1998 BMW 750IL SEDAN check oil

19n

RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data

Instrument cluster

1 Fuel gauge with lamp for fuel
reserve range73
2 Turn signal indicators22
3 Speedometer
4 Indicator lamp for high beam
headlamps22
5 Tachometer and
Energy Control72, 73
6 Coolant temperature gauge74
7 Indicator and warning lamps for

>

Parking brake21

>

Hydraulic brake system/Dynamic
Brake Control (DBC)

*
20, 21

>

ABS21

>

Airbag21

>

Please fasten safety belts21

>

Cruise control22
8 Check button75
9 Program display for automatic
transmission64, 67
10 Outside temperature display7211 Indicator lamp for Automatic
Stability Control plus Traction
(ASC+T)/Dynamic Stability
Control (DSC)

*
21
12 Trip odometer72
13 Check Control display75
14 Odometer72
15 Service Interval Display74, 149
16 Reset button for trip odometer72
17 Indicator and warning lamps for

>

Fog lamps22

>

Battery charge current20

>

Engine oil pressure20

>

Check Engine lamp21
You can display the outside tem-
perature and distance driven in
different units of measurement.

<

20n

Indicator and warning lamps

Technology that monitors itself

Many of the systems of your BMW mon-
itor themselves automatically, both dur-
ing engine starts and while you are driv-
ing. Indicator and warning lamps that
are identified by "

l

" are tested for
proper functioning whenever the igni-
tion key is turned. They each light up
once for different periods of time.
If a fault should occur in one of these
systems, the corresponding lamp does
not go out after the engine is started or
it lights up while the vehicle is moving.
You will see how to react to this below.

Red: Stop immediately

Battery charge current

l

The battery is no longer being
charged. There is a malfunction
of the alternator ribbed V-belt or in the
charging circuit of the alternator. Please
contact the nearest BMW center.
If the V-belt is defective, do not
continue driving. The engine could
be damaged due to overheating. If the
ribbed V-belt is defective, increased
steering effort is also required.

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Engine oil pressure

l

Comes on while the engine is
running and the "Stop! ENGINE
OILPRESS" message appears in the
Check Control:
Stop vehicle and switch off engine im-
mediately. Check level of oil in engine,
top up as required. If oil level is correct:
Please contact the nearest BMW cen-
ter.
Do not continue driving. The en-
gine could be damaged because
of inadequate lubrication.

<



Brake hydraulic system

l

The brake fluid level is too low.
Before driving further, be sure to
read the notes on pages 128 and 147.
Also comes on with the message
"Check brake pads" in the Check Con-
trol.



Brake hydraulic system warning
lamp for Canadian models.

74n
Temperature gauge Service Interval DisplayBlueThe engine is still cold. Drive at moder-
ate engine and vehicle speeds.RedWhen you switch on the ignition, the
warning lamp comes on briefly to con-
firm that the system is operational.
Lights up while driving, or the message
"COOLANT TEMPERATURE” appears
in the Check Control: the engine is
overheated. Switch the engine off im-
mediately and allow it to cool down.380de007
Between the blue and red zonesNormal operating range. It is not un-
usual for the needle to rise as far as the
edge of the red zone in response to
high outside temperatures or severe
operating conditions.
Checking coolant level: Refer to
page 146.
Green lampsThe number of illuminated lamps de-
creases as the time for your next main-
tenance visit approaches.Yellow lampThis field appears together with
OILSERVICE or INSPECTION.
Maintenance is due. Please contact
your BMW center for an appointment.Red lampMaintenance is overdue.380us008

