BMW E46 330i touring oil light

[Robmilford]

I have noticed that the yellow oil light comes on for about 10 seconds ocasionaly when the engine is first started. I thought that as it was due an oil service, that this would cure it, but it does not seem to have done. Having read other threads surgesting that it could be the pressure switch which is apparently cheap and easy to get at, has any one found that this is the solution?

[Fixedwheelnut]

Check your oil level, a yellow oil light is for low level, the red oil light is for pressure.

[Saied]

Still up, Steve?

[MattOz]

Rob,

It'll be because the level is low as Steve mentioned. Usually takes just under a litre to get it back to max. I normally put 0.5l in the yellow light comes on. Mine uses a "normal" 300-400ml every 1000 miles or so.

Matt

[Robmilford]

The oil service was done yesterday. I'll check they put enough in. Cheers for the info.

[Robmilford]

It could also be because its quite a steep slope where its parked and the oil is sitting at one end of the sump and fooling the level switch (didn't know it had a level switch, I've only had the car 1 week)

[daver]

Don't be surprised if you find the oil level is absolutely fine. The exact symptoms you describe are a common occurrence on the 330i.

Obviously the timing is a bit 'suspicious' in that the car has just been serviced.

Remember that with any problem-warning instrumentation, if a problem is indicated there either (a) really is a problem, as indicated, or (b) there's a problem with the instrumentation designed to tell you about the problem!

[dcb]

MattOz said:

I normally put 0.5l in the yellow light comes on.

You could be a lot more keen than this if you wanted to.

There are two marks on the dipstick. The yellow light
comes on when the oil level is a long way below the
lower of the two marks.

You might consider topping it up when the oil level
reaches the lower of the two marks.

[mwy1964]

daver said:

Obviously the timing is a bit 'suspicious' in that the car has just been serviced.

Can you elaborate as I have he same problem as the OP occuring just after a service... Cars oil level is fine and yet I have the oil light on for a minute or two after startup, hot or cold...

[daver]

All I meant was that, because it’s just been serviced, one might automatically assume that this might have have had something to do with causing the ‘fault’ to occur when, in reality, it probably hasn’t.

I discussed the issue with the indie who looks after my car. (My first occurrence of this happened to be months after it had last been serviced) As expected, they’ve seen this on other cars too. They said that the sender that feeds the oil level signal back to the ECU wasn’t a particularly cheap item and they couldn’t guarantee it would fix the issue either, so we decided not to bother. There’s obviously no doubt about the oil level as shown on the dipstick - and checking that shouldn’t be to much of a challenge for anyone sufficiently interested in cars to be a PH regular!