Oil consumption on a 981 2014 Boxster S
10-07-2018, 06:40 PM
#2
Instructor
My brothers 2011 Cayenne eats oil, every few months it gets low, but i always wondered if the other sports cars do that or if its just a Porsche thing, ill await some experts to chime in , im also curios to see if the 981's consume oil an dhow much on average.
10-07-2018, 07:13 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
That doesn’t seem very excessive. I would just continue to track it and look for any significant change.
I’ve found my 987.2 consumes less oil if I fill it one bar below full.
I’ve found my 987.2 consumes less oil if I fill it one bar below full.
10-07-2018, 07:56 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
If I did my conversions correctly you’re consuming ~ 1.38 quarts of oil per 2,485 miles.
if that’s correct then I’d say that is abnormal oil consumption.
How many total miles are on the car ?
Are you sure there’s no oil leaks ?
Any visible signs oil being burnt - blue smoke from the exhaust ?
Are the tail pipes on your car clean or is there signs of oily residue or heavy soot on them.
For reference my 2016 CGTS with 16,320 miles on it has only used 3 / 4 of a quart of oil. At 6,500 miles I added a 1/2 quart, shortly after that I had the oil changed. At 14,500 miles I added a 1 / 4 of a quart.
if that’s correct then I’d say that is abnormal oil consumption.
How many total miles are on the car ?
Are you sure there’s no oil leaks ?
Any visible signs oil being burnt - blue smoke from the exhaust ?
Are the tail pipes on your car clean or is there signs of oily residue or heavy soot on them.
For reference my 2016 CGTS with 16,320 miles on it has only used 3 / 4 of a quart of oil. At 6,500 miles I added a 1/2 quart, shortly after that I had the oil changed. At 14,500 miles I added a 1 / 4 of a quart.
10-07-2018, 10:41 PM
#6
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oil consumption on my 981 2014 boxster S
My 981 2014 boxster S has 40,000. km. or around 25000miles. The last 4000 km.or around 2500miles the 3.4l.engine took 1.2pint of mobil 1 oil (normal or not)
No blue smoke upon start up...the tip of the exhaust pipe is black with soot and the bumper retains very small specs of burnt oil...no oil is to be found on the ground...and there are NO clakering or ticking sounds coming from the engine bay. Thanks for your input. Jacques
No blue smoke upon start up...the tip of the exhaust pipe is black with soot and the bumper retains very small specs of burnt oil...no oil is to be found on the ground...and there are NO clakering or ticking sounds coming from the engine bay. Thanks for your input. Jacques
10-07-2018, 11:50 PM
#7
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I have 35,500 miles on my 2016 BS, 19 track days. I can drive 3,500 miles and the oil level in the in dash display does not move to show level has changed from my last oil change and fill. I always fill up to where the fourth segment does not light up, but the third one is, per the recommendation in the GT4 track use manual that came with the GT4 I owned for a while.
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10-08-2018, 11:00 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
My 981 2014 boxster S has 40,000. km. or around 25000miles. The last 4000 km.or around 2500miles the 3.4l.engine took 1.2pint of mobil 1 oil (normal or not)
No blue smoke upon start up...the tip of the exhaust pipe is black with soot and the bumper retains very small specs of burnt oil...no oil is to be found on the ground...and there are NO clakering or ticking sounds coming from the engine bay. Thanks for your input. Jacques
No blue smoke upon start up...the tip of the exhaust pipe is black with soot and the bumper retains very small specs of burnt oil...no oil is to be found on the ground...and there are NO clakering or ticking sounds coming from the engine bay. Thanks for your input. Jacques
Based on this information I think you are fine but I personally would continue to monitor your oil consumption.
I think what you are seeing is how the 981 cars measure the oil, it’s really not a perfect system IMO and there’s some odd rules to checking the oil.
Here’s some info to support my statement.
Below is some info I cut and pasted from another thread:
Just to clarify, when you see the oil level, you're no longer getting a good read. Instead, you're reading the level the last time the car had reached full operating temperature. Thus if you use the car occasionally and run mostly short errands, you may be looking at out-of-date information. When you open the rear hatch and it stays open for a short time, the old information is erased, not to be replaced by new info until, once again, you reach full operating temperature. This is the price of Porsche's foolish decision to take away our dip sticks--a move that makes perfect sense for a Civic driven by a non-enthusiast, but utterly nuts for Porsches.
https://www.planet-9.com/981-cayman-...oil-level.html
Another cut and paste from another thread:
For the oil level, everything between full (4 green squares) and minimum (one green square) will be considered correct.
Thus, one should always have - at least - one green square lighted.
To have peace of mind, I would advise you to always have 3 green squares lighted... Every green square is equivalent to 0,425 l of oil: the engine takes 7,5 l (with oil filter change).
10-08-2018, 06:15 PM
#9
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Thank you very much for your inputs. I very much appreciate your experiences. I have decided to do a oil consumption test with my local Porsche dealer since i still have one more year of warranty by the manufacturer. Jacques
10-08-2018, 08:40 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
Good luck and please report back on your findings.
10-08-2018, 09:27 PM
#11
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Does the owner’s manual indicate what is tolerable? It’s usually close to 1 quart per 600 miles that is the limit that would prompt a rebuild.