75n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Check ControlSystem malfunctions are reported in
text form and alerts or warnings are
each reported by a gong when the igni-
tion key is in position 2.
1 CHECK button
2 Status report symbol
3 Display
Messages concerning system faults
are differentiated based on two priori-
ties:380us111
Priority 1
These defects are immediately indi-
cated by a gong and a flashing warning
symbol (2). Several simultaneous de-
fects will be displayed consecutively.
These messages remain active until the
malfunction is corrected. They cannot
be cleared with CHECK button (1).
>RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
This message appears together with
an acoustic signal any time you begin
to drive and the parking brake is ap-
plied.
>COOLANT TEMPERATURE
Coolant overheated. Stop the vehicle
and switch off the engine immedi-
ately.
Refer to pages 74, 146.>STOP! ENGINE OILPRESS
Oil pressure too low. Stop the vehicle
and switch off the engine immedi-
ately. Refer to page 20.
>CHECK BRAKE FLUID
Indicates that brake fluid is down to
roughly minimum level. Top up the
brake fluid as soon as possible. Refer
to page 147. Have the cause of the
brake fluid loss corrected by your
BMW center.
>FLAT TIRE
*
Reduce vehicle speed immediately
and stop the vehicle. Avoid hard
brake applications. Do not oversteer.
Refer to page 95.
>LEVEL CONTROL INACTIVE
*
Please consult the nearest authorized
BMW center. Refer to page 130.
>SPEED LIMIT
*
This is displayed if the programmed
speed limit is exceeded.

76n
Check ControlPriority 2
These alerts for problems are reported
for 20 seconds when the ignition key is
in position 2. The status reports remain
after the message disappears. You can
view the message again by pressing the
CHECK button.
>TRUNK LID OPEN
This message is given only when ini-
tially starting off.
>DOOR OPEN
This is displayed after a minimum
vehicle speed is exceeded.
>FASTEN SEAT BELTS
*
In addition, the indicator lamp with
the safety belt symbol appears and
an acoustic signal is heard.
>WASHER FLUID LOW
The washer fluid is too low. Top up
the fluid at the earliest opportunity.
Refer to page 142.
>CHECK ENGINE OIL
Add engine oil as soon as possible.
Refer to page 143.
>OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE 247
(–5.06)
This display is only an example. The
current reading appears at an outside
temperature of 37.57 (+36) and
below. Refer also to page 72.>TIRE PRESSURE SET
*
The RDC has imported the current in-
flation pressure in the tires as the tar-
get values which the system will
monitor.
Refer to page 94.
>CHECK TIRE PRESSURE
*
Check and correct the tire inflation
pressure to specifications at the earli-
est opportunity (next stop for fuel).
Refer to page 94.
>TIRE CHECK INACTIVE
*
A temporary interference of the RDC
or a system fault. Refer to page 95
>BRAKE LAMP CIRCUIT
A bulb has failed or the circuit has a
malfunction. Refer to pages 163, 176
or consult an authorized BMW center.
>CHECK LOWBEAMS
CHECK SIDE LAMPS
CHECK REAR LAMPS
CHECK FRONT FOGLAMPS
CHECK LICPLATE LAMP
CHECK TRAILER LIGHTS
CHECK HIGHBEAMS
CHECK BACKUP LAMPS
Defective bulb or circuit. Refer to
pages 163, 176 or consult an autho-
rized BMW center.
>TRANS. FAILSAFE PROG
Please consult the nearest authorized
BMW center. Refer to pages 64, 67.>CHECK BRAKE LININGS
Have the brake pads inspected by
your BMW center. Refer to page 126.
>REMOTE KEY BATTERY
Change the battery. Refer to
page 168.
>CHECK COOLANT LEVEL
The coolant is too low. Top up at the
next opportunity. Refer to page 146.
>ENGINE FAILSAFE PROG
Fault in the Electronic Engine Power
Control EML. When braking, higher
brake application pressure may be
necessary and brake pedal travel may
be significantly longer.
Please have the system inspected by
your authorized BMW center.

