caused it to turn off. Oil level sensor was fine. I pulled the pan and replaced the rod bearings just because PO said he'd run the engine out of oil. He knew nothing of cars, especially BMWs, and he really didn't, he just thought he did. Anyway, the rod bearings looked reasonable, but I replaced them anyway, even though they weren't the problem. Oil pump screen was fine. I replaced the oil pump and, BAM, the problem went away.

BTW, I also use Liqui-Moly 5W-40. I noticed in both of my M54s, after switching to better oil my oil consumption decreased dramatically.

[LuckyBill]

I had this exact problem on my E46, M54 2.5L, 190K-ish when purchased. When hot, pressure light would come on. Raising idle a bit caused it to turn off. Oil level sensor was fine. I pulled the pan and replaced the rod bearings just because PO said he'd run the engine out of oil. He knew nothing of cars, especially BMWs, and he really didn't, he just thought he did. Anyway, the rod bearings looked reasonable, but I replaced them anyway, even though they weren't the problem. Oil pump screen was fine. I replaced the oil pump and, BAM, the problem went away.

BTW, I also use Liqui-Moly 5W-40. I noticed in both of my M54s, after switching to better oil my oil consumption decreased dramatically.
How did you raise the idle? What tool did you use?

[blarf]

How did you raise the idle? What tool did you use?

Raising the idle is pretty much the last thing you should do.

[LuckyBill]

FYI I just spoke to the mechanic that worked on my engine. He had replaced the valve cover gasket & the oil pan gasket. He said the inside looked clean, no gunk. At 159K miles I'm nervous about a crankcase flush but he did say it looked clean.

BTW raising the idle by 50 or 100 RPMs is not a big deal, especially if it saves the engine from catastrophic failure.

[E39 Newbie]

How did you raise the idle? What tool did you use?

I didn't. I just experimented with increasing idle with the throttle, and I noticed the light went out when I raised the RPMs by 100 or so. Until I could tear into it I used some Liqui-Moly oil additive (two cans) to increase the viscosity and temporarily eliminate the problem until I could find time to open up the bottom end and replace the pump.

[blarf]

FYI I just spoke to the mechanic that worked on my engine. He had replaced the valve cover gasket & the oil pan gasket. He said it looked clean, no gunk. At 159K miles I'm nervous about a crankcase flush but he did say it looked clean.

BTW raising the idle by 50 or 100 RPMs is not a big deal, especially if it saves the engine from catastrophic failure.

If you have the answers why are you asking here? Raising the idle will mask the symptoms, not solve the problem. If you raise the idle my prediction is that you'll keep the oil pressure light out until you get a catastrophic failure. As three of us have already pointed out: check and/or replace the oil pump. When you do that, go for the ZHP nut.

[LuckyBill]

I didn't. I just experimented with increasing idle with the throttle, and I noticed the light went out when I raised the RPMs by 100 or so. Until I could tear into it I used some Liqui-Moly oil additive (two cans) to increase the viscosity and temporarily eliminate the problem until I could find time to open up the bottom end and replace the pump.
That's helpful, thanks. Liqui-Moly has a few additives, which one did you use?

[Chedley]

Let me chime in here, though I don’t have any experience with the M52/M54 engine. My car is 540i with V8 M62TU engine.

1. Get rid of that LiquiMolly crap. Revert to plain synthetic 5W30 oil recommended for your engine

2. As many others advised, check the oil pump and screen, and tighten that bolt holding the sprocket to the pump.

3. Check, clean or better replace the oil pressure switch - not the sensor- It is a cheap $10 part, that triggers on and off the oil pressure red warning.

4. Never take your car back to that BMW specialist of yours. I am in complete agreement with BimmrupSnotty : the guy doesn’t know what he is talking about ...

[LuckyBill]

1. I'm using Liqui Moly 5W-40. It's recommended for the M54 and the thicker viscosity compared to 5W-30 means higher oil pressure. The Liqui Moly additive would be a temporary solution to keep the engine safe.

2. Checking the oil pump & screen, as I understand it, means dropping the oil pan again which is not trivial. If it comes to that, I'll do it, thanks.

3. I replaced the oil pressure sensor with this part https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TOV21FS/
Is there a different sensor/sender I need to replace?

