Please Help me Couple of E36 M3 Questions (Engine)

[M3Alpine99]

Number 1... on the oil dipstick... which indentation or line is the "full" line...

number 2... should a Vanos unit ever go? I seem to have a tad bit more noise than my friends 99 m3

Number 3... when i started motor after i came outside from working out... the noise was ALOT louder... than went away in about 2-3 seconds... im thinkin low oil?

Number 4... Do our cars eat a little bit of oil slowly?

thx

[ZimDoc]

#1 then 2nd noch to the small dot on it.
#2 Yes they go if they are low on oil.
#3 Always check your oil every month, but also my car makes vanos sound at times.
#4 Well my car at a slow ass rate. Some cars burn or "eat" no oil. And others need it every day.

[adsingl]

2/Vanos: yes they go, but the "marbles in a can noise" is VERY common
3/noise. More likely this is a lifter. If oil change is anywhere near due, get some gunk/engine cleaner, use as directed and change the oil. Dirt/oil not in top shape cause lifters to "pump up" more slowly. Idea here is to get the solvent/cleaner in there to get everything as clean as possible. If this is a new symptom that has just started, this often works. Also, if it goes away in a few minutes, it isn't a big deal anyway. If it's recent and you could reverse it, all the better, but fact that it goes away says the lifter is pumping up ok.
Also, if you're using 5w30 oil, consider moving to 15w40, or maybe 10w-40 if you're in cold climate, check your manual for temp ranges.
4. Oil consumption. Very common to use a quart or so between changes/every 3-5000, but a couple of hours at 85-90 on the x-way, or a track session will often "blow off(my term)" a quart for that incident. This isn't uncommon with any engine, I've seen the same thing when using a vehicle to tow, especially on hills.
ADS