the_shansen

This was my first DIY change in the Porsche but not my first DIY change as I’ve been doing my own oil changes for 20ish years.

Prior to the change, I watched multiple YouTube videos and read other guides. All went well until I poured the drained oil back into some old jugs and only 7 quarts was drained, but I had added 9 quarts. Before starting the car I did the dance of draining some oil and adding oil until the gauge read full (but not over).

My garage is about 45 degrees and I intentionally haven’t driven the car for a few days thinking that letting it sit would be good to drain as much oil as possible. I let it drain for about 20 min. Oil gauge before the change showed one bar above the bottom arrow.

Should I be concerned about it draining only 7 quarts? Would a warm engine resulted in more dirty oil?

Floyd540

Relax, you are good to go. Whether it is 7, 8 or 8.5 quarts , you still have a significant amount of oil that you can not get to , so don't worry about it. These cars are just a dilution/drain method (not a good idea or design) but that is what we have.
You did take the correct action of draining out the overfill when you reliazed the problem. This puts you in the "experienced-skilled" class. You also get an award for figuring out what was done wrong and correcting it.
Since everything is fine, I need to ask one question about your experience-- How much oil did you spill during this project? This will determine if you are in the "experienced" category or the "expert " status. Pics of the driveway will be helpful.
Good job!

Bruce In Philly

2009 C2S 177K miles

What year/model is your car?

With my .2, I found my oil level gauge to be a bit wonky. I keep threatening to replace it, but never got to it. What I mean by wonky, is when I do an oil change, it doesn't always measure accurately after a fill. Sometimes when I just check the oil, it will read really low... huh?... so then I reset the stalk, it counts down from 4, and it is up a notch... do it again, up another. Really goofy.

That is why I try to put the same in as I took out. If the level measured at the bottom of the scale before a drain, I will add .5 quart more than what came out. It is possible, if your sensor is wonky, you may have overfilled the car. You won't know until you warm up the oil and get another reading.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

Wayne Smith

My experience with 22 oil changes on my 997.2 has been 7.5 quarts out and 7.5 quarts back in every 5K miles.

This got me to the point where I showed one bar on the level indication. Why only one bar? It has been my experience that this is preferred for thermal expansion during spirited high oil temperature operation.

But my oil has always run hot, almost to 275F. So a bit ago I opted to add to the second bar. And it "appears" that my oil temperatures are down a bit. I need a warm summer day running in the Sierra Passes to be sure, but it would seem at this point to be true.

So in my experience 8 quarts should be fine for a .2 car.

As for. 1 cars I had the privilege to change the oil in a friend's car recently. He was on the lower bar before a spirited drive. We drained the oil hot after that drive. And got just over 7 quarts out. 8 quarts were added to achieve two bars.

So as Floyd stated, you've done fine. Now, post some pictures of the driveway!!!

the_shansen

I have a 2005 C2. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. On the next change I’ll start with 7.5 quarts and then measure, fill, measure, until it’s right. As much as I like getting on the cold concrete, I’d be okay with not doing the oil overfill gig again.

Here’s a pic of the floor where it all took place. Had I wiped off the drain pan spout after I poured the used oil in a jug, there wouldn’t be the 3 drips or so on the right. C’est la vie.

Floyd540

Well within the limits of a "good job". Actually a very good job, given the overfill dance. You may want to consider a change in your process for these cars. I check the oil level before draining it, engine warm and driven etc. The gauge on my car -late 997.2- is very well behaved, unlike maybe some of the 997.1 cars. Anyway, I save one of the 5L LiquiMoly jugs from the previous oil change. After draining into the LARGE drain pan, I pour 5 L of the old oil into the old jug. This leaves 2,3, or 4 L still in the drain pan. I then install the drain plug and tighten it, 20 ft./lbs is plenty, and replace the filter. I then pour in all the contents (5 L) of a new 5W 40 LiquiMoly into the engine via the cool spout on the jug. Now I have an empty jug with which I pour the remaining old oil from the drain pan. With the sight glass on the side of the jug, I can see exactly how much oil I drained out. It is usually 2.5 L but that doesn't matter how much. It is this amount that I add from my second new jug of 5W 40 LiquiMoly using the sight glass on the side. This insures that you at least refilled with what was in the car before. Depending on what gauge reading you had when you started, you can make some adjustment to the refill. Then go drive the car and check the level with the gauge. It is the only way to determine the oil level, like it or not.
An added caution to using my method is to mark the empty bottle you start with using duct tape or blue tape marked with "old Oil" in big marks-a-lot letters. Also mark the new bottle when empty the same way as you will have 3 jugs sitting together , 2 with old oil and one with the leftover new oil. Not knowing which is which is a problem.
Unlike most cars with true wet sumps, there is no need to measure the oil you drain out unless you are curious. Just replace the plug and filter and refill with the amount from the owners manual. BMW's and VW's VR6 take 6 or 7 quarts and you are done.
Not so with our "kinda dry type sump cars".