increasing oil consumption

I meant the number of miles between the computer telling me to add a quart. Perhaps I was a bit loose with my word choices.
Hmmm, OK.
How about this: Drain all oil out and measure how much you actually have inside the engine. Your oil sensor might be giving you the wrong data.
Did you check whether you have any codes? Did you replace the water pump at all or is it original in? On N52 water pump and oil sensor go through the same BUS, if the water pump starts to slowly fail, it will mess up the oil sensor too.
 
Use oils with BMW LL01 or/and MB229.5 approvals.
Currently of readily available oils Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 is best bet. Quaker State Euro 5W40 can be found cheaply in Wal Mart. It is previous version of PPE.
So switch to oils like that. Firget ILSAC oils available on shelves, your every day Mobil1 5W30. They won’t cut it. Just bcs. it is full synthetic, doesn’t mean it is ok.

So, see where is consumption. If it continues, and you don’t have leaks, PCV might be culprit. It is integrated in Valve Cover.
That's good info! I will try the Pennzoil or Quaker State Euro blend of 5W-40, as has been suggested by several.
 
Perfect.

Depending on your budget you could have a compression test performed but at 140k miles but I'd doubt that's an issue on such a lightly used engine which has been fed a diet of Mobil 1.

In any case if you want to throw a can of liqui moly engine flush with an oil change using a 40w euro oil (Mobil 1 0w40, 5w40 or Pennzoil/Quaker State Euro 5w40) and see what happens.

I'm assuming your engine air filter has been changed on time as well.

You really can't rejuvenate BMW valve stem seals with any mechanic in a can. The seals turn into a hard plastic

On an aside I had an 2006 330 and that engine started to drink oil at 35k miles. BMW used to say that 1 quart/1k miles was "acceptable". Perhaps on the autobahn but I can't see how it would be elsewhere.

GL
Yeah I'm pretty good with monitoring air filter. I think this engine flush plan makes a lot of sense as a next step based on the seeming elimination of what may have been several possible causes. A lot of good feedback on this board! One drawback is introducing a different weight oil is another variable and I won't initially know if the flush was a true game changer.
 
Yeah I'm pretty good with monitoring air filter. I think this engine flush plan makes a lot of sense as a next step based on the seeming elimination of what may have been several possible causes. A lot of good feedback on this board! One drawback is introducing a different weight oil is another variable and I won't initially know if the flush was a true game changer.
I would not flush it. Go buy Mobil1 0W40FS. That oil is more than appropriate in N52. I used it on track in that engine and ran 5K OCI. It is packed with additives.
Run it 3K, then 5K.
Oil to Consider:

1st tier readily available:
PPE 5W40 (You have it at AZ and AAP for $37 + filter. But be careful with the filter. If they do not have MANN, WIX, don't get filter).
Mobil1 0W40
Castrol Edge 0W40

1st tier online:
Castrol Edge 0W30
Motul X-Cess 5W40 GEN2

2nd tier readily available All in Wal mart:

Quaker State 5W40
Valvoline European Vehicle 5W40
Castrol Edge 5W30 A3
Castrol Edge 5W40

Also, when I say 2nd tier, they all are approved for Mb229.5, which is generally considered the most stringent specification. But there are some differences between these already very good oils. So, you cannot really make mistake.
 
And since that is costly to do, what would a smart person do as a last resort (even out of desperation) before going down that road? Engine flush?
You asked how and I answered. I would surely try the lower cost suggestions that have been posted before tearing into an engine.
 
You used the wrong oil, and progressively increasing oil consumption just confirms that. No oil will revert the damage done, but some steps could be taken to improve the oil consumption rate.
1) Give it an overnight piston soak with Berryman B12. The longer the better though, just make sure to top it off occasionally, as some may drain past the rings. Reason for this step: improper oil could've just carboned up the rings to where they're sticking or fully stuck now. Berryman B12 will break them loose if that's the case.
2) Rotating the engine manually during the piston soak (with spark plugs removed) is a good idea. It will break the rings loose quicker, if they're sticky/stuck. Change the oil before you start the engine after a piston soak.
3) Switch to robust oil. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, Quaker State Euro 5W40, or Castrol Edge 0W-40 are all great options.
Good Luck!
 
Perfect.

Depending on your budget you could have a compression test performed but at 140k miles but I'd doubt that's an issue on such a lightly used engine which has been fed a diet of Mobil 1.

In any case if you want to throw a can of liqui moly engine flush with an oil change using a 40w euro oil (Mobil 1 0w40, 5w40 or Pennzoil/Quaker State Euro 5w40) and see what happens.

I'm assuming your engine air filter has been changed on time as well.

You really can't rejuvenate BMW valve stem seals with any mechanic in a can. The seals turn into a hard plastic

On an aside I had an 2006 330 and that engine started to drink oil at 35k miles. BMW used to say that 1 quart/1k miles was "acceptable". Perhaps on the autobahn but I can't see how it would be elsewhere.

