"Engine oil pressure, Stop, Switch off engine" Red Warning Message

[Asadali]

Hi Guys

I purchase a 2016 E220d recently and I am getting the following red warning message show at one point or another on most drives. It flashes up and then disappears after a few seconds, when I go into Service > Messages nothing shows.

Engine oil pressure
Stop
Switch off engine

Has anyone seen this message before and any ideas if its anything serious. If there was an actual serious issue and you were meant to stop, surely would the message not persist instead of vanishing after a few seconds? The previous owner did tell me that this message had come up in past and he claimed that he took it to get looked at and was told its a non-issue perhaps a faulty sensor or some kind. What do you guys think? Any experience of this? Its worth noting the message doesn't actually specify whether the oil pressure is high or low.

Also not sure if related, on a motorway drive last week a message came up once saying low engine oil please add 1ltr. I've ordered some oil to add, however the message hasnt come up again and when I check the engine oil level on the dash I would say it shows as mid way between high and low. Again anyone had any experience of this?

Thanks, appreciate any help on this.

 

[st13phil]

The quickest and most reliable way to write off an engine is to run it with without adequate lubrication.

The message is indicating that the oil pressure is dangerously low. That you have continued to run the motor and it hasn't yet grenaded would tend to suggest that it is a sensor fault rather than a real oil pressure issue, but that's not a certainty.

Personally, I would get a competent workshop to check it out as a matter of urgency.

 

[Asadali]

The quickest and most reliable way to write off an engine is to run it with without adequate lubrication.

The message is indicating that the oil pressure is dangerously low. That you have continued to run the motor and it hasn't yet grenaded would tend to suggest that it is a sensor fault rather than a real oil pressure issue, but that's not a certainty.

Personally, I would get a competent workshop to check it out as a matter of urgency.

Thanks for your reply @st13phil

Your right in that I should get it checked out properly however engine oil "pressure" is not the same thing as engine oil "level" right? Level would indicate it requires more/less oil however what would be the cause of abnormal oil pressure?

Thanks

 

[st13phil]

engine oil "pressure" is not the same thing as engine oil "level" right?

Correct. The oil level is a proxy for how much oil in total is available to circulate around the engine; oil pressure is a measure of the "force" with which it is being pumped around the engine.

what would be the cause of abnormal oil pressure?

There are multiple potential reasons including (but not limited to) a failing oil pump, a blockage in an oil gallery, and a stuck oil pressure relief valve. All can lead to catastrophic failure of the engine, which is why it's imperative to get it properly checked out and whatever is causing the warning message fixed.

 

[Bellow]

Thanks for your reply @st13phil

Your right in that I should get it checked out properly however engine oil "pressure" is not the same thing as engine oil "level" right? Level would indicate it requires more/less oil however what would be the cause of abnormal oil pressure?

Thanks

Low oil level can easily lead to low oil pressure.
Put simply, when there isn't enough oil the level falls below the pump's feed pipe and draws air which cannot be pressurised like oil. More likely to occur when braking, cornering, accelerating or high rpm.
You need to get on top of this ASAP as in NOW. The engine will only withstand so much oil starvation before it expensively objects.

 

[Martin 1]

Hi, Go for a Star diagnosis immediately ! Far too risky to keep using it, as has been said, there could be any number of reasons for those warnings, it might even be a below par battery, those symptoms can be generated by small drops in it's efficiency. If you think diagnosis is too expensive, consider the cost of an engine !

 

[st13phil]

Low oil level can easily lead to low oil pressure.

Agreed, but it has to be seriously low, and while the OP mentions that he's had the "add 1ltr" message, he also says that the car reports the oil level as being between max and min, so in this instance I doubt it is the cause.

You need to get on top of this ASAP as in NOW.

Bang on

 

[grober]

BUY AN ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK!

 

[AndrewOl]

I would put a litre of oil in now as in before you drive it again. Any motor factor or Halfords will have compatible oil in stock. It doesn’t need to be MB branded. Just ask them if you are not sure. Running it will low oil pressure will potentially do much more damage than putting in an oil brand you don’t prefer.

