STLPCA

During 11 years of Cayman ownership (987CS, 3.8l turbo 987CS & GT4) I've never had an issue with the oem drain plug. The key to avoiding deformation is to FULLY seat the hex socket into the plug and, of course, not to over torque.

eagle1960

Some folks get confused and think the plug uses a star wrench which will screw things up. It's a hex!

terbiumactivated

Or Allen wrench of you're from the old days and as stlpca noted making sure you have them seated properly is important. I would add to eagle's comment that said wrench sets come in metric and SAE and of course the Porsche is metric. Now you can probably manipulate it out with the SAE set but of course that is going to distort the plug too.

PS Merry Christmas everyone.

Macster

That is exactly right. Did my 2002 Boxster oil changes a number of times with no problems. Then had the oil changes done at a dealer. Once in a pinch when I needed to leave town on short notice and the engine needed an oil change I took the car to quickie lube place with the oil, new filter, o-ring, new sealing ring, torque specs, even brought along my Snap-On 3/8" drive torque wrench.

All went well, or so I thought, until next time the engine needed an oil change and I took it to the dealer. The tech had a heck of a time getting the drain plug out. Seems the previous tech at the quickie lube place failed to insert the tool bit all the way and when he torqued the drain plug down he seriously deformed the drain plug tool bit hole. The tech managed to get the drain plug out but the drain plug was shot. Fortunately he had a spare on hand and used it as a replacement. I immediately went to the parts department and ordered two. When they came in I gave one to the tech and put the other one in the center console storage bin.

In over 320K miles of use with 64 oil changes (every 5K miles) the drain plug has only needed to be replaced just that once.

AWOL

Good tips in this thread, thanks.

Does it matter if the engine is warm vs cold when doing an oil change? I'd assume the oil will be more viscous when warm, but are particulates also more likely to be suspended in the oil vs laying settled in the oil pan if you run the engine before performing the oil change?

Macster

The techs tell me they can tell when the ring has not been replaced, has been reused. There is a bit of oil seepage from around the drain plug.

The sealing ring is designed to prevent metal to metal contact between the aluminum sump plate drain hole and the aluminum drain plug. While the ring's color might have one guessing it is aluminum the ring is a silicon bronze alloy. Very hard. Look at a used one and notice how little deformation there is.

Without the ring the two aluminum parts could gall and then there is a leak. Trouble is while one can replace the drain plug the sump is not so easy or inexcpensive to replace.

terbiumactivated

As I said, I do it but I consider it a bit Porsche ish. Like changing my RBF brake fluid every twenty four months, I do it but consider it overkill.

STLPCA

Actually, Motul RBF (in either "flavor") is more hygroscopic than most of the less expensive "performance" fluids (albeit with a lower bp) and should be changed at least annually. As an aside, IMHO track use is really the only logical reason to spend more to use RBF 600/660.

terbiumactivated

I like Motul products, (at least I did) I dawdle on the Porsche. My Ford is a 2011, has fifty grand on it, guess what brake fluid is in it? The stuff it was delivered with that's what. Oh the humanity, how does it stop? How does it do it? You do realize most people driving around don't do dick with their brake fluid unless they lose some during a repair or brake job. I'll look into the other products the last thing I want to do is change brake fluid every 12 months, in fact if you like another one please tell me which one you like. People in the seventies kept the same fluid in their brakes sometimes for the LIFE of the car, true fact. That might not have been the best practice but is was common and I suspect with people who don't think much about their car but point A to B it still is.

PS I emailed Motul, lets see what they say about the claim it is so hygroscopic it needs a 12 month interval. This sounds a lot like the K&N versus paper filter scandal of earlier this year. I will report back if they respond.

terbiumactivated

OK So it took a while but two emails and two phone calls later and I have the following to report. Motul RBF is specifically formulated to resist water accumulation (hygroscopic absorption). They claim their product is equal or superior to their competition regarding this potential. They deny any claims that RBF is inferior to any of their competition. Is that marketing talking? Maybe, make of it what you will, personally I doubt their product is of any less quality than any other selection or more hygroscopic and likely superior to many choices out there.