JeffW

I'm new to this and I wasn't sure what type of oil you guys use in early 911's so I thought I would ask since I'm about a quart low. Mainly what weight oil. Also My oil pressure seems to be low but I think that is the result of being a quart low.

Thanks,
Jeff

Bill Gregory

The first place to look is your owners handbook. Failing that, in a March 2000 Porsche Technical Bulletin, summarized in "Porsche Approved Engine Oils" by Allan Caldwell in PCA "Panorama", October 2000, the following oils are approved by Porsche for all 4,6, and 8 cylinder Porsche's from 1973 to current models:

Manufacturer/Name Weight

Castrol/Syntec 5W-50
Exxon Superflo Supreme Spec . 15W-40
Mobil 1 5W-30, 10W-30, 15W-50
Sun Oil/Sunoco Synturo Gold 5W-40
Texaco/Havoline Formulat 3 Synth 5W-40
Valvoline/High Performance Syn. 5W-30

Where you are has a bearing. In Tucson you're coming out of the cooler months, so it only gets warmer. I'd be running something in a 15w-50 (My choice would be Mobil 1). You probably know already to check your oil with the engine warmed up on flat ground, and to fill it so it's about half way between the two marks on the dipstick.

Jay H

As always, Bill has great info above.

My 911's have always been filled with 20W 50 (dino) oil. The dealer that has always serviced my cars uses Castrol products. I've also used Valvoline Racing 20W 50 as well.

JeffW

Am I going to hurt anything if I don't know what oil is inthe car currently? I don't know if synthetic and regular oil mix. The car was in california so I'm not sure what they used there. I may just do a complete oil change on it. I kinda want to check the spark plugs too.

thanks

Walt

Dino and synthetic will mix fine, several manufacturers even offer a mixed blend. If you don't have any history on the last oil change I would drain and refill fresh.

Walt
82SC
Member

Jay H

I agree with Walt. Just do a full oil change and then you know exactly where you stand on that issue.

CN

[quote]Originally posted by Jay H:
<strong>As always, Bill has great info above.

My 911's have always been filled with 20W 50 (dino) oil. The dealer that has always serviced my cars uses Castrol products. I've also used Valvoline Racing 20W 50 as well.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Ditto on the 20W 50 oils mentioned above. I switched to the Castrol from Valvoline Racing due to availability. Both are great, low leakage on the older engines.

JeffW

Which weight is best for arizona then? It's going to be around 100+ degrees in a month or so...

CN

[quote]Originally posted by JeffW:
<strong>Which weight is best for arizona then? It's going to be around 100+ degrees in a month or so...</strong><hr></blockquote>

Go HEAVY <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

911 in Boston

Been using Mobil 1 15w50 year round in New England. The engine is loosening up (ie: modest consumption) after 135k no-rebuild miles and this heavy synthetic seems to be best.
I'm interested in anyone's experience with Swepco engine oil. There tranny oil, especially for the 915, is legendary but I've heard the engine oil improves valve noise and is a good product. Any thoughts?

HarryD

As an aside, the dip stick in the car has a 2 quart range. Most folks usually keep it to the low side to prevent the oil from sloshing over into the the air intake via the breather tube.

Geoffrey

A couple of other points of interest. While regular and synthetic oil mix fine, some people have had problems with synthetic oil causing oil leaks in older engines with lots of miles. I've experienced that with Mobil 1 in a Nissan Z car. Synthetic oil is a must for a turbo car where the oil breaks down faster due to the increased temperatures, but may or may not have any advantages in a naturally aspirated car assuming you change the oil and filter frequently.

Warren Halsey

I have been using Shell Rotella T 15w-40 for years in all types of engines (motorcycles to 928 to 911). It is readily available (any truckstop), very high quality and not too expensive. It was developed for heavy duty truck usage and exceeds all gasoline engine specifications.
I have many years in the lubricants business and I change oil frequently (no extended drain intervals for me, please). I also do engine oil analysis with every oil change. The spectrochemical analysis provides an engine oil profile. Over time, it can signal impending doom by analyzing wear metals, additive levels, fuel dilution and viscosity. My Volvo Turbo has been documented and my 911 has just begun. Cost is minimal. Easy to accomplish and mail off too. Could be a good resale tool. I get peace of mind from oil analysis.

ked

I concur w/ you on Rotella T; used it for many years on my Alfas (aluminum engine, 7 qts.) & BMWs. Also was recommended to me by a fleet truck owner-operator. (These guys know powerplant O&M)

I have found Kendall GT1 to be very high quality (plus, all that Kendall support at the Glen over the years!), then Castrol & Valvoline. Havoline is said by "people in the biz" to be very good value, but Quaker State seems to have had some negative connotations. Now I run Mobil1 in a 90K mi. '87 Carrera, no leaks (knock wood!).