Quadcammer

right, of course not. But if the difference between showing on the stick and being halfway is about .75 a quart, if the stick shows anything, you're perfectly fine.

Guess what, I'm never sure what my oil level is.

I pour in 10qts when I change the oil, every time. When my gauge stops coming up at idle, I add about 1/4 of a quart.

My point with all this was that being fussy over minute differences on the dipstick is absolutely pointless given how much extra oil is in the system and its dry sump nature.

vincer77

Someone mentioned a napkin trick. Sounds like it might be what I do. I use a paper towel in one hand and spin the dipstick on it. Th oil mark left on towel will show the level.

nine9six

A true shop towel, such as sold at Costco, should be lint free.

Wipe dipstick clean and dry, reinsert and lay on a shop towel for oil level.

Drisump

Yes, personally I try to hit the mid point between HI and LOW during a change and don't add any until a full quart can fit (and still be close to mid range). I have an 85 as well as a 993, and both seem to use considerably more oil when you try to keep the level in the higher ranges of the dipstick. I'm not sure why these engines operate that way but anecdotally many guys have experienced the same. I reason that the more oil the 993 burns, the more likely that the infamous CEL problem will occur Cheers.

nine9six

You do realize that a Check Engine Light (CEL) can be for any number of reasons, yes?

I think you might be referring to the Secondary Air Injection (SAI) CEL (Secondary air System, code P1411, cylinders 4-6)) & (Secondary air System, code P0410, cylinders 1-3) specifically, yes?

While all codes listed in the attachment will not throw a CEL, many of them will.

See attached file for possible Trouble Codes...

Drisump

Yes I do realize that the CEL can illuminate for a variety of reasons. The one reason that seems to cause the most grief and hassle however is the clogging of the secondary air system by burnt oil. Nice colour by the way....I've got one just like it.

NYC993

You got that backwards. The only grief from SAI CEL is that you have nothing wrong with the car but can't pass emissions in many states. This is one CEL you can have and keep driving without worrying that something is wrong with your car. SAI is just the most common reason for CEL.

Drisump

Unless I've been grossly misinformed, I know that the tube that feeds the SAI may clog and result in a CEL illumination. I'm simply saying that an illumination of the CEL due to the clogging of the SAI system is a possibly minor, but potentially expensive PITA to rectify ....even though in itself doesn't necessarily mean real internal problems with the engine or any accompanying performance penalty. Anyway I'm always interested in broadening my knowledge base on my car, please feel free to enlighten me. Cheers

NYC993

Yep makes sense, but you said none of this above, hence the confusion.

vincer77

The SAI issue is pretty easily addressed with an SAI system flush and valve replacement. I did this maintenance, but have not been able to drive the car enough to set the monitors. Keeping my fingers crossed.