77n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Check ControlDisplays after completion of tripAll of the malfunctions registered during
the trip appear consecutively when the
ignition key is turned to position 0.
One of the following displays may ap-
pear:
>LIGHTS ON
>KEY IN IGNITION LOCK
>CHECK ENGINE OIL LEV
Add engine oil at the next opportunity
(next stop for fuel). Refer to page 14 3.
This message appears when you open
the driver's door after parking the vehi-
cle. A supplementary gong is also
heard.
Even if the ignition key has been re-
moved and the display has gone off,
you can still retrieve these messages
with CHECK button (1) for approx. three
minutes after completion of your trip. If
there are multiple messages, continue
to press the CHECK button.
To monitor the Check ControlWith the ignition key in position 2, press
CHECK button (1):
CHECK CONTROL OK appears in the
display.
In this case, there are no faults in the
systems which are monitored.

143n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Engine oilChecking the engine oil1 Park the vehicle on a level surface
2 Shut the engine off after it has
reached normal operating tempera-
ture
3 After approx. 5 minutes, pull the dip-
stick out and wipe it off with a clean
lint-free cloth, paper towel, or similar
material
4 Push the dipstick all the way into the
guide tube and pull it out again
5 The oil level should be in between the
two graduations on the dipstick.
As with fuel economy, oil consumption
is directly influenced by your driving
style and vehicle operating conditions.380de076
The oil volume between the two marks
on the dipstick corresponds to approx.
1.1 US quarts (1 liter). Do not fill to be-
yond the upper mark on the dipstick.
Excess oil will damage the engine.460de189
Adding engine oilWait until the level has dropped to just
above the lower mark before adding oil.
However, do not wait until the oil drops
below the lower mark.
BMW engines are designed to op-
erate without oil additives. The
use of additives could lead to damage
in some cases. This is also true for the
automatic transmission, the differential
and the power steering system.< 380de077

149n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
The BMW Maintenance SystemThe BMW Maintenance System has
been designed as a reliable means of
providing maximum driving and operat-
ing safety – and as cost-effectively as
possible for you.
Please keep in mind that regular main-
tenance is not only necessary for the
safety of your vehicle, but also plays a
significant role in maintaining the resale
value of the vehicle.380us008
Service Interval DisplayAdvanced technology is employed to
calculate the optimal maintenance in-
tervals, which are then indicated in the
Service Interval Display. While conven-
tional systems rely on distance traveled
alone to determine when service is due,
the BMW Maintenance System has for
years considered the actual conditions
under which the vehicle operates.
From the point of view of maintenance,
62,000 miles (100,000 km) accumulated
in short-distance urban driving are not
the equivalent of the same distance
covered at moderate speeds in long-
distance highway travel. In response to
this fact, the BMW Maintenance System
monitors operating conditions as the
basis for determining the optimum ser-
vice intervals for your individual vehicle.
The BMW Maintenance System in-
cludes the Engine Oil Service and In-
spections I and II.
Determining the maintenance intervals
according to the actual loads on the car
covers every kind of operating situation.
However, even those who drive only
short distances – significantly less than
6,200 miles (10,000 km) annually –
should have the engine oil changed at
least every 2 years since oil deteriorates
over time, regardless of use.
Service and Warranty Information
Booklet (US models)/Warranty
and Service Guide Booklet
(Canadian models)Please refer to the Service and War-
ranty Information Booklet (US models)
or to the Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet (Canadian models) for addi-
tional information on maintenance inter-
vals and procedures.
Depending upon operating conditions,
as a precaution against rust it may be a
good idea to have the body checked for
stone damage and chips at the same
time.
Have your BMW center do the
maintenance and repair. Your BMW
center is always informed on the latest
maintenance work and repair tech-
niques and equipped with the required
special tools. In addition, checking
parts known from experience to be sub-
ject to wear is a permanent part of the
maintenance specifications. Be sure
that all maintenance work is confirmed
in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet (US models) or in the Warranty
and Service Guide Booklet (Canadian
models). These entries will constitute
your proof that the vehicle has received
regular maintenance. They are also re-
quired in the event of a warranty claim.<