Yours is a 2011, and they did change the head for 2011+, but I don't thinK they'd change it that much. It should be just inboard of the vacuum pump on the driver's side of the engine.

Dave

 

Well according to this picture it'd be buried under the turbo right?

 

The pic in post 27 is a non-S. Dnepr Dave's is a 2010 so N14 engine, yours is 2011 S so N18 engine. I think Craven's instructions are for the N14 engine.

Look at realoem.com for parts diagrams for your car, it appears that the oil pressure sensor is on the oil filter/heat exchanger assembly which is a b*tch to get to. Call Craven and ask about the N18, Kellen was really helpful with some questions I had.

 

I looked in the Bentley manual, they moved the oil pressure sender on the N18 engines.
It is on the front of the engine near the oil filter and is torqued to 25 nm (18.4 ft-lbs)

Dave

 

I called Craven but their "gauge guy" wasn't in, they're supposed to call me back.

I'm going to try to put the car on jack stands and see if I can get to the oil sender from underneath.

I received my NM boost tap today and went to install it and the MAP sensor is too long to fit inside the hole.

I'm seriously just about over this, I wasn't aware that about 2 people had installed a gauge in this effin car.

 

Hey, in post #2 I did suggest Torque plus OBD2/bluetooth. ;-)

Do a search, there are a lot of threads about various gauges, though most of them seem to be for pre-2011 cars.

OK, to be helpful - I used the boost adapter from Craven, it worked perfectly.

 

Okey dokey. So I got the boost tap installed and the gauge is all up and working.

The oil pressure on the other hand... I determined that I can't get the stock sensor out myself so I went to one of the best BMW shops in SoCal and left there with them having given up on trying to get the sensor out. They pretty much said it couldn't be done without taking out a bunch of stuff and they weren't comfortable doing so and risk breaking something that they didn't have the part for.

So I don't think it's possible to get the effin stock sensor out, we were able to get the cable out of the sensor tho. So I'm thinking that it might be possible to just tap the gauge wires into the stock sensor, I'd have to use some diodes to make sure the car didn't read the gauge but I think it should work.

The pressure sensors aren't smart, they're basically just a pressure activated variable resistor; the car/gauge doesn't have to communicate with the sensor, just read it.

So I'm going to try to wire up some diodes and splice into the stock sensor wiring and hope to god that works because otherwise I'm out of options.

 

calfor, hate to be the bearer of ill tidings but im 99+% sure that will not work, the sender is a switch, not a sensor and will only on/off when oil pressure drops below a preset level, determined by the designed spring seat pressure. you are going to have to get that thing out to get your proper readings.

 

And even if it is a pressure sensitive variable resistor, don't do it. To avoid affecting the signal and possibly confusing the ECU, you need a high impedance input and a buffer to drive the gauge. If you have a stepper motor gauge (which would probably have a high impedance on the sensor input, but it all depends on the gauge) instead of an analog gauge, then you might get away with it with no diodes.

If you don't 100% understand the above, don't go down that path. If you're an electrical engineer and competent with analog design, then you should be able to figure out a solution.

 

After doing a tad more research I think Mr. Clubman is right :(

I asked the guys at CravenSpeed about this and they said:
"A couple people have told me that it's a little easier if you reach through the radiator fan with a socket extension."

How are you supposed to reach through the radiator fan? That sound like you have to take the radiator off. There is just zero reason this needs to be this difficult.

 

So, new revelation. I still don't have this stupid thing installed but, does anyone think it would be worth it to put the engine bay into service mode? It seems like that extra 2" of space in front of the engine could help immensely in accessing the factory oil sender.

It's a lot of work so I want to be sure that I'll be able to get the job done before I waste an entire Sunday on this nonsense.

 

Yep, that did the trick. I had to extend the wiring for the factory oil sender about 2" and the craven adapter was leaking at every hex screw although they were in there as tight as possible. I had to put some jb weld on every hex screw thread to block the leaks. After that, success!

Oh yeah, I had to remove the front bumper to get the car into service mode. on a pre '11 this wouldn't be necessary but the air ducts block the two nuts you need to remove.

Anyways, glad this is finally over!

 

I'm going to be going this route

 

I've just finish installing my oil pressure/water temp gauges on my N18 and while installing the oil pressure sender was really a f**n PITA it was a tight space underneath the wastegate and oil filter. I bought 1/8npt to 12x1.5 male to female adapter,45 degree and extension fittings to relocate the oil pressure switch and aftermarket sender. I also use teflon tape to make sure there is no leaks.

 

Looks awesome! Which gauge holders did you use?

 

I bought 1/8 aluminum flat bar ($9) about a foot long. I cut/drill a hole for my 2pcs. 52mm universal gauge pod about $9, bend and paint it black which perfectly fit under the gauge tach and steering column with double sided tape. It cost a little more work but a lot stronger than other sold made in plastic

 

I’m reviving this thread as I recently attempted this myself. I was able to get the old sensor out but I found it impossible to fit cravens back in its place. To those who have accomplished it on the N18, is service mode the only way to go? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

ok, i got too ask , what is service mode ?

 

You don't need to use "Service Mode" on the N14 engine for oil pressure sensor installation...only N18. Which do you have?

 

I installed the CravenSpeed oil pressure adapter and sending unit sensor in my N14 using a hose from the adapter to the sending unit that I mounted behind the driver side headlight. I got the idea from a post here on NAM. I had Napa clamp on the ends to a lengthy of hose that I specified. I'd include some photos but I'm away from home at the moment.

 

n-18

 

Thanks to everyone for their help. Finally got this accomplished and am quite happy with the results

 

this video helped me understand "service mode" :

https://www.google.com/search?q=mini...PHy5gLUjJWwDw8