E46 Fanatics Forum banner

Tracking my E46 Oil consumption issues

29K views 141 replies 31 participants last post by  Yewzer B Lewzer 
#1 ·
Alright,

I've been having oil consumption issues with my 02 325Ci for a quite a while now, almost 2 years. Do to school, I had not the time, nor funds to properly diagnose the issue. I just want to throw my status up on here and see if anyone else has an idea on what can be causing the issue.

Backstory:

My car has 135K miles on the M54. I run BMW 5W-30 and I check the oil manually and have to add a quart of oil every +/- 700 miles (2 weeks). I daily drive my car, nothing too far, no traffic at all. I do not drive the car hard at all, It will go months without going over 4500RPMs.

At first, because of the rate of consumption I was sure I had an external leak of some sort. I looked in all the normal prone areas, didn't see anything visible. However, I replaced many parts anyways do to preventative maintenance in hopes one of the parts might be the cause of the oil problem.

I replaced the VCG and grommets, I also replaced the Vanos seals with the Besian kit... The consumption continued. Then I replaced the Oil filter housing gasket and the full Crank Case Ventilation system and dip stick seal, hoping this will be the cause... Much to my disappointment, the problem persisted.

I then took the car into my mechanic, explained the issue and showed him the chart of consumption I had been keeping for months. We pulled the car on the rack, removed all the under panels and both visually checked the undercarriage for any sign of oil leaks. Nothing. The engine bay is clean of oil. He then suggest the problem is internal, I'd never seen any black smoke coming from the exhaust ever. However, he suggests my next step will be a compression/leak down test to confirm.

I am reluctant to have the test done because even if it is confirmed to be internal, it just means a very costly repair. At that point it would just be more feasible to sell the car or trade it in and let a dealership eat the cost. I just wanted to see if any of you guys have an opinion or a suggestion on what the problem might be or if I might be overlooking something...? What do you guys think?
 
See less See more
#61 · (Edited)
@zuckuss00; I would have to agree at least in my case. Before I spun a bearing in the block of my M52TUB25 motor I never ever had any oil burning issues of any sort. When I upgraded my block to a M54B30 motor I instantly inherited oil consumption issues. I'm now burning about a quart every 800 miles and I change my oil religiously every 7.5k. I ordered a four pack of MOA for my engine using the link provided. Additionally, I found that when me motor is low on coolant I seem to burn more oil. Don't know the direct correlation at the moment but I will keep the forum posted.
 
#68 ·
I have put over 1000 miles since my engine swap a few months ago. I noticed that I am also burning oil especially during high rpm applications. For the first 500 or so, I didn't drive the car like I stole it so the oil consumption wasn't even noticeabe. The last 500, I was cruising at 90-100mph (3.5-4K RPM) and when I checked the oil it was low.

I jacked up the car and the engine compartment is clean and has no evidence of any leaks.

sent from my HTC EVO+ using Bimmer App
 
#73 ·
And I just ordered some MOA. If I can get to 1000 miles a quart, I plan on selling the wagon. If it improves to 2000 mile/qt, I may keep it. I am used to a parade of GM vehicles (4, 6, and 8 cylinders) that, at their WORST, consumed a qt every 5000 miles. "If I knew THEN what I know NOW", I would not have bought a Bimmer newer than an E36.
 
#87 ·
@ stinger9 - he doesn't get it. HE is smart, everyone else is not. People using "recommended" oil are having consumption problems with their M and S54s, people with other oils are having consumption problems with the M and S54s. Looks like M and S54s have oil consumption problems. Some things are obvious, and their are a select few that simply do not get that.
 
#90 ·
Having been and around the auto industry for 30+ years, one must balance product suggestions with profit motive. MANY service writers at dealerships are paid salary AND commissions. If you and I can buy MOA for $8-10 each, and dealerships can/do sell it for $20-25 ............ That said, dealerships need to make a profit and have a LOT of risk/liability/overhead. But I have seen the full suite of BG, engine and trans flushes, f.i./carbon services all pushed even on cars well inside warranty. Yet, coolant and brake flushes are often NOT encouraged. Why? Some services are labor intensive, and some are not. Less labor, more profit. Choose wisely.
 
#96 ·
Some folks have shared the opinion that you are an a-hole. Proven. And may I add childish. Take a walk-about and have a private hissy fit. Apparently Americans that own E46s with M54s and high oil consumption aren't good enough. The Germans must have sent Australia all the good ones.
 
#98 ·
You pompous windbag, people running XW40 have consumption issues as well. Even with your magic damn LL stuff. Oil can not accommodate for bore that wear egg shaped (common) or CCV systems that clog up despite proper maintenance. Maybe your air is magic. But HERE, oiling issues in M54s is as common as mice -------------- without regard for what oil is used or apparently the car's history. You can huff and puff all you want, but M54s have issues.
 
#102 ·
That's it? That's the best you can do? You still have not explained why M54s need such special oils. They have the same parts doing the same things that other engines do. My last seven vehicles have been consuming about a quart of M1 5W30 oil every 4-6000 miles. In the USA 5W30 and now 5W20 oils are THE most common weights. And generally speaking oil consumption just is not an issue. Almost everybody I know with a non-M Bimmer is happily using 5W30's of different brands with 3-5000 mile/qt use rates. Your sanctimonious attitude about oils ("I'm right and all of you are wrong") does not set well with me, and based on off line exchanges, a lot of others as well. Keep it up. Your preaching is almost a waste of bandwidth. But you will continue, and many of us will ignore it.
 
#112 ·
Well my car, which is a 2003 330i m54 was burning quite a bit of oil when I first bought it. Maybe a quart in 700-800 miles. Started using bg moa about 1000 miles ago, right after my last oil change and have not burned any oil so far. Maybe the bg is helping. But I also was driving, and revving to higher rpms before. I rarely shift over 3k rpms nowadays...so well see how this goes. If your burning oil I would say give the moa a shot since It's only 10 bucks a can. Good luck to all the oil burners out there.
 
#116 ·
Not me. Fill the tank, add a quart of oil. Almost finished recommissioning a 72 Pantera, bought an E36 to race it will require a "build", a master bathroom stripped out and being redone, and a few more money jobs on 30s and 36s. The Touring will get new valve seals and rings and be sold. For now, oil is the cheap fix.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top