sml

I picked up my 964 this morning .. and discovered that I have a cold engine stalling problem, so that needs to be addressed. But the next problem ..

It was a cool day but driving home I notice the oil level gauge sitting in the red. I had only driven a few kms by that point. I pull over and read the manual and it mentions that the engine must be hot for an accurate reading.

So I keep driving for another 5kms. The oil temp is only about 7 o'clock but the oil level is still in the red. I pull over, read the manual and take a dipstick reading and the oil is only just on the tip of the dipstick.

So I keep driving home about 10kms total (7 miles) but I cannot get the oil temperature much above 7 o'clock and the oil level still seems low. The car was only just serviced by a reputable dealer.

Do I have problems?

ThomasC2

no problem at all. This is the "newbie question number 1". The oil level gauge only works on idle because it measures the oil level in the oil tank and not the engine. After 30 seconds on flat ground and idle yo should have the right level on the gauge. Everyting between 1-4 a clock is ok.

Temp level around 7-8 o'clock is also ok för regular driving in normal outside temprature.

So just enjoy your new ride!

Thomas

sml

hmm ... just to clarify ..

driving along the oil temp was 7-8 o-clock and oil level in red
after 60 secs of idling the oil temp was 7-8 o-clock and oil level in red

i arrived home after 10 kms (7 miles) and nothing changed from the above either driving or idling.

when I checked the dipstick a couple of times along the way, I did leave the engine idling and the level only just covered the tip of the dipstick.

GeorgeK

First and most important: Do you have oil pressure? Without that, the engine gets killed real fast.

Once you have established that you have oil pressure, get some real heat in that engine. Once the temp needle is horizontal, check first with the gauge and then (and most important) with the dipstick.

The level difference between cold and operating temperature is more than the gauge registers.

Frank 993 C4S

You might be a tad low. Just to be sure, let the car idle for 10 min until the it is hot. Then check with the dipstick and make sure you are half way between the marks. Do not overfill!! Your oil level gauge is not a reliable source for checking the real level.

race911

I've found it to be very reliable. I'd say 90+% accurate on the probably 5-6-700 911s of all air/oil cooled vintages I've had pass my way for servicing. In any case, easy enough to make an initial dipstick-to-gauge verification.

Richard Curtis

Just to clarify: To get accurate oil readings, the engine must be hot, hot, hot. This means an extended drive -- depending on ambient temperatures -- of at least 15-20 minutes, I've found, and sometimes for longer if the drive is leisurely and the ambient temps are low.

While driving, disregard the oil LEVEL gauge. Unless overfilled, the needle on the oil level gauge will always be in the red while driving. Instead, watch the oil TEMP gauge, which has three marks beginning at the bottom of the gauge, the first two of which are very close together. Under normal driving, the needle will rise to just below the third tick mark (about 8 o'clock on the gauge) and stay there until the oil gets hot enough to send the needle to slightly beyond the third tick mark. Sometimes this can take a long while, longer than you might think. When the needle goes beyond the third tick mark, the oil thermostat will open allowing oil to flow from the tank to the oil cooler. Then the needle will drop back to its "normal" place of just below the third tick mark. This is when you need to check the oil level at idle for at least 30 seconds on a flat surface. Verify the gauge reading -- which for me is the oil level needle pointing to the 3 o'clock position -- by then checking the oil dipstick, which should read halfway between the two tick marks on the dipstick.

Many folks say go by what the dipstick says and not the gauge. However, my gauge and the dipstick have always corresponded, FWIW.

This sounds confusing, but once you've done it correctly, all will be clear.

Note that overfilling the oil tank leads to problems with excess oil getting into the throttle body.

crg53

I would just like to add, if you always check your oil when the temp gauge is at the 194 degree mark, it will get there when you let it idle for a while, you will get a more consistent reading, and you will be certain that the thermostat is open.

Sultan

My oil level gauge is always in the red (even hot idle on level ground), I think its just faulty and needs to be replaced, you could have the same issue. Just check the dipstick, if you see some oil (although I struggle with checking this) then you should be fine. Aslong as there isn't an exxon valdez (or in todays world BP oil spill) under the car, chances are you have enough oil in it.

Wikkid911

A good tip to check if the engine is hot enough is to put your hand under the car at the front (in front of the tyre) and you will feel the fan come on and blow very hot air through the oil cooler grille. I wouldn't put any oil in the car until this happens which has on occasions seen my car left ticking over for 25 minutes. The Porsche dealers near me used to cover the engine cover with a blanket to speed up this process.
Its fairly easy once you get used to it as others have said. Just dont overfill or you will end up with no end of issues, as many of us have found out. Reading the dipstick is a practiced art too!

sml

Alright .. thanks guys .. the oil pressure is towards to the top ... fingers crossed the problem is that the engine is just not hot enough ... afterall i was driving along a straight road with no stops at 45mph for half and hour on a cold day so maybe that is not enough to get some warmth into the engine.

I have to get to work today so I am just going to drive it ... then drop it off at the mechanics tonight to get the idle problem sorted.

92silver964

I'm curious. Where are you that is a "cold day" now? I do know that even on a mild winter day here in Maryland USA it can take some time/effort to get the oil hot enough to make a correct oil level reading. FWIW, don't feel bad about misreading the gage - very common for new owners (did it myself).

sml

The day was 50 degrees F.

Driving in this morning, I almost got the temp to 194F temp on the guage .. but the oil level guage read about mid-way in the red. Does this seem about right?

But as it crept up towards 194F, it then dropped back down to about 122F - presumably the thermostat opened dumping more cool oil into the system?

crg53

Yes, you are correct, the thermostat opened and cooler oil starts flowing, now is the time to get on level surface and let the engine idle for 30 seconds and then check the oil level on the dipstick, it should read half way between top and bottom marks, if lower add a little oil and check again until it is right; by the sound of it, you are low by a 1/4 of a liter. Also check your gauge, it should show at about 3 o'clock.

sml

On my next trip today, it was a warmer afternoon with city traffic.

After 30 mins of driving/stopping, I finally passed the magic 194F oil temp ... I was pretty excited about that ... At that point, I just managed to read the oil level over the red zone ... it was an exciting moment ... but it didn't go any higher.

So I dropped off the car to my mechanic to fix the idle problem and I'll get him to check the oil level .. and ask for a lesson at the same time!