Hey Guys,

Sorry, I'm a bit of a newbie here...

What's the best way to reduce your oil level slightly? Should I just loosen the engine oil drain plug a bit, and then quickly tighten it again? (Or should I do this to the oil tank drain plug?) Can I do this when the car is cold, or should I let it idle for a while? (Or is there a better way to suck the oil out?)

I am getting some white smoke at idle, and a few drops of oil on the ground in my garage. The oils level is slightly higher than the highest level on the dipstick.

I JUST bought the car, and have receipts for a $6000 engine rebuild within the last 1000 km's, so I almost passed out when I saw engine oil on my garage floor. I am hoping it is due to the slightly high oil level. I bought this car because I was sure that there would be no oil leaks!

Thanks for your time.

RG.

 

Rob,

You can do a search on oil overfill; this has been covered a few times already. One common suggestion is to use a turkey baster to remove the oil from the tank.

BTW, a few drops of oil is nothing to worry about. They just like to mark their territory.

Regards,

JNeteler

 

Or a hand fuel pump if you have one handy, I did...so it was very easy to stick down the filler neck and monitor the amount I removed as I went. The baster will work fine but remember if the car is hot that oil is very hot too...sounds like I failed the evolutionary test...I managed to drip hot oil on my leg and I can assure you I wont do it again.
If it's waaay overfilled the oil should be high in the neck and will be a cinch.

 

Since you say you are newbie I'll ask the obvious first: Have you checked the oil level correctly i.e. when the oil is warm when the thermostat has opened (after a 15 minute drive) and the engine is idling on level ground? If then the level is no more than a centimetre above the max mark I would leave it to burn off naturally.

I had a big overfill and removed the engine drain while cold but that spilled out about 3 litres so had to put some back in.

 

If the engine oil is truly is "slightly higher than the highest level on the dipstick", I would not worry about it during the colder winter months and just burn it off.

The oil leaks would bother me a lot too. I would get the car in the air and see where the leaks are originating. A slight overfill of the engine oil should not create any external oil leaks. What did your PPI say about oil leaks when it was inspected?

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for the info. I've been checking the oil level properly, but wasn't sure how worried I should be about the smoke. I am taking it to the mechanic who did the engine work on Monday to see exactly what's going on back there.

Thanks for the info.

RG.

 

If you just crack the drain plug , oil will drip out at a slow rate . If you put a clean container under the drip and let it drip drip drip , you can watch how much comes out .

 

Keep in mind the 964s are notorious bed wetters - usually not a big deal.

 

I guess I'll have to manage my expectations... I am pretty upset that it's dripping considering the amount of money the previous owner spent on the engine re-build. I wonder if it's because it literally has only a few hundred km's on it since the engine work, that things are still seating and getting worked in?

Anway, I am going to visit the mechanic tomorrow, and I'll see what happens.

Cheers,

RG.

 

No adjustment of your expectations necessary. The engine should not leak after a complete rebuild if a quality job of sealing was done. There can be some leakage from some easily remedied locations after a rebuild, but if they tell you "they all do that", or anything like that, they don't know what they are doing.

 

Hey guys, sorry for the long post...

Well, came back from the mechanic who re-build my engine, and have mixed news. I looked under the car, and the engine is bone dry, but there is a bit of oil coming out of the distributor-timing cover gasket. (I think I'm describing that right... left side of car, under an exhaust pipe.)

After talking with the guy who did the rebuild for a while, he didn't seem to think it was that big if a deal. It probably isn't, but I was anticipating that the car would be perfect when I bought it. He is not willing to do anymore work on the car now, since I am not the original owner. Ug.

I then went to the best Porsche place in town here in Vancouver (Weissach) and spoke to the service manager there. He said that I should probably have my valves adjusted about 1000 km's after the fresh re-build, and that he could seal up the distributor-timing cover then. He said that the muffler will already be off, and that it should be pretty straight froward. He also recommended an oil change while he's at it. I got a great first impression from him, and he really seemed to know what he was talking about. (I didn't get the same impression from the previous mechanic.)

Does the valve adjustment sound reasonable to you guys? How much should I expect to pay for the re-seal of the distributor case at the same time? I'm OK with paying Weissach for the valve adjustment ($500) if it's necessary. I just want my car to be in top shape. Thanks for the info guys. I am finding this all a bit stressful to be honest.

Cheers. RG.

 

I sure he doesn't think it is a big deal since it isn't his car and he is walking away from the problem. apparently he doesn't mind having his name on that worrk....maybe it is the best he has ever done!

Find a place that you are comfortable with , listen to them, and your stress level will go way down.

 

Yeah, I agree. I am going to take my licks and move on.

I am still wondering though, is a valve adjustment necessary after 600 miles of an engine rebuild? And if so, does anyone know how much extra additional work sealing the timing cover should be?

Cheers.

RG.

 

Some folks will say yes to the valve adjustment soon after a rebuild. However, I'm of the opinion that if it was done correctly during the rebuild (no reason why it wouldn't be), and if it's not making a lot of ticking noise at idle (sign of a valve out of adjustment), then I wouldn't do it. However, the oil change at 1,000 miles isn't a bad idea. I've read in several places that an oil change soon after an engine rebuild is a good idea to ensure that any foreign matter that's found it's way into the engine during the rebuild will be flushed out with the oil change. However, if, indeed, the engine was actually rebuilt ... i'm not convinced that a $6,000 rebuild actually went very deep into the engine... probably just resealed it. In any case, an oil change can be pretty cheap for the peace of mind.

 

Hi Rob.
For all it is worth, I have had work done by Weissach in Vancouver and they are a top notch outfit, and you are right about Stewart, he does know what he is talking about. If I were you I would stick with Weissach as my service centre, have an oil change done, and then drive the car and enjoy it. I would also agree that a $6000 rebuilt would barely cover an engine out top end rebuilt. Feel free to call 250 748-9325

Steen