4. I won't be taking my car back there! :banghead:

[Chedley]

1. Yes, that is exactly what your engine needs and expects with the recommended synthetic 5W30: higher oil pressure. Ok, let's not turn this into another oil thread. :-) But forget any additive.
2. If you've already dropped the oil pan, no need to redo it again just to check the oil pump.

3, Yes, that is the pressure switch I am talking about.

[E39 Newbie]

That's helpful, thanks. Liqui-Moly has a few additives, which one did you use?

I think it was the Viscoplus. I'll check and revise this if I'm incorrect. It took two cans, but it stopped the oil pressure light from coming on at idle for the several weeks it took me to free up my schedule to open the bottom end.

Everybody thinks this stuff is snake oil. But I can attest that both of my M54s used around 1 liter of oil between changes. Since switching to first Motul, and then Liqui-Moly, my E39 (about 170K on the engine) has dropped to almost zero consumption, and my E46 (about 195K on the engine) has dropped by almost 50%. I, too, thought this was all BS, but now I'm a believer.

[ross1]

:banghead:All this talk about raising idle speed and different oils is putting a Band Aid on a (potential) gunshot wound.
CONFIRM or DENY the low pressure with an accurate mechanical gauge and go from there.
Stick your head in the sand all you want but something is effed.

[E39 Newbie]

:banghead:All this talk about raising idle speed and different oils is putting a Band Aid on a (potential) gunshot wound.
CONFIRM or DENY the low pressure with an accurate mechanical gauge and go from there.
Stick your head in the sand all you want but something is effed.

Completely agree. The additives are just a crutch until repairs are made. No way should they be considered a permanent fix.

IMO the pressure spring is probably worn, but if you're going to tear it down to that point you may as well replace the entire pump.

[LuckyBill]

1. Yes, that is exactly what your engine needs and expects with the recommended synthetic 5W30: higher oil pressure. Ok, let's not turn this into another oil thread. :-) But forget any additive.

So you are saying 5W-30 would give me higher oil pressure compared to the thicker 5W-40? The logic being the thicker oil is slightly too restrictive & is impeding oil flow?


I think it was the Viscoplus. I'll check and revise this if I'm incorrect. It took two cans, but it stopped the oil pressure light from coming on at idle for the several weeks it took me to free up my schedule to open the bottom end.

Everybody thinks this stuff is snake oil. But I can attest that both of my M54s used around 1 liter of oil between changes. Since switching to first Motul, and then Liqui-Moly, my E39 (about 170K on the engine) has dropped to almost zero consumption, and my E46 (about 195K on the engine) has dropped by almost 50%. I, too, thought this was all BS, but now I'm a believer.
Please let me know which product you used.

FYI to everyone, I don't want to cover up the problem but I'm in favor of understanding how to raise my oil pressure if I need to. My first step before doing anything is have a good mechanic that knows this engine check with a mechanical gauge how my oil pressure is behaving. After that the next step is TBD. Additive? Different oil? Replace/repair something? Raise idle RPMs?

- - - Updated - - -


1. Yes, that is exactly what your engine needs and expects with the recommended synthetic 5W30: higher oil pressure. Ok, let's not turn this into another oil thread. :-) But forget any additive.
2. If you've already dropped the oil pan, no need to redo it again just to check the oil pump.

3, Yes, that is the pressure switch I am talking about.


Completely agree. The additives are just a crutch until repairs are made. No way should they be considered a permanent fix.

IMO the pressure spring is probably worn, but if you're going to tear it down to that point you may as well replace the entire pump.
If I have to have a mechanic go back in there yes, I would have the entire oil pump replaced.

[ojomo]

this happened to me, fix was to re mount the oil pump and torque everything to spec including the nuts on the pump itself and also replacing the 3 small orings. problem fixed.

[blarf]

I discovered something similar with my wife's 03 Mini. We got the low pressure warning when hot at idle. I found the spring and filter needed to be oriented in a particular way. No more oil warnings. I am not familiar with the M52 but my 540 doesn't care. I think it's the British heritage of the Mini!

That's a good point. There are two inner o-rings on the oil filter cap and they're not included with the usual oil filter hardware packet. There's no spring though, the filter just snaps into the cap.


