shmelvin

my dash oil gauge is down 1 bar, how much oil do I need to bring it back up?

JTT

I've found it best to keep it 1-2 bars down from full. Easy to overfill.

wildbilly32

Year of car? On my 2005 each mark is 6.2 oz.(if I remember correctly), however JTT(above) is correct. Middle of gauge is best.

Schnell Gelb

You would be amazed how much oil eventually drains down in an M96. So the answer depends somewhat on how long the engine was stopped before you took readings.

wildbilly32

^^ Great point...

Mike Murphy

The manual specifies how much oil to add. While others like to keep the oil in the middle or just below top, I've been filling mine to the top and never had any oil smoking issues (not even on the track).

It's better to add smaller amounts and re-check in the morning, when cold, on a flat surface.

todcp

You are assuming the gauge is correct. Mine is not so I use the dipstick only.

shmelvin

thanks for all he answers, its a 2002

JTT

I've found that Jake's recommendation that the level should be checked after sitting 24hrs, seems to work best as a benchmark. When checked after 24 hrs, mine shows about 2 bars below top, then at fuel stops shows full or one bar down. Demonstrates how much is help suspended up in the engine.

Millemiglia

I read somewhere that from empty to full on the oil gauge it's about 1,25 liters, so whenever it reaches the bottom bar I top up with 1 liter bottle of Mobil 1 0W40...

Mike Murphy

Wouldn't it show less full if oil was suspended up in the engine versus when cold?

Oil expands when the temperature goes up (increases in volume) when hot versus when cold, but I'm not sure how much this contributes to the reading on the 996. It did have an effect on the air cooled cars due to the shape of the oil tank.

Macster

Shows how the oil level changes with the engine up to temperature.

With my Boxster after the car has sat overnight the oil level will be down a couple of bars. But when after the engine is fully up to temperature and I stop for fuel after refueling wehn I check the oil level it is up.

I tend to keep the engine level at the max line when the oil level is checked hot. This ensures the engine has a full load of oil but is not overfilled.

With my 996 Turbo I can't check the oil cold or with the engine stopped. But like with the Boxster I tend to keep the oil level up at the max line.

AWDGuy

I always check my oil after its sat for 24 hours and on a level surface.

dkraige

Interesting, my car does exactly the opposite. After parking overnight, it will show that it's full (which I can confirm via dipstick), but frequently after refueling with the engine hot, it will show it being very low on oil. I only trust the electronic gauge when the engine is stone cold.

AWDGuy

That's the exact behavior in my 996.