i think my e39 is burning oil.. symptoms that would cause this?

[atm2000]

hey everyone. this is odd. in the last 3 weeks, I topped up my oil to the half-way mark between low and hi threshold after the oil lamp comes on. i'm not due for an oil change nor have i've been driving the vehicle hard. the oil lamp just came back on again after topping it up.

any common symptoms that would cause this - is this a major repair job?

i'll bring it into the shop but would appreciate some knowledge beforehand. thanks!

[MLue1]

There is a Crank Case Valve (CCV) #2 in the diagram that causes excessive blow by when it fails, in the case of the 540 it is located at the back of the intake plenum.

[myndgone]

My E39 does the same thing...

[Dado 540]

If you are adding that much it probably rear main seal between the tranny and the engine. It's common.

CCV is also a possibility however I would expect white smoke from the exhaust in that case

[BigD]

Don't mean to be offensive, I just like to start with Occam's razor - it's not leaking oil right?

[atm2000]

at the moment there's no white smoke from the exhaust. the car idles fine too. it's just the oil burning that's bugging me and i can't figure out why.

it's an 03 525iT and i drive a lot of highway KMs each day if that matters. I might have to bring it into the shop. i'm scheduled for an oil change this week.

will keep you posted.

[JINT]

A common thing with those, from my experience is valve seals, but thats if it was driven very hard and has some mileage on it. After i changed the valve seals, the oil level is quiet steady. It is a very costly job though if you don't do it yourself.