Just bought and 987 S Smoke on start up
 

Hey guys,

just wondering if anyone one of you could advice me, so I bought a 06 Cayman S and all seemed fine however I did notice the Oil gauge read to the top but the seller said the oil was changed not long ago so I didn’t really look in to it.

However after doing some reading when I got home I noticed this means it’s overfilled!! So tomorrow I’m off to get the oil dropped and corrected.

BUT I noticed when starting it today the car smokes while it’s cold once it’s up to temp it seems to stop, the smoke smells of oil and the tail pipe seems pretty black.

would this be a sign of it been overfilled or could it be the AOS?

Yes it is overfilled; not a good condition at all for the excess oil causes havic withe the AOS, intake getting oil, MAF sensor getting gooked up and not good for the O2 sensors. Can be costly if not taken care of quick.

Keep the RPM’s down until you get the oil level corrected.

Oil capacity between minimum and maximum marks is 1.2 liters; each cube .4 liters. Tot capacity 7.75 liters. your display is maxed out. No telling how much over it is. Either way no good. I do my own oil changes 2007 CS and car does not consume any 5W-40 LiquiMolly that I run. I also only fill to 2nd cube which equates to 7 liters which is Plenty of oil. I do not track car but drive it like its meant to b driven.

Cheers guys, I just hope it wasn’t like that for too long before I bought it.

my fingers are crossed that no CEL light or white smoke coming out is a sign things maybe resolved after the oil correction.

I should have bloody known when the seller pointed the oil cap out to me saying he’s never put coolant in only oil!

Id do the oil change myself but I think in the case it’s better I let people who know what they are doing check everything over and swap it over.

Just to update had the oil dropped was 2.5 litre over!

Not sure how long it will take to clear out but hopefully the smoke issue will be resolved :)

the guys arent sure if the cars been remapped which could also explain some of the smoke as it’s had quite a few bits done to it

2.5 liters over you no doubt have a lot of residual oil in places where it shouldn't be and in places where it is not going away on its own. IE air intake ; MAF sensor. Your mechanics should know this. Inquire about, you wont regret!

Don't let this get u down on the car for it is a great one!! Enjoy mate!!

Just curious. How long did the previous owner own the car?

Also, does the engine make any ticking sounds while idling?

Are the tail pipes covered in caked on soot of does it look like it is fairly fresh?

2.5 quarts over? That's almost impossibly stupid. Sounds like you're lucky.

I agree. I think it was overfilled to cover up an engine issue.

As I was watching him change my oil, my friend the Porsche master tech at my local dealer told me he sees Boxsters/Caymans overfilled by other techs all the time. FWIW 2.5qts? That is extreme.

Cheers mate, I have it booked in for a full service and transmission change in a weeks time so will tell him the current situation.
The previous owner had it a year, the engine was rebuilt at 98k and it’s now on 113k, the guy didn’t seem like he had a clue about cars just that he was buying a Tesla next. I would say the soot looks kind of old to be honest.

no ticking really just the very light ticking which I believe is normal.
I really hope so.

I really hope it’s a case of the previous owner obsessing over the oil gauge everytime he got in and not to cover over any engine issue.


i ran and drove the car with very mixed driving over a few hours since the oil drop and the car currently seems to driving very well, no stutters, Misfiring or issues starting.

there was no smoke once the car go to temperature, I did wonder about the AOS but wouldn’t that cause smoke when the cars under heavy load and idle issues?

Do you know if the engine rebuild included having the cylinders machined out and replaced? If not, the rebuild didn't fix the issue I think you have with your engine.

My recommendation would be to take the car to a specialist who can use a boroscope to check your cylinders for scoring. It's a common problem with these engines. Just check the 996 forum to see how often bore scoring is popping up.

I think checking the AOS is not a bad idea, but having the cylinders checked should be on the top of your list.

The telltale sign for bore scoring is a ticking sound and smoke and oil coming out of the exhaust.

I feel like the previous owner realized the engime is dying so he added a lot of oil to quiet it down to sell.

I hope I'm wrong. Having the cylinders checked is something you should do anyway.

Good luck!

It had bores 4/5/6 sent for engine liner replacement, new pistons, rings, seals, gasket plugs and belts and heads sent for cleaning and valves re seated.

hope your wrong also as I don’t fancy a rebuild cost right now.

fingers crossed!

The engine oil capacity per the manual is 10 liters, however, not all of it drains out during an oil change. You only need to replace 7.5 liters. Hence the tendency to overfill by 2.5 l.

EDIT: Actually these values are for 981. But I think 987 are similar.