agdamis

Hi guys -

I checked the oil this Saturday and the bottom bar was flashing. I grabed the two extra quarts of Mobil1 0W-40, dumbed them in and nothing, still flashing. Now it could be ridiculously low on oil but I am also concerned about over filling should the sensor be bad.

Any reports of this sensoring having an issue?

Should I try my luck and out in another quart?

Please bring dipsticks or oil level gauges back!

ADias

You should check oil level every week or 500 miles, whichever is less, to know what's going on. The sensor's lowest bar flashing means the oil level is very low. You most probably need to add more oil. I think you should take your car to a dealer to check oil level and see if the sensor works properly.

Dave R.

What are your oil temp and oil pressure gauges telling you? Normal readings?

You could take this as an opportunity for an oil change. Measure how much comes out, and also see what the gauge does after you put a known good quantity back in.

So long as your pressure and temperature readings are OK, a conservative course would be to not add more oil until you know what is going on.

RollingArt

I've heard of BMW electronic dip sticks giving false readings.

My WAG is your sensor is bad and you've now over filled the engine with oil. Time to dump the oil and start over. I imagine either the dealer or a durametric tool could check to see if the sensor is bad. Maybe the sensor just came unplugged. Check for loose wires under the motor area?



Phil

Macster

Very rare an engine loses significant amount of oil in a short time, absent a puddle of oil under the car or the exhaust trailing billowing clouds of oil smoke.

That you added 2 quarts and the warning bottom bar flashing suggests the oil level sensor/sending is bad. I would not add any more oil.

What needs to be done is if the car is under warranty and has roadside assistance make arrangements to get the car to a dealer. Even if it is not under warranty I'd still get the car to qualified shop. The dealer's service department tech can at least drain the oil from engine -- the tech may or may not bother to measure the amount of oil drained -- then he will add a known quantity of oil and if the oil level display does not agree with the amount he knows is in the engine he will replace whatever defective component is responsible for this.

Or the tech may have the ability to determine if the unit is faulty with the Porsche diagnostics computer and not have to through the drain/refill process. (Still if an oil/filter service close to being due I'd just have one done.)

Every time the oil is changed the oil level reporting system is checked. A known quantity of oil is added after a full drain of the old oil. If the oil level display doesn't display a suitably close enough level of oil the oil level reporting system is faulty and the faulty component is id'd and replaced.

Those that change the oil themselves in these cars or have some indy shop change the oil that don't use the oil change opportunity to verify the oil level reporting system is working properly are not doing a proper oil change. IOWs, there is more to an oil change than just draining the old oil and adding new oil.

Sincerely,

Macster.

ADias

Excellent advice. An oil change is the right thing to do.

ADias

I suspect the OP did not check oil level in a long time and has been using oil for a while, not a sudden oil level drop.

ADias

Excellent information. This should be archived.

Macster

Yes. But my point is that in this case it should not take much oil to bring the level at least back up above the low level mark.

IOWs, perhaps a better course of action would have been to add say just a quart of oil which if one assumes the oil level reporting system is working ok should have the level back up to somewhere above the low level mark and yet not at the full level mark. However, the OP's reaction is quite understandable and I do not mean to find fault with it.

If upon re-checking the oil level if the oil level display still signaled a too low an oil level and with no other warning lights, gage readings, signs of a true low, extremely low, dangerously low oil level this would strongly point to a bad oil level reporting system and not that the engine had suddenly consumed sufficient oil to not only light the low level bar but to require quarts of oil to bring the level back up to at least the low mark.

Sincerely,

Macster.

agdamis

Booked an appointment at the dealer. Not worth the risk.

Minok

I'd imagine if the sensor was bad the system would signal a fault on the computer.

Edgy01

Routinely when the bottom bar is flashing it will take a full quart to get it back to a normal reporting position. Two add two quarts is a mistake. I add a quart at a time to my engine, and that is when it is sitting at the bottom bar. It fills it right to the top again.

You should be sampling your oil level routinely. I do before each engine start.

No HTwo O

Dan, I do the same as you, I check the oil level on every cold start. Do you really let it get a quart low before you add oil? Why wait so long? Just curious.

slicky rick

wonder why porsche changed the method of checking oil level. i guess for 997.1 it when the oil is cold for the 997.2 its when the oil has warmed up... hmmm any ideas why?

tpenta

on my 997.1, I have noticed sometimes the very first reading is wrong when testing before starting the car in the morning.

For instnace, I check once and get a low reading and then do it again and get full every time after.

Not sure if the system is bad???

-T