1. Yes, that is exactly what your engine needs and expects with the recommended synthetic 5W30: higher oil pressure. Ok, let's not turn this into another oil thread. :-) But forget any additive.
2. If you've already dropped the oil pan, no need to redo it again just to check the oil pump.

3, Yes, that is the pressure switch I am talking about.

The oil pan has to come down to get to the oil pump on an M52/4.

[R Shaffner]

So you are saying 5W-30 would give me higher oil pressure compared to the thicker 5W-40? The logic being the thicker oil is slightly too restrictive & is impeding oil flow?

Please let me know which product you used.

FYI to everyone, I don't want to cover up the problem but I'm in favor of understanding how to raise my oil pressure if I need to. My first step before doing anything is have a good mechanic that knows this engine check with a mechanical gauge how my oil pressure is behaving. After that the next step is TBD. Additive? Different oil? Replace/repair something? Raise idle RPMs?

If I have to have a mechanic go back in there yes, I would have the entire oil pump replaced.

My thoughts:

Thx for responding well to all the comments. We feel your pain and want to help.

The only 2002 I owned had that problem when I bought it, except I didn't know it because the jerk PO had removed the light bulb for the oil light. (Yes, I should have checked to see if the light came on before cranking the engine, and then went out when running.) When I replaced the bulb I saw it was on at warm idle, off at any higher rpm. I put in 10W-40 oil and that mostly solved the problem of the light being on at idle, but not always, not when it was good and hot. I was worried about worn bearings and wasn't much of a mechanic then (decades ago), so I sold the car not long after. I also told the buyer about the light, so he knew what he was getting. (He didn't seem to care.)

You said your car had an oil error code when you got it, and you replaced the sensor. There's still a chance that the new sensor isn't quite right, is bad, and/or the wiring is bad. Or it could be something less expensive like a pump or spring issue. Or you have a major issue like worn bearings.

I think we'd all agree that getting the pressure checked is smart. I don't know what the right pressure at warm idle should be for that engine -- perhaps someone here knows?

If the pressure is low, a good mechanic will follow the oil path to see if the pump is building pressure properly, and if so, where it is being released in the system. Hopefully it will be something that's not too hard to fix.

If you find that the problem is major, like worn bearings, then I think we'd all agree that you should use thicker oil, perhaps with an additive, to keep the pressure up and flowing to all parts of the engine until the bearings are replaced.

And finally, these are great and fun cars, but they can be real expensive to fix and maintain if you're having to pay a mechanic to fix every little thing. For many of us, pulling the oil pan and checking the oil pump is simple, almost trivial. I wouldn't want to own and pay for my e39 if I couldn't fix almost everything myself. You might not want to keep it if you have to keep paying a mechanic to fix everything that will need attention. I think most of us will agree with that too.

Good luck!

[ross1]

Food for thought
The typical threshold for the switch to close is about 7 psi. The current BMW switch is marked .2 (~3psi)- .5 bar so perhaps significantly less than that.
Having said this the engine doesn't require much at idle but keep in mind that the oil pressure is going to be proportionately lower throughout the range.
Sounds like some here have had problems with the pump and it's attachment so given the readings are correct OP could get lucky. With the pan off it would be foolish not to at least examine the bearings for excessive wear. Plastigage is cheap.

[LuckyBill]

My thoughts:

Thx for responding well to all the comments. We feel your pain and want to help.
:
:

Thank you to everyone for your help. I'm a good mechanic and can do most work on my Bimmer except anything heavy-duty underneath the car - I'm just not equipped for that in my garage. So we all agree my next step is to have the oil pressure checked with a mechanical gauge.

If I knew the car well enough, when the mechanic was replacing the oil pan gasket I would have told him to replace the oil pump whether it was good or not - to me it's making another part of the car new! Having another mechanic drop that pan again to replace the oil pump feels bad for repeating the work (who said "I don't like paying for the same real estate twice"?), but I'll do it if i have to. I'll follow up here with what happens.

[blarf]

As I've said (and other folks) you need to check the pressure with a mechanical gauge before getting too far into the weeds.

The pump itself is like $500 so there's no sense in replacing it without a good reason. With the pan off you want to check for debris (if yes you've bigger problems) and shaft wear (if yes replace pump), replace the o-rings, and nut (use the ZHP one and consider drilling for lock wire). You should also check (replace if necessary) the two o-rings on the oil filter cap.

[cnn]

Once you do your research on the web, this is a common problem, and 99.999% of the time it is just the annoying light itself. Just google "E39 red oil light" etc.

I have written about it here and bimmerfest.

Some possiblities:

1. Oil sensor leaking, this was my case, new sensor fised the problem.
You already replaced the sensor using BMW part, so you are OK.

2. As engine gets older, the tolerances become bigger, thus more oil leaking out of the crank bearing area.

3. Bad Vanos seals leaking oil more than it should.
Try clamping the Vanos rubber hose gently (using some rubber cushion and pliers),
if the oil light goes away, then vanos seals are leaking.

4. Oil Filter Cap: broken tip, where the 2 green O-rings are located.

5. Low idle rpm such as 600 rpm (should be at 700-750 rpm).

For the most part, don't lose sleep over this. If you check oil P (you should), then you will find that when HOT, the oil P is around < 7psi, this is the trigger point for the oil sensor.

PS: LiquiMoly 5W40 is not" crap" as someone said above. I use Castrol 5W40.
However, you may want something thicker since you live in Texas.
In the past, I have used 15W50 in my 1998 528i with 195K just for the summer, zero issues.

[cnn]

Forgot to mention sludge block oil pump screen (someone mentioned it above).
I wonder if anyone here has tried this:
- Drain oil.
- Pour some Seafoam (or sth similar) in the crank case, maybe 3-4 L just to soak the oil pump screen, do not run engine.
Then drain Seafoam.
- Add correct engine oil.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Marvel Mystery Oil would take care of sludge, and carbon pretty good too.

[ross1]

Marvel Mystery Oil would take care of sludge, and carbon pretty good too.
OP says his mechanic stated the crankcase was pretty clean so I'm leaning towards a real problem.
For the benefit of others not aware a sludged or carboned up(overheated and neglected)crankcase means the internals have already suffered form poor lubrication, it's just a matter of degree.
I am reluctant to use solvents, especially in a crankcase showing carbon deposits, as unleashing all that crud into the oil can be devastating. I could share a story of this happening but you get the drift.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

OP says his mechanic stated the crankcase was pretty clean so I'm leaning towards a real problem.
For the benefit of others not aware a sludged or carboned up(overheated and neglected)crankcase means the internals have already suffered form poor lubrication, it's just a matter of degree.
I am reluctant to use solvents, especially in a crankcase showing carbon deposits, as unleashing all that crud into the oil can be devastating. I could share a story of this happening but you get the drift.
Oh yeah, I only mentioned it, since CNN mentioned the Seafoam. I had this same issue on the 525, summer time, only when hot, the Stop Engine alarm would kick in when slowing down to a stop. Car had oil everything was ok, oil pressure was ok, I ordered a new sensor and swapped it in, problem went away. I was thinking oil pump, or, the bearings, car had 377,000 at the time, it has 383,000 on it now. Runs like a champ!

[E39 Newbie]

Please let me know which product you used.


Just to follow up, yes, it was their Viscoplus product.

[LuckyBill]

Following up here. Had the car on a 2-week waiting list to get into a different mechanic. When they got it I had them fix twists in both front seats and change the differential fluid. Of course while they had the car there was no low oil pressure warning. I picked up the car last week and drove it for about half an hour. When I idled in my garage I noticed the oil lamp fluttered. My 5W-40 oil level is full.

Today I unlocked my High OBC instrument cluster and looked at the idle with engine cold, air conditioning off - the idle RPMs hover at about 730 RPM but dip down to 700, occasionally as high as 752 RPM but never higher. FYI I have new plugs & new Dinan coil packs.

I've been told the correct idle for the M54 engine is 750 RPMs. I'm thinking here the idle isn't as stable as it should be and the low pressure readings I'm getting is when the RPMs drop too low when the engine is hot. Regardless, I'm going to replace the oil pressure sensor even though it's a new one, with a Beck Arnley sensor which is supposed to be high quality. Next is addressing the idle - is this range normal? How can I raise the idle by 50 RPMs?