Some engines just use a lot more oil than others. My M5 would use a quart every 700 miles and even that was considered above the threshold in the manual. My Mini Cooper used oil. The wife’s 2 BMW didn’t. My Boxster S used a little, bit my 911 uses hardly any.
I wouldn’t worry too much. The important thing is to track it and see if it gets worse.
Some engines just use a lot more oil than others. My M5 would use a quart every 700 miles and even that was considered above the threshold in the manual. My Mini Cooper used oil. The wife’s 2 BMW didn’t. My Boxster S used a little, bit my 911 uses hardly any.
I wouldn’t worry too much. The important thing is to track it and see if it gets worse.
11-03-2020, 03:12 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Oil consumption on a 981 2014 Boxster S
Replying on this thread hoping for some additional input. I have a 2014 Boxster S, since new. Oil has been changed every 10k miles or year. I havenever had to add oil or even noticed the gauge drop more than 1 line (which appears to be less than a half qt) between oil changes. There have been 7 oil/filter changes all performed at the Porsche dealership. Car is used for in town driving, trips, and HPDE.
Since the last oil change in September this year, ~1,800 miles, I have added 2.5 qts.I do not see any leakage leaving marks on the floor and no noticeable smoke in the exhaust. I have had 5 track days in this same time frame.
What options are there to understand potential causes? Should this step change be of concern?
TIA!
Since the last oil change in September this year, ~1,800 miles, I have added 2.5 qts.I do not see any leakage leaving marks on the floor and no noticeable smoke in the exhaust. I have had 5 track days in this same time frame.
What options are there to understand potential causes? Should this step change be of concern?
TIA!
11-03-2020, 03:55 PM
#13
Check to make sure your oil plug is torqued properly. I have personally experienced some oil loss with an oil plug that was not torqued to spec. No drips on the floor. The pan was a bit damp, but not excessive to the point that I would have thought it lost that much oil.
Also check around the oil filter. They could have messed up (or removed and forgotten to replace) the gasket on the filter cap.
Keep us up to date whatever you figure out. I also recommend getting your oil analyzed (Blackstone) at your next oil change. If you do have an engine problem, it will show up there.
Also check around the oil filter. They could have messed up (or removed and forgotten to replace) the gasket on the filter cap.
Keep us up to date whatever you figure out. I also recommend getting your oil analyzed (Blackstone) at your next oil change. If you do have an engine problem, it will show up there.
11-03-2020, 07:41 PM
#14
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Replying on this thread hoping for some additional input. I have a 2014 Boxster S, since new. Oil has been changed every 10k miles or year. I havenever had to add oil or even noticed the gauge drop more than 1 line (which appears to be less than a half qt) between oil changes. There have been 7 oil/filter changes all performed at the Porsche dealership. Car is used for in town driving, trips, and HPDE.
Since the last oil change in September this year, ~1,800 miles, I have added 2.5 qts.I do not see any leakage leaving marks on the floor and no noticeable smoke in the exhaust. I have had 5 track days in this same time frame.
What options are there to understand potential causes? Should this step change be of concern?
TIA!
Since the last oil change in September this year, ~1,800 miles, I have added 2.5 qts.I do not see any leakage leaving marks on the floor and no noticeable smoke in the exhaust. I have had 5 track days in this same time frame.
What options are there to understand potential causes? Should this step change be of concern?
TIA!
BTW - noticed you're in Alabama - what weight oil are you using? You should be using a 5W-40 or 5W-50. 0W-40 is for when the car will be used after sitting for an extended time in freezing temperatures.
Last edited by deilenberger; 11-03-2020 at 07:43 PM.
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11-03-2020, 08:28 PM
#15
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I think the clue is 5 track days. I'd assume you're pretty much revving the **** out of it on a track-day and that will make an engine consume oil. The option to understand potential causes is - if you stop doing track days does it stop using oil?
BTW - noticed you're in Alabama - what weight oil are you using? You should be using a 5W-40 or 5W-50. 0W-40 is for when the car will be used after sitting for an extended time in freezing temperatures.
BTW - noticed you're in Alabama - what weight oil are you using? You should be using a 5W-40 or 5W-50. 0W-40 is for when the car will be used after sitting for an extended time in freezing temperatures.
Note I said "everything connected to the engine". It may be the air-oil separator is not operating correctly causing a pressure imbalance where higher pressure exists in the crankcase than the engine is designed for and the vacuum in the intake side of the engine can lead to oil finding its way around the piston rings. This is only one possible scenario of many that could be leading to excessive oil consumption. Worst case it bore scoring or abnormal piston ring condition, or less worse, valve guides are leaking badly (also would be made worse by an improperly functioning AOS).
It does not hurt a Porsche engine to "drive the ****" out of it on track as long as you fully warm the engine up first, have good clean oil in it, and have a properly functioning cooling system for the engine. Keep an eye on the oil and water temps with a real data system, not the dash display that lies to you constantly (why Porsche does this, I'll never know).
@Kinderelk, 2.5 qts in 1,800 miles, if that is accurate, is definitely an indication that something isn't correct, and some investigations need to be made into the cause. Hope for the best for you, maybe it's something relatively easy to resolve like the AOS.
Last edited by okie981; 11-03-2020 at 08:34 PM.