2qwik4u

Where should needle be on temp guage when checking oil?
Last oil change was 10.5 qts, where would this amount of oil typically show on dip stick after oil change? Would this amount put it in the mid point between full and empty?
I want take the advice of some folks here regarding keeping RPMS under 4k until properly warmed up. What is proper operating temp?

thanks, leo

Peter Zimmermann

Leo: Don't bother with the gauge, 20 minutes of driving is usually sufficient to get the front cooler open, which is what you want in order to check the oil level.

If your car is a 3.2 Carrera, 10.5 qts might have overfilled it, but it might be at the "max" line on the dipstick. If you have an SC the oil level is probably perfect - about halfway between "min" and "max." Remember, only check the oil with the car sitting level, idling, front cooler hot to the touch.

I usually try to be on the road for 10 minutes before exceeding 4,000-4,500 revs - I rarely look at the gauge (mine's numeric) at that point, but it's probably up to about 140; definitely off the bottom peg.

2qwik4u

I drove bout 450 miles since oil change(10.5 qts). Now oil is at middle of dip stick how much oil have I burned?

Peter Zimmermann

Calculating consumption will take a bit of effort on your part; here's how you do it:
1. Check oil regularly until it reaches the "min" line on the stick.
2. Add one quart and record your mileage.
3. Use the car, again checking the oil frequently, until the level is at the "min" line.
4. Record your mileage.
5. Subtract to get consumption.
6. Do this process three times.
7. Average your three results for true consumption.

2qwik4u

thanks pete!

2qwik4u

Pete,

If 10.5 quarts put me at max line and I put 450 miles on since, and now its at mid point isn't it consuming a lot or it can't be determined this way?

Peter Zimmermann

There is no sure way to calculate consumption with that info - sorry!

BlackPearl

One thing to keep in mind: different driving/rev's consume different amounts of oil. When I street drive or long-distance drive my consumption is low, along with my RPM's. When I DE/Track the car, I'll consume much more with higher rev's and strong lateral G's. If you like the sound of your engine above 4K RPM's, you may experience a bit more consumption of oil. Just my observations in an '83 SC.

Owner's Manual should give you a rough idea of how much oil you're engine consumes with street-driving. So do repair manuals like Bentley, etc.

Marty916

I may have over filled my '87 by a quart (11.5 total). Is there any potential for damage and should I remove the over filled amount or let it go? Thanks!!

Peter Zimmermann

Marty: It's never a good idea to drive your car in an overfilled condition. Unfortunately it's also a mess to correct the problem. At my shop we kept an old-fashioned suction gun (bought at Pep Boys) near the front door. We attached a piece of 8mm fuel hose (about 14-16" long) to it, using a hose clamp, and when our customers goofed and put too much oil in their car we could remove the oil filler cap, feed the hose down into the reservoir, and suck the right amount of oil out. If you do it this way wear work gloves, the suction gun will get very hot, and be careful to hold the hose in a way that it won't drip much when you pull it out of the fill tube. Have rags or blue paper shop towels nearby, even put a few under where the hose might drip as you move it to over your drain pan. The only alternative is to drain only the engine, add a couple of new quarts, then run the engine until it's hot enough to check. Good luck with it!

Edward

Hi Marty,

I would most definitely check your oil level again, via dipstick, when the car is hot (stinkin' hot), and on level ground idling. If you are at or above the full mark, you are at risk of oil spewing out the filler cap. Big mess, oil everywhere, lots of smoke, likely several choice words/colorful metaphors.

If you are very near the top of the dipstick, you are still at risk, but less so ...the issue is oil expanding with heat, so this level will not be a static measurement. There's the rub. Which is why many prefer their oil level at about halfway (I try never to go higher than about 5/8ths up the stick ...even lower for a car that is tracked). Hope that helps you.

Edit: just noticed, Pete beat me to it. ...Heck, just listen to him
Edward

BlackPearl

FWIW: I wait to check my oil when the temp reaches 200 to 210-F. (yeah, I have a calibrated oil-temp gauge and sender). I have to cover the decklid with a blanket and wait for the temp to rise. If I measure oil level at 185 to 200-F, it reads a bit lower on the dipstick, and gauge. At 210+, it seems most acccurate for my needs (track + street).

I've also been told to run the car on the track with more than 1/2-level oil to allow for lateral G-forces, so I run at about 2/3 to 4/5 full on the stick. Is this wise advice? (Note: '83 SC 3.0-L engine). I'm a little worried about "sloshing" thru the breather hose into the intake.

Thanks.

dshepp806

I've also been told to run the car on the track with more than 1/2-level oil to allow for lateral G-forces, so I run at about 2/3 to 4/5 full on the stick. Is this wise advice?


Wouldn't 1/3 to 1/5 be better for the track?

Best,

Doyle

Edward

OK, so may the gurus of our engine please clarify anything I may have botched...

Our aircooled engines are "dry sump" for a several reasons, chief of which is to avoid oil starvation under leteral Gs (racing ...you remember, that thing Porsche used to do decades ago).

So you've got no oil sump per se, but instead a tank with 9-or-so quarts on tap there, plus what is in the lines and cooler (if fitted), that is then pressure fed into critical places. The oil pickup feeds the tank ...a reservoir, and a large one at that. But the oil pickup does not feed the oil pump that must provide pressure into critical engine locations like bearing surfaces, cylinder walls, and such. So while a "regular" engine with wet sump does fine as the oil pickup sucks out of the trough to feed the engine, our "cool" engine ( ) relies on the pump, not a sump. Again, the tank is just a reservoir where oil can sit, "chill" a bit, and wait till it's time to do its thing. Just for contrast as an example, my old Alfa (yeah, also with a real racing heritage) has a wet sump, but one with "galleys" (like a maze) cast into the sump pan so that oil would not slosh away from the pickup under lateral loads. That and a 7-quart capacity (significant for a sub-2-litre 4 cylinder) was their solution, short of a dry sump system of course.

Yeah, super oversimplification on my part. But this is why being at the full mark at the dipstick is not only unnecessary, but superfluous (ok, maybe "superfluous" is a bit of hyperbole). Suffice it to say our engines could easily survive with much less in the tank. But the reserve in our tank also serves as a large heat sink, and obviously what "the good doctor" (and his progeny) decided on as optimal given the parameters of the engine and chassis.

Gurus, please instill wisdom where I have faltered

Edward

Peter Zimmermann

That's actually pretty good...