1940Woodie

I have a 2006 Carrera S with the 3.8 engine, mileage at 51,883 and had the oil changed 4/12/18 at 50,400 miles.
I park on a level floor when I check the level. My question is why when or if it shows all the way down in the lower 1/4 on the display or lower, to almost no oil indicated/empty, if I add just a 1/3 quart of oil it then goes to the 3/4 or more level? How could such a small amount make such an increase of the level amount? Is there an oil lever replacement sending unit which could go bad and needs replacement? Are there any rules or directions when checking oil level? What should the level gauge read that would flag your attention?
I guess there is no real physical way of checking oil so is there anything I should look at and change to make sure I'm getting accurate readings?
Thanks in advance,
Bob Faust

jamesinger

someone will correct me so it is more accurate...but the gauge is only showing you a little over one quart or so I think. That means, each line is like what? .25q?
if the sensor fails, you should get a warning message.

as a result of this, I never put in more than a quarter quart max at any time if I am topping off.

I just check my car every time I get in it to get a baseline oil level cold, oil level warm... and gauge it from there but there needs to be sufficient time to get the oil all down to the pan after driving for sure. I had a car that would check it any time you forced it to and it was pretty accurate for that top quart at all times. If you went anything below that one quart, the car would get pissed off and holler at you until you noticed it.

IDK about 997s but my Audi had a similar system BUT you could buy a dipstick that would work for checking but could not be left in because it did not clear the hood. :-/

latonnelier

I have the same model and year 2006 C2S. When I changed motor mounts, which brought the engine up at the rear of the car by 3/4" the oil level read at 1/4 vs the 3/4 it was before the mount swap. It took a little less than 8 oz to bring it back to the 3/4 mark. Like you, I thought there was a larger difference in the marks(bars).

platinum997

Interesting observation with the engine mounts.

My gauge rarely reads consistently... With the gauge only showing 1 quart it doesn't take much to make it off a few lines.

Only tip would be.. check you oil in the same place everytime. Since most surfaces are not level it can make a big difference from say your garage vs driveway.

karl1672

My gauge is sometimes erratic. Reads proper level 95% of the time, but the other 5% shows overfill - same (level) spot in the garage. Kind of like my TPMS

NuttyProfessor

The range on the M97 based cars is similar to M96 cars - it represents one liter of oil. You should avoid trying to keep the oil level at the top of the electronic indicator, but instead, keep it at the middle of the range. There are more risks with overfilling than under based on the gauge.

HenryPcar

Dont you like this bit of German over-engineering ? Hopefully they'll bring the dipstick back.

karl1672

ecostellodo

rickdogg82

The gauge represents the last liter or so of oil in the system, not the entire capacity of the system.

Petza914

There are probably 100 threads on this topic. Searching will give you a whole day of reading if you're so inclined.

Bomar Shelby

To those who say " check the level when cold" , what are you referring to? I tried that yesterday on my 997.2 and kept getting message " engine not warmed up" . so it sat at idle for nearly 10 minutes until water temp reached 175 and oil temp reached 150. Level read with one bar showing, shut it off , added 1/3 quart Mobil 1, 0-40 restarted and read 2 bars showing or half way from top. To avoid overfill, I'm sticking with that. Apparently those who recommend checking when cold don't know jack.

jhbrennan

Different model years have different methods - 997.1 differs from 997.2 - follow the procedure in your owner's manual and then you'll know "jack".

Petza914

. 1 cars (05-08) should be checked cold.

. 2 cars should be checked warm

HenryPcar

Just give us our dipstick back, goddammit !