Dock

How low?

manny_g

two bars above the lowest reading. its been just over a year since i have changed the oil but have only driven the car approx 3.5k miles since the last change.

Dock

If that is an accurate reading, that oil level alone would not cause any oil pressure problems.

Dock

And based on this, I'd say that your oil measuring system is probably working normally.

Macster

As for oil pressure readings the ones you're seeing fall into the acceptable range.

These oil pressure gages are not the most accurate. The one in my car for example jumps about in a way no oil pressure reading could jump about.

The needle will fall from say 3 bar to under 2 bar then just as quick jump back again. Tech says the sender is questionable. Car going in for a clutch accumulator this week so I'll see about having that sensor replaced as well. (Car still covered by a CPO warranty, thank Goodness!)

If the oil level low enough to affect oil pressure reading then the oil level is way too low, and you've noticed it way too late.

Air or oil heavily mixed with air is being fed to engine vitals and that ain't good.

With these cars and their built in oil level display there's no reason to get caught with low oil level. There are varying opinions but I prefer to avoid running the oil level right down to the lowest bars. Some even wait IIRC for the oil level's lowest bar to flash. Oh the horror.

Right now my car's oil level is 2 bars under full when parked in my parking space. At work with a tiny up slope the oil level is 3 bars under full.

At worst I'll add enough oil to bring it up to full if the oil level drops just one more bar. At best I'll remember to add some oil to the thing when I leave the office tonight, enough oil to bring the oil level up to 1 bar under the max line or even the max line.

That your car's oil pressure display is not showing a reduced oil pressure even though the oil level is low is what I would expect.

However, and this is a big however, you don't say how low the oil level is by the oil level display. I hope the level is not at the min line or God forbid even lower... If it is add enough of the proper type of oil to bring the level to near the max line before you do anything else.

In fact, I'd advise you to not even start the engine but add the oil -- a half a quart -- then start the engine and get it hot enough to due a proper oil level check and then if the oil level still low (it shouldn't be too low or there is possibly something wrong with the oil level sensor/display) add a bit more oil until the level comes to a bar or two of the max line.

Really the oil pressure gage is there for show. While it is cool to have and I do look at it it is just to note the oil pressure readings at various rpms.

Were I to see the oil pressure at hot idle instead of being 2 bar indicate 1 bar and consistently at hot idle I'd certainly have the engine's oil pressure tested and if it is ok then something in the oil pressure sensor/gage/display system is flaky and I'd have it diagnosed and fixed.

I'd never tear into an engine based on what some built in oil pressure display indicated. I'd have the oil pressure verified by a trained tech using the proper oil pressure test gage (though in the past I have checked oil pressures of various engines myself with a proper oil pressure gage) and have the tech make an assessment based on what he found.

Almost certainly he'd find the oil pressure at the engine ok and then of course suspicion would turn to the oil pressure sender, something in the oil pressure display system/circuit because it it not accurately reflecting the engine's true oil pressure.

The oil level display is a critical piece of the car's engine monitoring electronics. Every time the oil is changed you or whoever changes the oil should use this opportunity to verify the oil level display system is working properly.

Then use the oil level display to check the oil level. I check the oil level at least once per every day at least checking the oil just before I shut off the engine so I know the oil is ok when it is time to use the car the next time.

When I'm traveling -- driving lots of miles per day -- I check the oil level before I shut off the engine prior to every refueling stop or motel stop.

If I'm driving about town in city traffic at a long light I'll use that time to check the oil level.

I'm not **** about the oil level -- the engine's oil consumption is quite low -- but I want to know if at any time or over a span of time the oil level starts to change, drop (or go higher). If it drops that might be the sign of an oil leak, or some internal engine problem (rare but...) or just a sign the oil level display/sensor is going bad.

Whatever it is, I want to know sooner rather than later.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Dock

Manny said it was two bars above minimum.

Land Jet

I forget where I read it but Porsche said that the intermediate shaft problem is caused by running the oil level low. I keep it filled to the max fill line now.

jcb-memphis

Thanks Larry!

I have done one bar under max to avoid smoke at DE's....told that if over max you get some overflow on hard G's...not sure if this is true, but seems real. Not really a big deal if you think about it though, 0.2L wasted if at a DE. So, I am going to join you now at full all the time.....

5w-50.

Jeff

Kevinmacd

Here is someting crazy I noticed after changing my oil to 5W-50 M1. Just might be coincidence. If I am cruising at 2K, & I step on the throttle a little bit, the oil pressure guage goes for a little over 4 bars, quickly drops to just above 3.5 bars and settles out to the above 4 bars as would be expected. Oil is full, and when just cruising it stays steady. Seems to only happen around 2K on the tach. Seems to me that since this is a dry sump engine and oil pressure is a direct relation to engine speed that the oil pressure should either stay steady or rise slightly. Someone told me that these cars have oil pressure sending units that can act funny! so what do you guys think?

Dock

Define "low". Is it "low" as in running the oil level below maximum and above minimum (I don't personally consider this a low oil level), or "low" as in running the oil level below minimum?

Dock

Do you think that being 1-2 bars (0.26-0.52 qt) below maximum on the oil quantity indicator affects the oil quantity and/or oil pressure at the intermediate shaft?

manny_g

took the car to my mechanic to have the oil changed. there was approximately four quarts of oil upon draining the engine. upon filling again, five quarts, we measured the oil and the display registered about half way up the bar scale. after another two quarts the displayed showed one bar below max, that was seven quarts total. after that it toook very little additional oil to raise the indicator to max level.

i guess my question is how low can the oil get until you start noticing pressure issues....my tech really could not answere that one. based on what i saw yesterday during fill up is that it really did not take that much more oil to raise the indicator bar up two levels. therfore if you check the oil indicator and noticed that the level dropped two bars from the top, i would not rush to the store to buy oil and fill. i, however, will not let the level drop more than half the next go around....

LVDell

manny.....I'm confused. You went for an oil change and only 4 quarts were drained? I don't understand that. There should be way more than that coming from the tank and a small amount coming from engine drain plug. So are you saying that you removed none from the tank and got 4 from the engine???

I routinely have to add 8.5-9 quarts for a quick oil change and more for an extended drain.

Dock

Each bar on the display represents approximately 0.26 quart. The difference between the min. and max. marks on the display is approx. 1.6 quarts. Half way up is three segments, leaving approx. 0.8 quarts remaining to the maximum mark.

If you were half way up (three segments), added two quarts, and were still one segment below the max. mark, you are either mistaken about the numbers/indications, or there is something is very wrong with the indicating system.

Macster

Wait a minute? Are you saying that the mech only drained 4 quarts of oil from the entire engine/oil tank?

And then added just 5 quarts?

You need another mechanic.

The oil change procedure is to after draining the oil from the engine crankcase, the oil tank, the turbo oil containers and replacing the filter element to add 7.8 liters of oil to the oil tank.

Then start the engine and let it idle and perform an oil level check. Add more oil if necessary to bring the oil level up to the point the 7 lowest segments/bars are lit.

If after putting in the 7.8 liters (a bit over 8 quarts of oil) if the oil level reads down at the low level (or below) or at the max level (or higher) then the oil level display system is faulty.

The engine has the proper amount of oil in it but the oil level display system is not reporting the oil level accurately.

If you have been running the engine and driving the car around with only 4 or 5 quarts of oil the oil pressure could very well be affected.

Stop running the engine, driving the car, and get the right amount of oil and the proper type of oil in the engine.

Then find another mechanic. One that knows how to change the oil in your car.

Sincerely,

Macster.