 

[Bellow]

Agreed, but it has to be seriously low, and while the OP mentions that he's had the "add 1ltr" message, he also says that the car reports the oil level as being between max and min, so in this instance I doubt it is the cause.

Maybe - but loss of pressure from another reason will be worse!
If I had to trust the instrumentation I'd go with the pressure warnings and be prepared to disregard an electronic dipstick. Oh for a proper dipstick!

Bang on

It needs immediate attention. At what pressure does the warning trigger - the standard 5 psi? Without the warning showing it could be running with substantially lower than necessary pressure - assuming there is a (lack of) pressure issue.

 

[grober]

too high an oil level can cause oil aeration// air entrainment which can lead to a loss in oil pressure- get an engine oil dipstick calibrated for your engine- plenty online other causes poor oil pressure sensor electrical connection or sensor itself faulty--check connection replace sensor

 

[davymead]

For what it’s worth, l wouldn’t drive it anywhere, not until I’d had somebody competent enough to tell me what’s wrong, at the least.

 

[st13phil]

It needs immediate attention.

We're on the same page, I think.

The slightly puzzling thing is that the OP mentions that a previous owner had also had the low oil pressure warning come up intermittently, which suggests that it's a long(ish) term issue. If it really was running with oil pressure that low, even intermittently, for that long then I would have expected the engine to have expired by now.

Anyway, all this is conjecture and the OP needs to get it sorted PDQ.

 

[Asadali]

Thanks everyone for jumping onto this thread, really appreciate it. It's clear that I need to get the car looked at which I will do ASAP.

I just had one question - if there was a genuine oil pressure issue, wouldn't the warning light and message on the dash not persist rather than going out after a few seconds? The "add 1ltr of oil" and "low tyre pressure" messages that I have seen in the past persisted.

Again, I plan to have the car looked at regardless as it's not worth taking the risk however I was just a bit curious as to why the red warning message is not persisting. It kind of tally's up with what the previous owner suggested was a electrical/sensor issue when he got it looked at. Then again I can't just take his word for it because he was trying to sell the car at the end of the day.

Thanks again all.

 

[Asadali]

Maybe - but loss of pressure from another reason will be worse!
If I had to trust the instrumentation I'd go with the pressure warnings and be prepared to disregard an electronic dipstick. Oh for a proper dipstick!

It needs immediate attention. At what pressure does the warning trigger - the standard 5 psi? Without the warning showing it could be running with substantially lower than necessary pressure - assuming there is a (lack of) pressure issue.

Thanks for your reply @Bellow .

Forgive my ignorance here, but how would I be able to check at what pressure the "Engine oil pressure" warning shows up?

 

[Bellow]

Thanks for your reply @Bellow .

Forgive my ignorance here, but how would I be able to check at what pressure the "Engine oil pressure" warning shows up?

There isn't an easy way. It requires a gauge that can be read when the light comes on.
Usually, low oil pressure warnings on road cars come on at very low pressure - typically 5-10psi. A competition car will often use a 30psi switch so that falling oil pressure can be seen and the engine shut down before the pressure decays to zero in the hope of saving the engine. But you have a road car.

 

[Dichtung]

Oil pressure too high ?
Pressure relief valve sticking ?

 

[Asadali]

Out of curiosity does anyone know where the sensor is located on a 2016 E220d Saloon (W213) and is this something that can be replaced yourself. Or is the sensor hard to access or perhaps requires the oil to be drained in order to replace?

 

[st13phil]

This thread (that you have found already) and this post in particular tend to support the view that it is a sensor issue.

Sorry I can't help with your question as to where it's located on the engine, but an Indie will know if you're concerned about Main Dealer costs. However, as it's a known fault a Main Dealer should know about it and there may be goodwill available to cover the cost of its replacement.

 

[Asadali]

This thread (that you have found already) and this post in particular tend to support the view that it is a sensor issue.

Sorry I can't help with your question as to where it's located on the engine, but an Indie will know if you're concerned about Main Dealer costs. However, as it's a known fault a Main Dealer should know about it and there may be goodwill available to cover the cost of its replacement.

Cheers @st13phil

Managed to find it in a diagram, attaching below for the benefit of anyone else who may need to locate it.