How often should I change the oil on 1998 Boxster ?

[aqus]

Hi I have read extensively and my current oil only has 2.5K miles on it.( I know I don't drive the boxster S often enough). I am taking the car out of storage and wondering if an oil change is absolutely necessary since it has little kilometres on it. My main concern is that the oil (mobil 1 0w40) has been changed almost a year ago. Do you think I can go till fall before storing it again. Probably do another 2.5-3k miles this year or since it is 1 year old it needs to be changed. I do not race the car.
I usually change the oil when taking it out of storage but after reading here it seems it is better to change before storage (reason why I would like to wait till fall).

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Change it both times. $100 bucks twice a year is good insurance. I use Castrol 10W-40 year round here in Idaho.

[fivepointnine]

every 6 months or 5k miles....oil gets contaminated even if it is sitting....I only put 2k on mine in the past 6 months but the oil was changed with the IMS so Im good until next october.

[fatmike]

Originally Posted by aqus

Hi I have read extensively and my current oil only has 2.5K miles on it.( I know I don't drive the boxster S often enough). I am taking the car out of storage and wondering if an oil change is absolutely necessary since it has little kilometres on it. My main concern is that the oil (mobil 1 0w40) has been changed almost a year ago. Do you think I can go till fall before storing it again. Probably do another 2.5-3k miles this year or since it is 1 year old it needs to be changed. I do not race the car.
I usually change the oil when taking it out of storage but after reading here it seems it is better to change before storage (reason why I would like to wait till fall).

Yes, change it.


Next year change it BEFORE you let the car sit over the winter, then you wont need to change it in the spring. That is what I do with my boat. I don't want moisture in the oil left over the winter. That way the oil is new and perfect going into storage.

[aqus]

Thanks for the info. The main reason for my hesitation is because last year I stripped the oil plug where the 8mm allen key goes in. Had to take it to the garage which they used an extractor to remove it. So now a little worried to do it and wanted to touch it least as possible...
Noticed here I am not the only one this happens to...Porsche dealer said should change the oil plug every few years as it can get a little used inside.

[tonycarreon]

aqus: i did the same thing. but was able to still get it off with a little larger head. i've found that a torx wrench works better than an allen head once it starts to get stripped. it's harder to get it off the wrench head but it's easier to get it off of the car.

thankfully i had a replacement on hand once i decided to not reuse it. just grab a spare so you're not stuck with a car that can't hold oil until you get a new one. or get one of the magnetic plugs that dirkdiggler is selling - they are a regular bolt that take a regular wrench instead of having a recessed hole so the chance of stripping it is nil.

[dghii]

aqus,
The drain plug is very easy to strip. I've changed my oil myself since purchasing my car in the summer of 2008. Back in January, I went to do the change and could not remove the plug no matter what tool I tried. I decided to leave it alone and went online, like to buy a new oil plug (already had crush washer, filter etc.). During second attempt at the oil change, I used a chisle and hammer on the outer diameter of the plug and was able to get it loose.

I plan to order a new plug as a 'just in case' when I order supplies for my next oil change.

[schnellman]

And, while you're at it, go ahead and buy a magnetic drain plug from the guy on this forum who sells them. I did.

[SoK]

My box is a daily driver, winter and summer. I've put about 15k miles on it since September 2010. I change the oil with Mobile1 every 5k miles and the filter each time as well. Seems to be working great so far, haven't had one issue since I bought it, no oil leaks, and I'm at about 57k miles on a 2001. Every time I get in the car to drive, I let it sit for a few minutes until the cold cycle ends (revs drop to normal) and never let the revs go over about 3500 until the engine is almost all the way warmed up. I don't push it hard; having said that, I hit about 7k rpm once or so a month just to make sure i stretch its legs and clear out carbon deposits from what I've been told. Only use shell 93 gas.

[jmatta]

LN Engineering recommends no longer than 5k miles, as the oil starts to breakdown at that point. Also, their magnetic drain plug is well worth the investment; not only attracts metal particles, but is much more robust so you can't strip it upon removal (you must have over-tightened it).

[thstone]

I change oil every 3,000 miles or every 6 track days, whichever comes first.

[Jager]

Originally Posted by jmatta

LN Engineering recommends no longer than 5k miles, as the oil starts to breakdown at that point. Also, their magnetic drain plug is well worth the investment; not only attracts metal particles, but is much more robust so you can't strip it upon removal (you must have over-tightened it).

Yep, it takes a bigger tool to remove the LNE plug. Here is a photo with the LNE plug next to the stock plug:

[aqus]

thnaks for all the info I did the oil change yesterday. Everything went well except while trying to torque to 50nm at about 40 it felt like the bolt was about to strip so i left it alone. I think the electronic torque was not accurate since I was really tight when it was only saying 40NM. Anyways I will keep an eye out for leaks just in case. And will order the bolt you mentioned and put that one in the fall. Thanks guys. Now excited to take it for a drive...

[Flavor 987S]

Do UOA's. Here's mine from last fall, prior to winter hibernation: