[Kim]

to me, I interpret "full" to mean "add no more".  I have always been advised against having the oil reservoir overfull due to damage to the cat.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

here's the deal on overfilling:

 

the pump is going to push that oil all over the engine.  if the sump is overfull, that means that it is overfull in the valve cover.  oil can then enter the combustion chamber if your valve guides and seals are leaking.  that can cause all sorts of problems.  it can partially burn and leave a coating on top of the pistons, thereby raising compression, which can lead to detonation.  it can be partially unburnt and exit into the cat, and foul that.  it can soak a fiberglass filled muffler.  it can even blow some seals that are not designed to be under pressure.

 

of all cars i have dealt with over the years, i have never run into as many cautions about over-filling as with porsche.  i don't know if they are just paranoid, or if it is a 911 carryover issue, or if there is a company wide design problem, but regardless, it's not a good idea.

 

another thing to consider is that the line is in liters, not quarts, and the difference is 1.5 liters, not 1 (per the owner's manual), so a full line difference is about 1.6 quarts.  if the spacer is missing, and you read 1/2 qt over, then you are probably closer to a full gt high, or more.  that's a lot.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

Ugh, I'm dealing with a mechanic that feels his 35 years of experience working on Porsches beats any "theory" out there, and considers those theories to be 90% paranoia and myth, with only 10% validity .. he said the above might be true if the engine would have at least two full quarts on top of the max level, and anything below that ,especially  1/2Q  ( or maybe 3/4 of an L , if the dispstick reading is indeed in Ls )  is not going to affect anything.   But he said if it makes me feel any better he'll drain it but I have to leave the car overnight so it can cool off ( because he does not want to work on things when they're hot ) and that means arranging for a ride from and then to the next day...way too much hassle.

Great, now I'm going to have to get under the car and see if I can loosen the drain plug just enough to let a quart leak out , for peace of mind . 

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

it's not going to hurt anything overnight.  build up and such would take a while.  even messing up the cat will take a while.

 

wait until your oil change

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

so..after the engine rebuilt i had the first oil change at about 600 mi.  ( since then, i have driven approx. 1,200 mi. )   if i recall, the recommendation for the second oil change was at 2,000 mi later .    correct ?  

 

 

p.s.  funny, my mech said the same thing flash mentioned about the valve guides and seals issue, but in light of the fact those, along with everything else is brand new and tight , he wasn't concerned about the " little " excess oil, as he called it ..          

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[az968]

I've been encountering the "engine oil" and "!" lights when I park my car on a slope. Goes away after about 3 or 4 restarts on level ground The engine oil looks full with the dip stick but I've read here that perhaps the dip stick isn't measuring properly due to a missing spacer at the bottom of the dip stick tube.  So, before I dive in there with my large hammer to fix it ( ) , how exactly does one check to see if this thing is there or not?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Kim]

The oil sender may be failing.  Mine did that. It would turn on the light when the oil was about 100 mL low.  I replaced the sender and - voila, problem solved.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[az968]

Kim, was that a fairly straight forward repair?  Or does my shop need to do it?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Kim]

For me, everthing other than washing the car was beyond my ability.  I had all my work done at a Porsche shop.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[unknown4u]

Check the wire if its brite and britlle than go to the mercedes shop and buy a new connector. It's a merc one. Porsche did shop in the eighties and nineties in that warehouse. You can even read a merc number on the connector.?
Mine has had that similar symptom in the past. The sender is real bucks... but the connector is a dollarpart.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Rap]

The engine on my track car consumes 2 quarts a day. No obvious indication of oil leakage anywhere. No overfill issues here. Kim I'm with you!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[az968]

The light only comes on when parked on a slope.  And the light goes out after turning the engine off and on a few times on level ground.so I kinda suspect it's not the wire. That would leave the sending unit or possibly a "dipstick issue" i.e. the missing spacer at the bottom of the tube.  Guess I need to investigate around the bottom of the dipstick tube.

 

I'm too cheap to take my car to a mechanic for stuff i can do without botching up other stuff.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[MCL968]

When I change the oil (and add the exact amount suggested) I check the level on the dipstick and that becomes the "full" amount. This is not just a good policy for Porsche, as Jeeps have also had issues with oil levels being marked poorly on the dipstick.

 

As for the oil low light, I was surprised when mine first came on, since I had just assumed that it was another idea that didn't work as well as was expected. I was completely wrong, the car was low, and after I added oil, the light went out.

 

Frankly, I was impressed that 1992 technology worked that well!

When I change the oil (and add the exact amount suggested) I check the level on the dipstick and that becomes the "full" amount. This is not just a good policy for Porsche, as Jeeps have also had issues with oil levels being marked poorly on the dipstick.

 

As for the oil low light, I was surprised when mine first came on, since I had just assumed that it was another idea that didn't work as well as was expected. I was completely wrong, the car was low, and after I added oil, the light went out.

 

Frankly, I was impressed that 1992 technology worked that well!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[az968]

Matt, do I have to do it twice for it to work ? :clap:

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[MCL968]

Depends on the model. Twice is necessary for some models, others are happy with once.

 

Which is why I stopped dating models...

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

Parking my 968 ( both of them ) on a slope has often resulted in a temporary oil level alert , which always went away after just a couple of on and off cycles, and the dipstick measurement was ok soon as the car was on level ground. BTW, this is when I parked facing uphill, no oil level alerts when facing downhill .

Facing uphill also caused some rough starting issues ( fuel rail maybe draining too much and not retaining sufficient gas ..) , but again, never a problem when parked with the nose downhill. with either the gas or with the oil level alerts.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[az968]

So I wonder if this is a normal condition. Maybe everyone could try parking g on a steep slope for 30 minutes and see what happens.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[tejon007]

Good one Matt.

 

Good one Matt.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ampegboy1]

So I wonder if this is a normal condition. Maybe everyone could try parking g on a steep slope for 30 minutes and see what happens.

 

My driveway is on a slope (c. 9º) and I always park facing uphill. The oil light will come on when I start the engine if the level has dropped by more than about 600ml from full (i.e. still more than half-full according to the dipstick, when measured on level ground).

 

Michael

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Rap]

I hope we don't have to move to CA. To do this!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.