[ross1]

See post #25
:deadhorse:

[sleuth255]

Concur. Oil pressure test is your most relevant next step here. There's two sensors on the OFH: one is temp and the other is pressure. Oil pressure switch faces towards the rear. You may need to pull the filter box in front of the MAF to access/replace with gauge, or maybe you can reach it from below. Don't feel like crawling under my car to check that right now... This is either an oil pump or a pressure sensor problem IMO. An M54 engine in good shape with a fully functional oil distribution system will easily maintain plenty of oil pressure at 700 RPMs.

[pleiades]

LuckyBill, this thread is over two months old.

[LuckyBill]

LuckyBill, this thread is over two months old.
Yes, it is over two months old. Very good. I wanted to follow-up so others could read what I've tried and learn from my experience. That's what these forums are for.

I also look at YouTube videos to help me diagnose issues with my car. Some of those videos are many years old, yet I still learn from them!

[pleiades]

Yes, it is over two months old. Very good. I wanted to follow-up so others could read what I've tried and learn from my experience. That's what these forums are for.

I also look at YouTube videos to help me diagnose issues with my car. Some of those videos are many years old, yet I still learn from them!

(finishing my sentence...) ....... and you still haven't measured actual oil pressure with a gauge?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Maybe he’s just trying to be lucky, hoping the problem goes away….

Ok, all kidding aside, as old as this thread is, I’m not going back to read if you’ve done it, I was having the same exact issue, replaced my oil pressure sensor and the issue is gone, had you done that?

[LuckyBill]

Maybe he’s just trying to be lucky, hoping the problem goes away….

Ok, all kidding aside, as old as this thread is, I’m not going back to read if you’ve done it, I was having the same exact issue, replaced my oil pressure sensor and the issue is gone, had you done that?

I had replaced the oil pressure sender about a 30 miles ago, that's when the problems started. I had my car at a mechanic recently and they were supposed to check the oil pressure for me with a gauge along with some other work - made the appointment two weeks in advance, then they had the car for almost two weeks - the best auto shops are so backed up here they are turning away cars. Believe it or not they wanted $525 to check my oil pressure with a gauge! It was explained to me that the price wasn't really reflective of the hours, but what it's worth to the shop to do the work with all the backlog. No I wasn't happy with that price or explanation so I got my car back last week. I don't have the gauge to check the oil pressure myself.

So I'm going to replace the oil pressure sensor again (and the oil filter while I'm at it) and see if that makes a difference, as some people have said even new oil pressure sensors can be bad and the original OEM BMW sensor I have in it now might actually be a cheap knockoff.

[pleiades]

I had replaced the oil pressure sender about a 30 miles ago, that's when the problems started. I had my car at a mechanic recently and they were supposed to check the oil pressure for me with a gauge along with some other work - made the appointment two weeks in advance, then they had the car for almost two weeks - the best auto shops are so backed up here they are turning away cars. Believe it or not they wanted $525 to check my oil pressure with a gauge! It was explained to me that the price wasn't really reflective of the hours, but what it's worth to the shop to do the work with all the backlog. No I wasn't happy with that price or explanation so I got my car back last week. I don't have the gauge to check the oil pressure myself.

So I'm going to replace the oil pressure sensor again (and the oil filter while I'm at it) and see if that makes a difference, as some people have said even new oil pressure sensors can be bad and the original OEM BMW sensor I have in it now might actually be a cheap knockoff.

Spend your money on an oil pressure test kit ($20-30). Some (not all) come with the right metric threading, or at least an adapter to make it work with your car.
Or you could possiblly rent a kit from your local Oreilly or Autozone. They charge your card, then refund it all when you return the kit.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I had replaced the oil pressure sender about a 30 miles ago, that's when the problems started. I had my car at a mechanic recently and they were supposed to check the oil pressure for me with a gauge along with some other work - made the appointment two weeks in advance, then they had the car for almost two weeks - the best auto shops are so backed up here they are turning away cars. Believe it or not they wanted $525 to check my oil pressure with a gauge! It was explained to me that the price wasn't really reflective of the hours, but what it's worth to the shop to do the work with all the backlog. No I wasn't happy with that price or explanation so I got my car back last week. I don't have the gauge to check the oil pressure myself.

So I'm going to replace the oil pressure sensor again (and the oil filter while I'm at it) and see if that makes a difference, as some people have said even new oil pressure sensors can be bad and the original OEM BMW sensor I have in it now might actually be a cheap knockoff.

