Member Since: 04 Jul 2022
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 99
Engine Oil Critically Low...
So I had this light appear last year - and then fscked up as I overfilled it and needed to get it properly drained.
About a year has passed, and the light has come back, after the car is warmed up, and on a motorway. However, it comes and goes, sometimes staying on. I intend to take it to the local indy and get them to change the oil so it's at a 'known good' level again, but some questions....
1) If I leave the car, then check the service menu oil level - everything appears fine - full to the brim.
2) If I plug in my Gap IID tool, and monitor it when the car is not moving, and in neutral, then I get the following readings: 'Oil Level Measured: 117.0 m' and 'Oil volume - calculated: 5.5L'.
3) When I drive, the Gap IID tool informs me 'Oil Level Measured: 29.0 m' and Oil volume: calculated: 2.7L' - these are the lowest readings I encountered, but it tended to stick around 3L or so....
Question is - can I trust any of these numbers, gauges, warnings, etc? Anyone shine a light on what should be expected...?
Ta![/list]
30th Oct 2023 8:08 pm
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 281
Bit odd that it gives different readings... could it possibly be that the oil level sensor is faulty? And isn't that a known issue with some D4s?
Could be worth doing a search on the forum to see if anything comes up that looks similar to your issue...
Obvious question, are there any signs of obvious oil leaks? Or do you suspect that the engine is burning a lot of oil?
I'm not an expert by any stretch - this is just what I'd be thinking if I was in your shoes.
Good luck!
30th Oct 2023 8:46 pm
hotrocks
Member Since: 05 Jan 2010
Location: England
Posts: 467
Had this on my RRS (16MY) - it was the oil level sensor in the sump somewhere and had to be replaced - luckily I was on warranty as it was a fairly big job as I understand it... but the symptoms were identical to yours
31st Oct 2023 9:37 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8226
Another case for my emergency dip stick post or it will be curtains
Member Since: 26 Dec 2019
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 309
I had this issue once with mine. On checking the oil level it was ok so I put it down to oil dilution as I was doing lots of short journeys. I had the Adblue engine. I changed the oil and filter and the warning never came back again. I sold the Disco about a year later. Hope this helps!
31st Oct 2023 11:20 am
sub
Member Since: 04 Jul 2022
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 99
Thanks all - suspect oil dilution. Going to have the oil changed tomorrow.
Future readers of this post - if there’s nothing further then this is the fix!
31st Oct 2023 11:41 am
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 281
I may be missing something, why would oil dilution cause the sensor to believe that the oil level was critically low?
Doesn't the fact that the sensor is reporting two different levels within a short space of time during different driving conditions suggest an issue with the sensor?
I would have thought that oil dilution would just increase the oil level steadily over a period of time, until a point that the sensor will tell you that the level is too high regardless of how you're driving the car. Unless, having the engine oil diluted with diesel causes the sensor to make funny readings.
31st Oct 2023 12:09 pm
sub
Member Since: 04 Jul 2022
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 99
There's another stat I left out of the post - 'Oil quality fuel dilution factor - inferred'. I've no idea what this means, but figured it was possible related to the problem. I can't see anything about this in the manual.
This was around the 8.86 mark. Be curious to see others readings if they have an IID tool!
31st Oct 2023 5:08 pm
Gary_P
Member Since: 03 May 2016
Location: Kent
Posts: 1664
Oil dilution inferred is a percentage calculated by the car and relates to the amount of diesel fuel it believes has ended up in the oil caused by incomplete DPF regeneration processes (which are more likely to occur after short journeys). My experience is that the car asks for a service at around 6.5% . It also, in my experience causes the oil to show overfilled. Obviously it will only show overfilled if the starting level is full or near to full in the first place. Given all that I don’t see how it could cause oil level to show as low.
Hope you get it sorted.Gary
-------------------------------------------
Discovery 4 HSE 2016MY
31st Oct 2023 5:46 pm
Carl and Petra
Member Since: 13 Feb 2015
Location: Hautes Pyrenees
Posts: 219
You say you measure the oil level when you drive with the gap tool.
Surely that would show a low reading as the oil is sloshing about all over the engine as it is meant to do? I do not see how oil level can be measures with the engine running?
I ask as i do not know.
31st Oct 2023 6:25 pm
sub
Member Since: 04 Jul 2022
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 99
@Gary_P - I suspect the warning message is inaccurate, but the intent is to get the user to panic and drive to a dealers and get it sorted. Technically you could argue the oil level is low, though the overall fluid volume is high!
@Carl and Petra - yeah I completely agree and had the same thought - but wanted someone to tell me that this was the reason!
1st Nov 2023 7:49 am
disco chris
Member Since: 25 Apr 2022
Location: London
Posts: 281
I don't think LR would design a sensor that falsely claims that the oil level is critically low just to get you to panic and take it to the dealers to sort out. I think the only reason the car would display that message is because the sensor genuinely believes that the volume of 'circulating oily fluid' (whether that's pure engine oil or engine oil plus diesel due to dilution) is too low.
That could be because the sensor is faulty and throwing out false readings at certain times (which would potentially explain why you are getting different readings at different times), or possibly if high levels of dilution mean the sensor is unable to read the oil level properly, but I'm not sure if that's a 'thing' or not.
I also don't think that the oil level is meant to be measured while you're driving the vehicle - maybe fine to do out of interest but I certainly wouldn't expect to get an accurate reading.
Easy first step is to change the oil and filter as you said. After that if the message is still appearing then I would suspect the oil level sensor is faulty.
1st Nov 2023 9:07 am
Realist
Member Since: 21 Mar 2016
Location: South Wales
Posts: 357
Re: Engine Oil Critically Low...
Where is this menu in GAP that shows the oil levels etc?
sub wrote:
So I had this light appear last year - and then fscked up as I overfilled it and needed to get it properly drained.
About a year has passed, and the light has come back, after the car is warmed up, and on a motorway. However, it comes and goes, sometimes staying on. I intend to take it to the local indy and get them to change the oil so it's at a 'known good' level again, but some questions....
1) If I leave the car, then check the service menu oil level - everything appears fine - full to the brim.
2) If I plug in my Gap IID tool, and monitor it when the car is not moving, and in neutral, then I get the following readings: 'Oil Level Measured: 117.0 m' and 'Oil volume - calculated: 5.5L'.
3) When I drive, the Gap IID tool informs me 'Oil Level Measured: 29.0 m' and Oil volume: calculated: 2.7L' - these are the lowest readings I encountered, but it tended to stick around 3L or so....
Question is - can I trust any of these numbers, gauges, warnings, etc? Anyone shine a light on what should be expected...?
Ta![/list]
Why wait, just go for it and enjoy life.
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2nd Nov 2023 12:22 pm
Mastertech
Member Since: 13 Apr 2014
Location: North East
Posts: 131
Do an oil and filter change so you know how much oil is in the sump then recheck the level sensor operation.
9th Nov 2023 8:17 pm
stephenw46
Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 1215
I have just had my oil sensor replaced under warranty ,landrover assist came out and said it was faulty dealership topped up oil and all was fine kept having different readings went back to dealership they had it over a week and said it was fine, after a heated a conversation they put a senior technician on it if left the ignition on and kept checking found that I was right he put it on the ramp unplugged the sensor and found sensor leaking into the wiring loom hope this helps
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