CG901

Got the 993 home last night (first Porsche) and while driving noticed oil level indicator was totally at the bottom during entire time. This morning, pulled the dip stick and bone dry. There was reasonable oil temperature and pressure reading during the trip home.
Should I add oil, or warm it up well first, then check the stick per the owner's manual?

inkatouring

check per manual. Car must be at operating temp and running to measure oil level. With engine running, but not idling, gauge should be at bottom, so what you observed is normal. Many many discussions on this that you can find throuigh the search, but basic procedure is to check when car is warm (oil temp gauge around the 9 o'clock position) on level ground with motor running, after it has idled for 30 second.

CG901

Thanks. Will do this. Is it typical to find no oil on the stick when the car is cold having sat overnight?

Makmov

Yup, per manual.

No way of knowing what you are doing without it properly warmed up to operating temp. It is very easy to overfill when you do it other than prescribed. Make sure the t-stat is working and opened.

I am fully aware of the double edge sword of having it low on oil.

Makmov

It can be, especially if it's not running when you check it.

Resident Sicko

Once at operating temp and at idle on LEVEL ground, oil level should be in the middle of the "twist". Check a few times before adding oil as can be difficult to see if oil is clean. If dipstick is stained, use scotch brite or other non-detergent pad to brighten so oil will be seen easier.
Silly gauge is to be ignored for the most part...Oil pressure and oil temp are the only ones I watch.

Mike J

I have calibrated quite a few now - i do it as part of an oil change sequence. With a bit of adjustment, you can get the oil level gauge to read quite accurate, but for some reason most seem to read low from the factory.

Cheers

Mike

Stewart

The level guage may read all over the place when driving (not necessarily at the bottom of the scale). From memory, the manual refers that the guage should not be relied upon when driving. So as everyone says, the guage is only a guide - top up the oil if the guage shows a low reading (when oil is at operating temp and the car is idling on level ground), but it's worth checking the dipstick as well in case the guage is faulty. The top of the twist on the stick is the max fill level - many owners prefer to not fill to the max, especially for the turbo as too much oil can be as bad as too little.

inkatouring

Mike, is the adjustment something a competent DIYer can accomplish? If so, what is the procedure?

Makmov

Yes.

The sender is in the tank side accessed through the passenger side or RT side wheel well and it is a matter of loosening and repositioning to get a correct reading at the gauge.

Mike J

Yup, pretty easy, but its not a matter of repositioning.

Next time when you do an oil change, remove the fender liner that covers that main oil filter. If you look at the oil tank, you will notice the sender unit half way up the tank - its the unit with 6 small nuts holding it down, and a wire leading to it. Undo the 6 nuts, and **gently** pry the sender unit from the tank. Sometimes it comes off easy, sometimes the rubber gasket sticks to the tank and/or the unit. BE GENTLE.

Ok, the unit is off, pull it out a bit and you will see it consists of a float, an arm connecting the arm to the sensor unit itself. You cannot pull it totally out of the tank without disconnecting the wire, but you do not have to. The idea is to change when the float reacts to the oil level. If the gauge reads low (i.e. the tank is 1/3 full but the gauge is not registering), then bend the arm with two pliers so the float hits the oil level earlier, i.e. bend it downwards. The same goes for the opposite, bend the arm so the float goes upwards if the gauge is show a higher level than it is. I put a gentle bend about half way between the sender unit and the float.

In all cases that I have done (maybe 10 so far), the float always needed to engage the oil earlier, i.e. the gauge read low.

The bend is not much, perhaps 10 degrees. Reinstall the unit and bolt it down, you are done! You can do this over a few oil changes (or in-between since the oil level resting is below the opening I think), until you get it to where it accurately reflects the dipstick when the car is at full operating temperature, running and on a level surface for 30 seconds or more.

Cheers

Mike

boulderbobo

^^^good stuff here ^^^

Thanks Mike!



Bob-

inkatouring

Ditto. Mine reads low, of course.

Slow Guy

Deja vu

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ight=oil+level

Mike J

Yeah, about 90% of my posts now are duplicates!