strong engine oil smell

[skycar]

Hi to all here and thank you for accepting to this forum.
I have a 2012 C5 2 lt diesel sedan with 59,000 K's on it. For the many months now whenever I drive for 20-30 minutes (long enough to get full running temp) there is a very strong burnt engine oil smell coming from the engine bay area.
I had previously owner a 2010 C5 diesel with no issues like this. Any thoughts on what it could be please? Also I have an alert telling me that the oil level reading is invalid. There's plenty of oil on the stick.
Thanks in advance for any info here.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi and welcome.

Please post your 17 digit VIN here, so we know exactly which variant you have. It's possible you have an oil leak that is dripping onto the hot exhaust, and this is causing the burning fumes.

[Peter.N.]

+1

Peter

[mickthemaverick]

I had a similar smell on my C5 when I first had it and after much searching I discovered no 2 injector was slightly loose causing a very fine spray of oil. A quick tightening and all has been fine since.

[skycar]

The VIN # is VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] thanks for your help with this.

[GiveMeABreak]

Right, so you have the DW10CTED4 163 2.0 HDi.

The oil check is undertaken when you first turn the ignition on - as long as the car has been standing with engine off for 15 minutes and on level ground. If it detects the oil level is low, it will say "Oil Level Incorrect" - in which case make sure conditions are correct for checking as described previously.

If the message reads "Oil Level Measurement Invalid", confirm using the dipstick that the oil level is ok.

There are several possibilities.... Does the car go into economy mode pretty quickly after switching the ignition on? This can be another condition that causes the message due to a poor battery causing interruption on the CAN network and subsequent faulty reporting of the message. So if the car battery is older that 5 years - I would submit that it might be getting to end of life - the X7 is a very power-hungry vehicle having to feed lots of electrical systems.

Others who have had a similar issue on some Peugeot vehicles had to cut 6mm off the oil guide tube that the dipstick sits in - this can also affect the sensor believe it or not and was a recommendation from the Peugeot dealer network - but I would focus on the battery first.

I would get the battery off the vehicle and give it a slow charge and see if this resolves the issue. But - make sure you follow the battery disconnection procedure exactly here:

BSI Reset / Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure

[skycar]

Thanks Marc for your helpful info..... the battery was replaced approax 12 months ago for a good quality unit.
Any other thoughts on the very strong burnt engine oil smell coming from the engine bay when the car has been running for 25 to 30 mins.
Do they have a breather that puts the crankcase fumes back into the combustion chamber like older cars? I was thinking if it did that tube might be broken etc.?

[GiveMeABreak]

There is no PCV system on diesels, but there is an 'oil vapour strainer' system on your C5: The item highlighted 'B'.

[GiveMeABreak]

If you suspect an oil leak, having some idea of the source of the leak would be helpful in tracking it down.

Which area from the following?:

[skycar]

Very helpful thanks I've now got somewhere to start, much appreciated.