GL
What are your thoughts on a piston soak? And would you do that before or after the liqui moly flush? I'm assuming before.
 
You used the wrong oil, and progressively increasing oil consumption just confirms that. No oil will revert the damage done, but some steps could be taken to improve the oil consumption rate.
1) Give it an overnight piston soak with Berryman B12. The longer the better though, just make sure to top it off occasionally, as some may drain past the rings. Reason for this step: improper oil could've just carboned up the rings to where they're sticking or fully stuck now. Berryman B12 will break them loose if that's the case.
2) Rotating the engine manually during the piston soak (with spark plugs removed) is a good idea. It will break the rings loose quicker, if they're sticky/stuck. Change the oil before you start the engine after a piston soak.
3) Switch to robust oil. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, Quaker State Euro 5W40, or Castrol Edge 0W-40 are all great options.
Good Luck!
In defense of the OP from a HTHS perspective the N-series engine could run on regular Mobil 1 5w30. It would fall under the viscosity requirements of LL01FE. In addition the OP was also doing a 5k mile OCI vs the OLM of approx 15k miles.
 
What are your thoughts on a piston soak? And would you do that before or after the liqui moly flush? I'm assuming before.
No. You don't want to do that. If you want to use the flush just follow the directions and change the oil as directed.

In any case I don't think it's going to make a difference because your engine has not be neglected. Using Mobil 1 on a 5k oci it should be really clean. You need to have a BMW specialist look for vacuum leaks and confirm oil level sensor is functioning as it should. As @edyvw said, have a technician measure the amount of oil coming out just to make sure you haven't been overfilling.

If you prefer not to go that route just do an oil change with M1 0w40 or Pennzoil/Quaker State Euro 5w40 and see what happens. Again I don't think it's stuck rings. This is a 16 year old engine with 140k miles on it. Based on the age and the smoke I'm guessing valve stem seals.
 
No. You don't want to do that. If you want to use the flush just follow the directions and change the oil as directed.

In any case I don't think it's going to make a difference because your engine has not be neglected. Using Mobil 1 on a 5k oci it should be really clean. You need to have a BMW specialist look for vacuum leaks and confirm oil level sensor is functioning as it should. As @edyvw said, have a technician measure the amount of oil coming out just to make sure you haven't been overfilling.

If you prefer not to go that route just do an oil change with M1 0w40 or Pennzoil/Quaker State Euro 5w40 and see what happens. Again I don't think it's stuck rings. This is a 16 year old engine with 140k miles on it. Based on the age and the smoke I'm guessing valve stem seals.
I missed smoke part.
 
Hmmm, OK.
How about this: Drain all oil out and measure how much you actually have inside the engine. Your oil sensor might be giving you the wrong data.
Did you check whether you have any codes? Did you replace the water pump at all or is it original in? On N52 water pump and oil sensor go through the same BUS, if the water pump starts to slowly fail, it will mess up the oil sensor too.
I don't think it is oil sensor. Everything seems pretty consistent when it is showing the level. It just goes through the electronic levels of decreasing (5 bars to 4 to three to two....) much quicker than before. Water pump is not original and fairly recent.
 
I don't think it is oil sensor. Everything seems pretty consistent when it is showing the level. It just goes through the electronic levels of decreasing (5 bars to 4 to three to two....) much quicker than before. Water pump is not original and fairly recent.
"Drain all oil out and measure how much you actually have inside the engine."

Pretty easy to do so not opposed to it. It's on the list. Thanks.
 
I would seriously consider @edyvw advise here and move up to a 40 grade oil. With consumption at one quart/700 miles that could help. His oil suggestions are good.
I plan to follow his advice. I just want to get at any underlying problem too.
 
In defense of the OP from a HTHS perspective the N-series engine could run on regular Mobil 1 5w30. It would fall under the viscosity requirements of LL01FE. In addition the OP was also doing a 5k mile OCI vs the OLM of approx 15k miles.
Correct, viscosity isn't too far off. M1 0W-40 becomes a "thick" 30-grade quick anyways. But viscosity is only a piece of the puzzle. Base oils, additives, etc... That's where vanilla M1 5W-30 falls short, it just can't take same temps as Euro rated oils. It can for short bursts here and there, but I suspect constant use in a known hot-running engine beat it up, especially in the ringlands.
 
Why not try a cheap piston soak? I'd think that would easily and cheaply rule out a lot of speculation.
This Corolla was burning 1.25qts of oil every 300 miles. Famous 1zz engine that cakes up the oil rings and oil drain holes in piston ringlands. No additives or flushes helped (see dozens of his older videos), but Berryman B12 did.

 
So are you onboard with an engine flush?
I generally don’t like that. Many people do it, I am not sure how it would exactly help your case. Reason why I recommend Mobil1 0W40 in particular is that is has very rich additive package, some esters in it. It has excellent cleaning capabilities. I would try that first and see where it goes.
But again, if there is smoke after idling, nothing can help but replacing valve stems. You can lower consumption going really thick oil like Mobil1 10W40 HM, but that is about it.
 
Back
Top