MayanArch |
Posted
Tuesday, Nov 6th 12:38am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1434 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
OK, this is weird and scary.
The oil light goes on for about 15 seconds, and you can hear a more rattle from the engine. It then goes off, and the car runs as if nothing had ever happened.
This happened twice this week.
What the hell is this? Am I going to burn out my engine? |
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g323 |
Posted
Tuesday, Nov 6th 12:45am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 195 California 323i 1982 |
Scary,,,,good luck man |
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M42powered |
Posted
Tuesday, Nov 6th 1:00am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Staff Post nr. 742 Arizona, USA 1981 BMW 320i |
Stop driving the care immediately. pull the oil pan and check the oil pickup, and check the oil pump chain for proper tension. Your car is loosing oil pressure. |
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Madhatter |
Posted
Wednesday, Nov 7th 3:24pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 249
Australia - QLD E21, E24, E30 |
its shaft driven.
ive heard of strange cases where the shaft is damaged and or has popped out and ends up breaking up and/or falling into the sump.
The fact that the light comes on AND you hear a knocking, points to an issue that needs to be found.
As said, id probably pull the sump off and see what it looks like inside. It does kinda sound like a supply failure of some kind, rather than just general low pressure.
When was the last time you changed the filter?
before dropping the sump id probably stick a mechanical gauge on the motor and just see what the oil pressure actually is at the moment too. It could be low in general but not enough to set off the light, so you could have an existing problem and the virtual total loss of pressure is just a sign of it. |
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M42powered |
Posted
Wednesday, Nov 7th 4:11pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Staff Post nr. 744 Arizona, USA 1981 BMW 320i |
I thought the light came on at like 7psi which is danger zone. |
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MayanArch |
Posted
Thursday, Nov 8th 12:34am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1439 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
Well, its a new car, and I am not used to it.
Seems like the engine is consuming oil faster than what I expected. I changed the oil and filter about a month ago and didnt expect it to be low. Its the first thing I should have though of.
Bad news.......why is my car consuming oil so fast. It isnt a leak. The concrete where I park it is clean.
I have probably driven 600 to 1,000 miles since the oil change. From what I understand, that is at the limit for BMW before it considers the engine in need of mechanical work.
I do get a puff of white smoke from the exhaust at high RPM's. But that is the only sign. |
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g323 |
Posted
Friday, Nov 9th 1:12am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 197 California 323i 1982 |
I could be completely wrong about this. however i think your valve seals are bad and oil is going out that tube that comes out of your valve cover, and is probably all up in your vacuum tubes as well as spilling out the exhaust? your probably killing your catalytic converter.
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MayanArch |
Posted
Friday, Nov 9th 3:14am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1443 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
g323 wrote: | I could be completely wrong about this. however i think your valve seals are bad and oil is going out that tube that comes out of your valve cover, and is probably all up in your vacuum tubes as well as spilling out the exhaust? your probably killing your catalytic converter.
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I will check....legitimate theory. |
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imaradiostar |
Posted
Friday, Nov 9th 3:50pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1087 Nashville, TN 81 323i, 82 525i, 85 524td, 90 535i |
what oil are you using?
there is no pump chain, the car has an M20 engine.
jamie |
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Madhatter |
Posted
Saturday, Nov 10th 5:56am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 250
Australia - QLD E21, E24, E30 |
you would have to burn through 2-3L of oil before the motor had any problems picking it up which would cause a dramatic loss of oil pressure.
If you are going through that sort of oil in 1000 miles you have problems.
If you are driving then back off the throttle and you are burning oil, chances are the guides or stem seals are gone and its sucking oil back down.
If it burns oil on throttle its probably going to be rings. |
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MayanArch |
Posted
Saturday, Nov 10th 6:54am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1445 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
Madhatter wrote: | you would have to burn through 2-3L of oil before the motor had any problems picking it up which would cause a dramatic loss of oil pressure.
If you are going through that sort of oil in 1000 miles you have problems.
If you are driving then back off the throttle and you are burning oil, chances are the guides or stem seals are gone and its sucking oil back down.
If it burns oil on throttle its probably going to be rings. |
I reset the counter after topping off with oil. We will see how far I go before it gets half way down.
The smoke is between shifts....so there is no throttle. I have not see any smoke in normal driving or with the throttle. |
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MayanArch |
Posted
Saturday, Nov 10th 8:52pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1446 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
The weird thing is that the engine runs beautiful. It is really powerful, and responsive. I couldnt be happier driving it.
Is it possible to need a valve job, and still have a smooth running engine? |
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nowloadingrage |
Posted
Monday, Nov 12th 7:59pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Junior Member Post nr. 1
Tennessee, U.S. 83' 320i -w- Century Turbo |
When I first got the turbo car. I could let off the gas and would get a puff of smoke. The problem: #2 cylinder had a spun bearing and bad rings. During that rebuild I have read many times that the old style oil pumps are know to go bad. Your oil pressure loss could be there but your burning oil so it sounds like 2 problems at the same time. It would be very easy to do a compression check and rule out rings and etc. Hope this helps. |
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MayanArch |
Posted
Tuesday, Nov 13th 3:49am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member Post nr. 1448 Florida, USA Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
nowloadingrage wrote: | When I first got the turbo car. I could let off the gas and would get a puff of smoke. The problem: #2 cylinder had a spun bearing and bad rings. During that rebuild I have read many times that the old style oil pumps are know to go bad. Your oil pressure loss could be there but your burning oil so it sounds like 2 problems at the same time. It would be very easy to do a compression check and rule out rings and etc. Hope this helps. |
Did you engine feel less responsive when it had the problem?
I have driven my share of 3-Series and definetly E21s. This 323 doesnt feel weak or unresponsive to me. Is it possible to have those problems and still have a strong engine? |
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nowloadingrage |
Posted
Wednesday, Nov 14th 3:22am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Junior Member Post nr. 1
Tennessee, U.S. 83' 320i -w- Century Turbo |
The engine seemed strong....in the beginning. The more I drove it the worse it got. It still drove strong yet the smoking got worse. It's good to stop driving it now and find the problem. I kept driving mine to a point that the piston was hitting the bottom of the cylinder head and caused even more problems. |
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