katyrow

A colleague at work has a 2009 C2 with 8,200 miles on it that he bought new. The oil warning light has come on 8 times since new. He sees oil residue coming from tailpipes. He is a first-time 911 owner and is concerned. My 2008 997.1 has not required a top off during its first 3,000 miles, but I understand that it is a different engine. He'd very much appreciate any advice I can pass along.

Thank you.

ADias

Some boxer engines consume some oil. 1 quart in 1000 miles is typical in those cases. Your friend should have checked oil level and add accordingly.

Mike in CA

The problem with the light could be the opposite of an oil level that's too low. The light will also come on if the engine is over-filled. I attended a service clinic at my dealer last Saturday which was very informative. There was some discussion around oil filling etc. and the service manger indicated that these cars are fairly sensitive to overfill. They have experimented and found that it takes only a few extra ounces above the max recommended fill to cause the warning light to come on. If there is excess oil in the sump it possible it's being burned off, hence the oil residue in the tailpipe.

Edgy01

As one of the largest users of oil on the 997 forum let me share with you guys how I handle oil fills and such.

When I first picked up the car at Zuffenhausen, Louis Bellucci (customer care, former 959 test driver) told me not to be concerned about oil levels (because he didn't think they used any oil). (I carried extra oil with me to Europe upon the advice of another American doing a Euro Delivery). I drove about 3200 miles in Europe, adding 3 quarts during that time. I would add it 1/2 quart (or litre) at a time. There is no need to get that sophisticated.

Here's the method I have adopted now that works well.

If you'll observe the oil level gauge in the center of th display, there is a smaller sort of half block above the top line and a similar one below the bottom line--and three full blocks in between.

I measure my oil level practically every time I go to start the car. It gives me some idea of the trend. As the oil drops lower and lower (from consumption) I wait until it is consistently at the bottom block with each measurement. If you go below that bottom block it will start to blink. After it blinks for awhile (a few more measurements) it will ultimately read something like "check engine oil." I add exactly a quart when it is at that bottom half block below that bottom line after several measurements. Some measurement are done with the engine cold, some with it warm. (For you 997.2 guys you have to measure warm all the time).

When you add one quart to the engine at that point it will fill the engine up to perhaps one full block short of 'full.' But when you take the car out for a drive, shut it down, and then go start it again later (warm) you will find it is precisely at full the next time. If you fill it by watching the blocks you can easily overfill it. There is not that much of an issue if you overfill it a bit--less than 1/2 quart--as the engine will find the natural level and dispose of the excess oil.

Jeff PE

I agree with Mike in LA, having had several alarms due to overfilling (by dealer). After dealer drained and refilled, the problem has not reoccurred. The dealer apologized, noting that the earlier 997 cars alarmed only on low oil level, whereas they have since learned that the .2 cars alarm on both low and high oil level.

Mike in CA

According to the manual, "If the bottom segment flashes, the oil level has dropped to below the minimum mark". I wouldn't wait for the segment to flash or the warning light to come on before topping up. If you're saying that you wait until only the bottom segment is filled, but before it starts to blink, then you are at minimum and the manual says to "add engine oil immediately" which you are doing. Would just say that I prefer to not let the oil get to the minimum level, but don't imagine there is harm in waiting until then.

Again according to the manual, "Never add more engine oil than required to reach the maximum mark". You're probably right that 1/2 quart isn't going to make much of a difference, but if the engine is actually having to, as you said, "dispose of the excess oil" through combustion it seems one could risk fouling O2 sensors, cats, or other monitoring systems over time. And the OP was saying that his friend was seeing oil in the tailpipe which, if it's a by-product of burning off excess oil, doesn't sound good to me.

It's easy enough just to get the oil level right in the first place, so I'd rather address the problem on the front end.

RonnieTheC

I got my new 09 C2S Cab on November 30 and now have 3700 miles. I have added 5 quarts of oil so far. The bottom line is that 997.2's use oil ant a rate that is far above average for almost any car. Page 288 of the owners manual for the '09's state that up to 1.6 quarts of oil used for every 622 miles is acceptable. Keep in mind that each of the 3 main bars on the oil monitor represents .42 quarts of oil. My oil like cam on at about 2200 miles, I added 2 quarts and was still almost 1/2 quart low. Since then I add about a quart every 600 miles. Had the car in the dealer 3 times to check this out and was told that the car is fine, no oil leaks and my oil consumption, although a bit high, is within Porsche's specs.

Mike in CA

There's obviously a lot of variation in oil useage among posters so don't know if it's fair to make a blanket statement that 997.2's use at a rate far above average, but apparently yours does, at least. By contrast, I added 1/2 quart in the first 2k miles. I even took oil with me to Europe for my tourist delivery and in 1500 miles over there never had to use it. At 2K I changed the oil and in the 600+ miles since have not had to add any; level still at full mark. I certainly don't baby the car so can't explain the difference between yours and mine.

ADias

I disagree, as I know 3 997.2 S which use no oil. I agree with Dan than boxer engines in general may use some oil - some more than others.

Are you sure you need that much oil? Perhaps the reading is wrong and you are overfilling it. I say this because you state that you added 2qt when the light came on (it should lit at about 1.3qt).

Bob Rouleau

Mine is a year old, 12,000 miles. Added 1 liter of oil in total. Note if you add too much oil you end up burning it off and then some. I add oil 1/4 of a liter at a time if I need any.

ADias

Exactly.

LlBr

Brand new 2009!? Get it right back to the dealer and throw some demands around the service department.

The first months/year of ownership of a brand new Porsche should be a happy time!

RonnieTheC

Oil has been added 4 times in 3600 miles..the last 3 times by the dealer, so it was never overfilled. I checked the oil level right after the dealer filled it last time and it was uo to the top arrow, which is proper. Exactly 126 miles later, the oil level was down one bar, which is at least .42 quarts! And the car has been checked for leaks and there not any. The bottom line is that since Porsche says that 1.6 quarts usage per 622 miles is acceptable, and Porsche refuses to either replace my engine or take back my car, my conclusion is that the engineering is substandard. I have owned 9 Corvettes, 2 Ferraris, a Viper,
a Nissan 300ZX...you name it and I have owned it. And I have never had an issue with any car other than Porsche, BMW and Audi. You can bet that this is the last German car that I will ever own. ( Also, I have never had a car constantly emit a burning smell like my 997. Porsche says its cosmoline on the engine and can take 10-15,000 miles completely burn off, which, according to Porsche, is normal).

Bijan

The Nissan 350Z has had a major engine replacement program for its 2005 and 2006 models, for oil consumption.
The Nissan TSB is NTB07-088c

Edgy01

I seriously suggest (as I may myself) taking this issue to an arbitrator. Personally, I just can't see any reasonable person finding that sort of oil consumption in a new engine close to normal and acceptable.