Let me get this straight….. You replaced the pressure sensor, and the issue started??? You didn’t think….., uh…. Maybe try swapping the old one back in to test if the issue disappeared??? One more thing, don’t be grumpy about what a stupid shop wants to charge you, it’s their time, their labor, $525 is a stupid joke, but if you bring the car to them because you don’t have the time, the skills, or the tools, whose fault is that?

[LuckyBill]

The old oil pressure sensor was completely non-functional, I bought the car that way. It's possible the sensor was bad on its own, or its possible the dealer I bought it from blew out the sensor on purpose to cover up the low oil pressure problem (car had multiple undisclosed problems, most were an easy fix).

My plan is since I'm going to replace the sensor anyway, I'll check the oil pressure at that sensor port.

BTW the reason I had brought the car in to the shop was to do work I was not equipped to do, which included fixing the twists in both seats and changing the differential fluid.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Man, you need to explain things much better than you have been. So….. stupid question…. How do you know the old sensor was not working? Was the flashing oil light on, or off??? Have you checked the wires? What have you done? The diff oil, and seat twist are both easy things to do yourself. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what is easy, what is hard, me? I do everything myself. Now, I know that doesn’t work well for everyone, but if you cry about what a shop wants to charge you, then, my friend, these old BMW’s are not for you. Hate to be so harsh.

[LuckyBill]

Man, you need to explain things much better than you have been. So….. stupid question…. How do you know the old sensor was not working? Was the flashing oil light on, or off??? Have you checked the wires? What have you done? The diff oil, and seat twist are both easy things to do yourself. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what is easy, what is hard, me? I do everything myself. Now, I know that doesn’t work well for everyone, but if you cry about what a shop wants to charge you, then, my friend, these old BMW’s are not for you. Hate to be so harsh.

I knew the original oil pressure sensor was bad because I was getting a code for it, PASoft IKE 44/88 Oil Pressure Sensor. I had the car for less than a week.

Doing the seats was way too time consuming for me, I just didn't have the time. Also I wanted a shop that knew this car to not just change the differential fluid but evaluate the diff and tell me what shape it's in. Frankly I don't need to justify to you what work I decide to do and what work I have a shop do. I've been working on cars since I was a teenager. I used to work in Detroit and helped design airbag systems, car radios, climate control systems (some have fun Easter Eggs if you know the codes), was a member of the J1850 committee and an early member of the OBD2 committee, and even hold a patent related to traction control. So stop crying to me about what work I outsource unless you step into my shoes and have my pressures and responsibilities.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Nah, sorry about that. Just was wondering why this has been going on for so long, then saw your complaint about the stupid shop trying to rape you. The pressure sensor is an easy thing to swap. Just have to pull the airbox out of the way to get to it. Swap it out, if it still lights up, order a gauge and fit it on to see what is actually going on, go from there, hope it’s not the pump. The seat twist repair, I never had the issue, but a good friend did on his 525. I had always wondered about the fix, just seemed real hackster like, so I thought reading about the fixes people have done. So I told him to bring it by so we could tackle it. Man, you will not believe how stupid simple it truly is to repair. Sure, it’s a pain in the butt to have to pull the seat out, of course, disconnect the battery before disconnecting the seats harness so you don’t have to reset the airbag light, the repair? It’s stupid easy. If you decide you want to try it, do a thread, I will help walk you through it, my penance for giving you a hard time.

[LuckyBill]

Nah, sorry about that. Just was wondering why this has been going on for so long, then saw your complaint about the stupid shop trying to rape you. The pressure sensor is an easy thing to swap. Just have to pull the airbox out of the way to get to it. Swap it out, if it still lights up, order a gauge and fit it on to see what is actually going on, go from there, hope it’s not the pump. The seat twist repair, I never had the issue, but a good friend did on his 525. I had always wondered about the fix, just seemed real hackster like, so I thought reading about the fixes people have done. So I told him to bring it by so we could tackle it. Man, you will not believe how stupid simple it truly is to repair. Sure, it’s a pain in the butt to have to pull the seat out, of course, disconnect the battery before disconnecting the seats harness so you don’t have to reset the airbag light, the repair? It’s stupid easy. If you decide you want to try it, do a thread, I will help walk you through it, my penance for giving you a hard time.

It's already forgotten. Sorry if my response was too harsh.

But something I forgot to mention is it is damn hot here in Texas with temperatures over 100F and very little breeze for the past month. Example: Before this heat wave I had replaced the driver's side and right-rear window regulators - simple and fast, almost enjoyable. But when I tried to replace the front passenger side regulator some weeks ago when the temperature had dropped to "only" 100F I was soaking with sweat so much it looked like I'd taken a shower with my clothes on and was dripping on my workspace - despite two shop fans in my open garage. I closed the garage doors & ran my garage swamp cooler but my garage isn't insulated - the cooler couldn't keep up with the heat. I'll get it done when the temperature cools a bit.

I considered doing the seats myself but I would not have survived the heat, and shop that did the seats for me did them for less than half of what everyone else quoted.

So if you wanna blame me for something, blame me for being a wuss in hot weather!

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Oh crap! I never even looked to see where you are at! Screw that, here in VA, its been in the 90’s, that, is too stupid hot for me. Now I really understand. I’ve been a wuss, hiding in the air conditioning of the house. Yesterday, the only time I left the house was to go get some ice cream.

[LuckyBill]

Oh crap! I never even looked to see where you are at! Screw that, here in VA, its been in the 90’s, that, is too stupid hot for me. Now I really understand. I’ve been a wuss, hiding in the air conditioning of the house. Yesterday, the only time I left the house was to go get some ice cream.
Goes to the freezer for chocolate ice cream

[Jackcat559]

I just had a lot of work to my newly-purchased 159K 2003 530iA M-Sport, my first BMW. Oil & filter change (Liqui Moly 5W-40), coolant change, replaced CCV system, DISA valve, fuel filter. Also replaced intake manifold, valve cover, and oil pan gaskets. Also replaced the oil pressure sender as it was giving me a code. I took the car to a BMW mechanic but it turns out the mechanic that did this work was not familiar with my type of BMW.

I had already replaced the plugs & added Dinan coilovers.

Next day I drove the car for ten minutes, but when I pulled into a parking lot just before I turned the key off I was startled to briefly see STOP OIL PRESSURE in the dash. Five minutes later I'm in the car, stopped at a stop sign & saw that dreaded warning again. Stopped the engine, turned it on again and got it home without another warning. It's been sitting in my garage since.

I only get the warning when the engine is hot and I've stopped the car. Searching tells me this may or may not be serious in this circumstance. The warning only happens when the car is stopped when the is engine hot. Some people live with this, but I'm not that certain I should do that.

One solution I've is to raise the idle by 50 or 100 RPM - how do I do that? I've read INPA can raise the RPM but its temporary. Can anyone please tell me what diagnostic tool can change my idle RPMs?

Could it be the oil pump?

Any help is appreciated!
Had the same issue, and it plagued me. All the same issues. Ended up replacing the VANOS out of sheer desperation. That was the source of the issue. No problems years later

[LuckyBill]

Had the same issue, and it plagued me. All the same issues. Ended up replacing the VANOS out of sheer desperation. That was the source of the issue. No problems years later
Thanks. I forgot to follow up on this.

So I went to remove the oil filter in preparation for putting an oil pressure gauge in a T-fitting with the oil temperature sensor. However, when I looked at the installed oil filter (Energetic E106H) it looked dirty, but dirty in a way I've never seen before, kinda splotchy. The filter did look new, and I'd had the oil & filter changed 100 miles ago along with oil filter housing, valve cover & gasket, and oil pan gasket. The crankcase appeared clean at the time, but maybe after the oil change some gunk came loose and messed up the filter?

I replaced the oil filter with a Wix 51223XP filter with the rubber O-rings. I haven't had any dashboard oil warnings since. Also since installing the Wix oil filter, engine coolant never goes above 98°C even in the hot Texas heat.

I also found out that M54 oil pressure warnings can also relate to oil temperature. From another forum:
The low oil pressure light and message also turns on & off with the oil temperature.
Once the oil temp gets to 212°F the red oil light flickers,
around 213°F-214°F the red oil light stays on,
from 214+ the red light and STOP OIL PRESSURE message is on and the alarm sounds.

The test is, if you get the message or flickering light at idle, keep the engine running & open the hood to let engine heat escape. If the lights go off within about a minute, it's oil temperature, not pressure.

