Failed Electronic Oil Level Sensor?

[Craig S]

My 2014 D4 showed the add 0.5l of oil warning earlier today, which is not entirely uncommon since the the change of the EGR Cooler last November. The car has been using 0.5l of oil around every 3 months.

However, today after adding the 0.5l of oil and restarting the car, the add 0.5l of oil warning is still there, and even after a 30 mile drive from my parents the add 0.5l of oil warning is still there, and the electronic oil level indicator is showing as reading not available.

Now my questions are.....

How likely is this sensor to fail?

Could it be a temporary glitch which could be solved by disconnecting the battery and allowing the ECU to reset?

If the sensor has failed, by adding an extra 0.5l of oil when it may not have needed it have i put the engine at risk?

And if it has failed does anyone know how much it will cost to get replaced?

TIA for any replies

[Zebster]

Strange, isn't it, how EGR work results in high oil consumption? I can't understand that link, however mine also began needing top-ups after the EGR cooler and valve were last replaced (never before). I also get an occasional oily smell in the cabin, which I suspect may also be linked.

Use of the e-dipstick requires the engine to have been off for at least two hours... the reading is the average of the previous 30km and - despite the misleading scale - is a basic binary graphical indication that can only show either 'min' or 'max' with the additional words 'OK' or 'LOW' (and possibly 'high' but I've never seen that). It's a bit crap really!

The sump level sensor value (mm) can be obtained using a suitable diagnostic reader. VIDA/DiCE would be the obvious choice, however with help from another forum member I was able to configure the free 'Car Scanner' app to also read the level sensor value (works on an Android device and you also need an ELM327 ODB2 Bluetooth interface, which can be bought from eBay, etc, for less than a fiver). There's a thread on here with details of how to do this and what the level readings should be, I'll dig it out for you if you decide to have a go at doing this. It's a useful diagnostic facility and code reader for a lot of other engine issues.

Bit more info on level meanings in this thread... https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...1&postcount=16

PS - I've assumed you have the 4-cylinder VEA engine. If you have the 5-cylinder D4 engine (for example in an AWD XC60) then my comments do not apply!

[Craig S]

Thanks for the info Zebster

Yes its the 2.0 VEA D4.

The last time it needed oil as soon as I put the oil in, and restarted it the oil level reading came back and the warning message went away.

Having left it for 2 hours the reading is back to OK

[Zebster]

So the e-dipstick is now reading OK and the 'add 0.5L' message has gone? Weird it took so long for the message to go, as it's normally immediate.

[Craig S]

Yes that's why I posted.

last 2 times I added 0.5l of oil and the message went away straight away and the oil level read as ok immediately.

But this time the error never went away, the oil level read as "not available" for for and after the journey.

But after being left for 2 hours and restarting the add 0.5l of oil warning is gone and the oil level reads as OK

[gillypop]

Craig S,

I would be interested to know if you have pressure coming out of the filler cap on tickover?

I have high oil use and my theory is that as I have positive pressure out of the filler cap as the crankcase ventilation isn't working the top of the engine seals are failing under pressure and oil is leaking various places.

Would be good if someone can advise if clogged EGR can ultimately cause blocked crankcase vent pipes/system.

[Craig S]

I will need to check gillypop but I am not sure.

However, I have come to the conclusion that the Oil Consumption is as a direct side effect from the change of the EGR Cooler just under 12 months ago.

I had the car for some 9 months with no oil consumption at all in the 9 months. The EGR cooler was replaced in late November 2018, with the first oil warning light coming on about a month after that.

Then ever since it has began consuming oil at the rate of around 0.5l of oil every 2,000 miles or so. The electronic oil level indicator, is as much use as a chocolate teapot, as it has 3 indications..... Not Available, OK, or Oil Service required. The fact that the system has the capability to give a progressive scale is of no relevance as it is a switch.

The first time I noticed this was a weekend where I was doing a 150 mile drive. I checked the electronic oil level indicator before I set off and was given the OK reading, and the indicator displayed the oil level was at the recommended maximum.

Following the 150 mile journey, the following morning the electronic oil level indicator showed "not available" with no reading on the so called gauge. The simple act of adding 100ml of oil took the gauge from having no reading to being sat at maximum.

[gillypop]

The way the oil level sensor has been implemented to the user is not fit for purpose. It gives the impression that it uses a scale when it does not. Its not a good combination of hard to find oil (if you need to top up when there is a warning - best to have some in the car always), an electronic dipstick that is either at critical, low or max and the underside engine cover made of highly absorbent material (environmental reasons) so you may not be aware that you have an oil leak.

It would be good for me if you can check to see if you have positive or negative pressure from the filler cap on tickover.

Cheers

[gillypop]

I have mine booked in at Volvo next week. I explained the symptoms and the service guy without even consulting anyone or his system / pc bandied about at initial sum of £700.

My oil leak began just before the latest egr fix which I reported at the time feb / mar of this year but they have no record of an oil leak even though i discussed it at length with them.

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by gillypop

I have mine booked in at Volvo next week. I explained the symptoms and the service guy without even consulting anyone or his system / pc bandied about at initial sum of £700...

Hi, your symptoms being that you need to top up the engine oil regularly or that you definitely have an oil leak? If so, can you see where from?

Like I said, mine needs the odd top-up but not so much that I'm going to remove the engine undertray or go to a lot of trouble to have a look. I have removed the top cover to try and look at the rear of the engine but the air intake pipe is in the way. Nothing on the bulkhead though, so I was assuming it was being burnt in combustion.

When the recall eventually happens then I'd like to think that the rectification work and associated checking will be sufficiently thorough to discover the cause of the oil consumption and also rectify this, either incidentally or as a separate issue under goodwill.