Boston Blazer

Greetings wise Porsche owners! I just purchased a 93 911 C2. (Please be patient with my ignorance as I have never owned a nice car!) When I was looking at the oil gauge it was in the red section even after it was running for a few minutes. Checking the dipstick showed me that there was almost no oil. I panicked and went out and bought some Mobil 1. I added 2 quarts and the dipstick didn't move, so I added another 2 quarts. At this point both the gauge and the dipstick show that I am at the top.

I realize (now) that I need to have the car running to get an accurate reading. Can I run the car if it is overfilled w/o causing damage to the engine? If I did overfill can the excess oil be taken out? TIA for any help you can provide.

doug751

TAKE ANOTHER CAR TO AUTOZONE, BUY A SYPHON PUMP AND A CHEAP BUCKET, SUCK OUT 2 OR 3 QUARTS BEFORE DRIVING.

Wikkid911

Gretings Patrick and welcome to the one of the quirks of 964 ownership. I did exactly what you've just done when I first got mine
The correct way to check the oil level is to leave the engine running until the temperature gauge gets to between 9 an 10 o'clock on the gauge. This enables all the thermostats to open and enables you to get a true reading. You can check for this by listening for the fan to come on in front of the front wheel on the drivers side (RHD) and check the level then. Having said all that its still not 100% clear how much is in there but the level gauge on the dash coupled with the dipstick should give you a good idea. I dont think you should run the engine with too much oil in it as the problems you can cause are numerous. If you've put too much in you'll have to take some out or you'll spend money fixing oil leaks you haven't got.
Good luck.

jimq

welcome! Questions without pictures?? Where are your pictures

robbed666

Don't run the car until you've removed the excess oil!!!!!!!
If you 'Hydraulic' the engine, "there will be tears before bedtime".

Bearclaw

That would take a LOT. Hopefully you're not actually 4 whole quarts overfilled. But it will find it's way through the breather and make a mess. Do a search on "oil overfill". Here's one:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...t=oil+overfill

Don't feel bad. Even my mechanic with a million years of Porsche experience overfilled mine by half a quart. Guess he was in a hurry...

JasonAndreas

At a temperature of 194F/90C (right side image) you never want the oil more than halfway (left side image).


I would be hesitant to stick anything but oil down the filler tube. The turkey baster suggestion works great for the 993 but they have something your 964 doesn't, an additional oil filter sitting between the tank and the engine. In the 964 the oil goes straight from the side tank into the engine. It is really easy to drain excess oil from the crankcase or the oil tank, just be very careful and move slowly. If you drain oil from the tank you don't even need to lift the car with a jack.

Marc Shaw

Welcome to Rennlist - you have already committed the most common new 911-owner error (been there, done that too).

You have received some good advice already - if you have not already done so, buy Adrian Streather's 964 book.

Marc

ttAmerica RoadsterAWD

HI Patrick. Welcome to Rennlist!

One minor point regarding photos posted by Jason (who you will find is an excellent resource of all types of Porsche info), the photo in the right shows the temp that one could check oil level, but remember the engine has to be running at idle for at least one minute (photo seems to be right at shutoff as there is no pressure, or maybe the sending unit is out).

D_Schultz

And if your oil pressure is as shown with the car running... the oil level isn't gonna matter

David S.

'93 Carrera 4 with oil level currently just a couple hairs over the halfway point as shown referenced in the image because the darned bottle of 0W40 pours so quickly & wasn't using a funnel.

JasonAndreas

or they were photoshopped...

The gauges have since been cleaned up so I will take some new photos with the correct idle pressure, etc. these look absolutely hideous and were originally taken to document the plastic film delaminating.

ttAmerica RoadsterAWD

Oh yeah. Good points! You guys must have the scientific **** retention to trouble shoot stuff...I like it!

Also, regarding oil level check this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/964-turbo-forum/284791-mysterious-oil-level-gauge.html

Jaime

Boston Blazer

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info! Using the turkey baster worked the best. I was able to drain 2+ quarts. I'll try the syphon pump for the rest but that is really slow going.
This has certainly been an interesting first week as a Porsche owner. I'm grateful that there are so many helpful/knowledgable enthusiats out there. Again many thanks!

AOW162435

Jason,
Any thoughts on what caused this over the years? Is it heat from the lightbulbs, or simply a matter of age?

Andreas

last toy

Patrick, good decision in cars and websites. There is absolutely no question considered "dumb" on this site that the members will not respond to with respect. I've seen guys that have rebuild their cars from the ground up and sometimes ask questions that seem obvious (left brain/right brain syndrome) Do yourself a favor and read the owners manual, it is a good start to understand this unique vehicle with its built-in quirks. Read the threads here in your spare time to pick up instant knowledge even about issues that don't effect you. It's like using Cliff Notes. Also, you need to routinely check the oil levels with the dip stick after long runs on hot days. The oil level guage is erratic with the car in motion but usually should be at the mid range when idling for awhile.

Go to www.bentleypublishers.com and order Andrian Streather's Porsche 911 Enthusiast's Companion for 1989-1994 porsches for 50 bucks. easy reading and user friendly. Use that and this site before dumping big bucks at a shop to address a problem. You may not be able to fix your own problems but at least you won't get hosed for unnecessary expensive repairs. Finally, find a shop whose techs own Porsches themselves. They will treat you fairly. Welcome aboard and when you read about mods and "the slope", hide your check book.