BTW I checked oil pressure, at idle it never goes below about 13 psi.

So, I'm guessing here, a dirty oil filter restricted oil circulation, which hindered engine oil cooling?

[ross1]

"So I went to remove the oil filter in preparation for putting an oil pressure gauge in a T-fitting with the oil temperature sensor. However, when I looked at the installed oil filter (Energetic E106H) it looked dirty, but dirty in a way I've never seen before, kinda splotchy."


Splotchy? That's strange. I'd be watching closely for a while and changing the filter again real soon to examine it.
Nice thing about cartridge filters like ours, no need to cut open a spin on to see the debris in the filter paper.
"Energetic" brand? Find a new mechanic. Good oil filters for these are cheap, only a real chiseler would be using bogus filters and that speaks volumes for his other practices.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Another thing to check is the green O-ring on the oil filter housing. If the O-ring is bad, it will cause a leak, or low oil pressure.

[LuckyBill]

"Energetic" brand? Find a new mechanic. Good oil filters for these are cheap, only a real chiseler would be using bogus filters and that speaks volumes for his other practices.

Energetic is another brand name for Hengst.


Another thing to check is the green O-ring on the oil filter housing. If the O-ring is bad, it will cause a leak, or low oil pressure.
Thanks. I had checked two the green o-rings & they are good.

I'm also buying an ECS Tuning metal oil filter housing cover, on the logic that a metal cover sheds heat better than a plastic cover and will provide some small measure of oil cooling. Even if it lowers oil temps 1 or 2°C, I'll gladly take it.

[ross1]

"Energetic is another brand name for Hengst."
I see. Never heard of this before so did some searching.
Seems to be a different design than the usual cartridges. Couldn't find more. Did the filter you removed resemble the Wix? What I was able to find indicated a replacement of the filtering media only, ostensibly with a reusable portion(environmentally friendly). This would lead me to think installer error. In which case my advice to find a new mechanic stands.
Anyway it sounds like you dodged a bullet.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I always use Mann filters, never had any issues with them.

[LuckyBill]

"Energetic is another brand name for Hengst."
I see. Never heard of this before so did some searching.
Seems to be a different design than the usual cartridges. Couldn't find more. Did the filter you removed resemble the Wix?
No, the Hengst/Energetic filter was a different design. It's a yellow filter so seeing if there are very dirty bits is harder to see than with a nice white filter like the Wix where you can see any particles easier. Also the Hengst/Energetic is a molded design, a filter element and two endcaps molded into the filter element. The Wix is separate construction and has a rubber O-ring at each inside end to better seal the filter. In my opinion the Wix is a better design and a better filter.

Actually I first learned about Wix oil filters from a YouTube video where someone pulled oil filters apart and tested them in an industrial laboratory. The Wix and Mann oil filters were among the best.

[easymoney]

The culprit in my low oil pressure light is the Hengst oil filter. The filter element was stuck and kinda like imbedded into the cap that I had to pry it out. ‘Replaced it with Mann filter and changed the 2 small “O” rings and it did the trick. It’s been 3 days after the oil service and so far so good.

[LuckyBill]

The culprit in my low oil pressure light is the Hengst oil filter. The filter element was stuck and kinda like imbedded into the cap that I had to pry it out. ‘Replaced it with Mann filter and changed the 2 small “O” rings and it did the trick. It’s been 3 days after the oil service and so far so good.
Interesting. My Energetic/Hengst filter was also stuck in the cap and I had to pull sharply to get it out. I'm too new to this car so I thought that was normal.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

You need to always check the O-ring on that basket for the filter. Even the idiots at the bottom of the barrel end at the dealerships will screw that up, and there you are paying dealership oil change prices, thinking you have somebody that knows what they’re doing my buddy’s X5, his wife stopped at the dealership for an oil change, since he was so busy, 5 mins out of the dealership, the same message was displayed on the cluster. Always remember, at the dealership, or at the independent BMW shops, even all the fly by night shops, they will always have the moron at the bottom of the pole, do your oil, air filters, basic tune ups, and tire changes, and balancing.

- - - Updated - - -

The most basic things, yet, when you think about it, those most basic of things, are just as important to do properly, just as a major engine overhaul.