USMC_DS1

To be honest... all my current vehicles and my old m3 have the traditional dip stick which I check every month or so. With the 997 I check everytime I get in the car... wait the 5-6 secs for it to read, click on the seat belt, adjust seating and mirrors if needed, etc. I've never check my oil level so much and so consistantly just because it has it conveniently displayed from internally gauges vs. having to crack the hood each time. Even the tire pressure is easily gauged from within... as a result I'm far more studious about proper systems check then ever. Of course, like all mechanical/electrical machines there is always the issue of calibration.

sandwedge

That's exactly what I did in my -06 too. It was simple and became part of starting it up for the day. You turned the key and there it was. Can't do that with the .2 cars since they require operating oil temperature for a reading. So off you go and it's easy to forget about it as you get on with your day, especially with the old routine still in your head. My new routine is to make use of long traffic lights since the car has to be still for about a minute . The eternity traffic lights I used to hate are useful now when they compete with the "dipstick" clock counting down on the gage towards a good reading. Never thought I'd cuss at a traffic light turning green "too soon" but I've done it.

jhbrennan

I usually do the same - also every shutdown when I pull into the garage. I figure between shutdown and startup, unless I see a big puddle on the floor, I should be OK.

USMC_DS1

Man... that would frustrate me too.

dgjks6

Resurrection thread of the day here.

O, so another post about adding oil to a 997.2 after light came on. When I first got the car a few months ago checked the oil all the time, but it got to be a PITA and was always full. So for the next couple thousand miles did not check. One day at work checked it and the low bar was flashing. So when I got gas that day I checked it again and had 1 bar above add oil so I did not add any. So next gas tank (300 miles later I checked it again) and it was flashing. Went home and checked it level in the garage and was at the bottom bar but not flashing so I added 1/2 quart. When I checked at the gas stations and at home in the garage the car was level.

Point of the story is that at no point did I ever see a warning light on the dash telling me to add oil - so I do not think that the add oil light is connected to the gauge.

Also, I now check every day when I get home before I turn the car off. What a PITA - it always takes 45-60 seconds to get a reading. And I found that in 5000 miles I have added 1 quart to keep the gauge between 1 and 2 bars.

Minok

The readings depend on actual levelness (garages are never level by design), amount of unburt water in the oil, and a few other things.. but without a leak, the level should not change rapidly. Checking daily is overkill. Check once a month is proably fine if you drive a little, or once every 2 weeks if you drive a lot. Hence the Porsche recommendation you check at every refill of gasoline... just check when you fill up or every other fill-up.

strickrn

It's a mystery to me why the oil level changes from low (1 bar) to (3 bars) in the span of 50 miles. Seems like the calibration would be tighter on the instruments. I'm still building a "trend" in my head of how much oil my 997.2 consumes.

EMC2

I measure the oil level after each drive with the car on the same spot in the garage. Ive never seen more than 1 bar variation in the reading.
If you're seeing a 2 bar swing (upwards) over 50 miles, is your car at the same spot when the two measurements were taken?

slicky rick

997.2 check oil when oil in operating temp eg: after a good drive. Time to check, 4 secs. Make sure in level ground.

dgjks6

Check when I get home and park in the same spot in garage. Oil is always up to temp. Put in park. Push check oil lever, count down starts at 48 seconds always. Undo seat belt. See oil level disappear and see fasten belt light come on, along with a wonderful beeping noise. Say a few choice words to the car for having such a great system to check oil. Push lever to acknowledge the seat belt request. Goes back to count down. Usually at about 36 seconds left. Luckily the beeping continues. Sit in my running car in the garage staring at the gauge. Door to the house opens and. Kid or my wife pokes their head out and says something. I can't hear because I'm in a running car with the doors closed. I yell "what" and they can't hear me because I'm closed in running car in the garage. I hold up one finger until the oil level comes back as normal. Turn the car off and open the door and ask "what". To which they ask is everything ok. I tell them I am checking my oil. And they respond with some form of "didn't you just fix that a few days ago"?

I shake my head and go inside. Thank God my wife and daughters are beautiful.

vbb

Yeah it is kind of irritating. I would much prefer a dipstick, but oh well. I check it about once a month, which is somewhere between 1 and 2 fill ups (not my daily driver). Probably add somewhere between 1 and 2 quarts over the course of a year, and do an oil change once a year (about 4k-5k miles). I try to only take the car out when I know I can drive it long enough to put it through its paces and get oil temp up.

ADias

A 48sec oil check wait seems to indicate that the engine has been revved vigorously just before that time... or the sensing is bad. If one drives at moderate speed and low revs (below 4kRPM) for a mile or so before stopping, it should take far less. I usually check oil level in my garage. When I park the car. I let it idle for 20-30sec, so that the oil drops down. Checking oil usually takes 4sec.

dgjks6

Rev engine vigorously? In a Porsche. Never.

strickrn

If you're seeing a 2 bar swing (upwards) over 50 miles, is your car at the same spot when the two measurements were taken?Thanks. I'll start checking it at a consistent temperature and time driven. Thanks for the comments.

ADias

True... many do not. But for those of us who do rev our engines, we must do what is called a cool down lap. An essential step to preserve the longevity of flat engines. A sudden stop from high-revving spirited drive is not ideal.