318iS major oil leak! Help!

[German-Whips]

Moved the car today and found a HUGE puddle of oil under the engine bay where it was sitting.

When I checked around the engine bay the first thing I did was check the dipstick, pulled it and the whiole flipping metal rod that the dipstick was enclosed in came out from near the bottom of the engine along with the dipstick.

Also, the sump (i think, near the front bottom end of the engine) was dripping with oil at the same time.

Now when I started the car, the engine oil light didn't come on though?

Any ideas what could be wrong!? Please?

[DHFiS]

http://static.bmwfans.info/images/epc/ODJfcA==.png

From this diagram it looks like the tube should be held at the top by a bolt, is yours missing the bolt numbered 13?

[German-Whips]

No actaully, upon closer inspection the L-bracket holding the tube which encloses the dipstick has snapped off. So bolt 13 is there, but the bracket which its on is snapped.

Thing is though, what could be the reason for such a huge oil leak and is the tube meant to come out if bolt 13 is removed?

Thanks

[weed1]

Look for the oil pressure switch.
It switches on the oil light when the oil pressure is low.
They often leak copiously between the crimp of the body and the plastic insulator.

It may have failed as well, hence the no warning light.

m

[Brian28]

There is an O ring seal at the bottom of the dipstick tube. If the bracket has been snapped for a while (or if the O ring is missing from a previous bodge) it would leak. Unlikely to account for an oil puddle overnight though.

[German-Whips]

Could it be the sump? The car is quite low and I'm thinking it might have been damaged? How much is a new sump and is it an easy fit?

[German-Whips]

A little update!

I checked the engine bay over today, and founf that when the car was swtiched off no apparent oils leaks were going on.
But when I then switched the engine on, I looked under the car and saw some oil literally dripping out from the sump at quite a quick rate every 10 seconds or so.

So this is where the oil leak is coming from, any idea what could have caused it? The car is very low and i remember scraping the bottom of it during a test drive I had when i first got it about 2 weeks ago.
I'll post some pictures up too.
How much is a new sump anyway?

[German-Whips]

Bump

[chewy320]

If you have bashed the lower sump chances are thats part of your problem. They are about £70.

[BenHar]

Hopefully this was sorted sometime in the last 15 years.

Ben