Odd startup sound & timer question
 

Hey all, two quick questions:

-When I turn on my car (electronics only, not engine) I see a little oil lamp with a digital timer. The timer then counts down to 0 (sometimes from 5 seconds, sometimes from about 30) and once it hits 0, the oil lamp stops flashing and shows something that appears to be a full gauge. What is this and what is its point?

-One time when I turned on my car, I heard a fairly loud squealing noise which appear to come from the front of the car. It happened seconds after I turned my car on. (Car was in park). Any common causes of an odd loud-ish squeal? (not brakes!)

I am pretty sure this is your digital oil gage. You should cross-check it for accuracy with the actual dip-stick, to get a "reference point".

You will get the most accurate information in the morning, after the oil has all drained down from the prior night. Level ground is critical too.

The 987 Boxster only has the digital read-out. I find it very accurate.

First one is the digital oil gauge. It should be at or below the top tick mark, leaving the very top notch empty. If it is lit up, the oil is likely overfilled. Verify with the dipstick. (if it is over filled, you can get the back end up on ramps and remove the filter cannister and drain it. I had to do this when I overfilled mine a bit. One 'dump' of the filter cannister should move the digital gauge down one notch)

The second sounds like the starter solenoid. Sometimes they stick, and when the engine starts, the starter motor is still engaged to the flywheel, and makes a nasty sound. If the car has been sitting for a while, that could explain it. Worry about it when it happens too frequently. Although... this would come from the engine, not the front of the car...



OH... and it ALWAYS helps if you let us know what year and what model (base, S), as there can be some differences.

Here is more general data:

2001, regular boxster, tip

-The oil level usually starts full. If I am at any type of an incline (even a soft one) it will go down a notch or 2. Is leaving it at this level and not worrying at all a problem?

-The squeal does not happen often but more than I like. I would guess maybe 10% of the time or less. I have not had the car only at all, so it had only happedn 2 times. It is possible it came from behind and I was not pinpointing direction. However, at that frequency of sound I'd expect my ability to judge direction to be decent.

I ran my car with a little too much oil for about 5 months.... it was fine. (in fact, I did the draining on Friday). I wouldn't worry TOO much about it, since the level does change a bit on inclines. That would say to me that it is not very much overfilled.

If you ever do change your own oil, I would recommend putting in 9 quarts, starting the engine for about 30 seconds, then let the digital gauge do it's countdown (which may be several minutes) and see where the level is at. One cup of oil (that's as in a cup of flour, not a cup of beer!) will move the level up one notch. Add oil accordingly.


As for the screeching, I'd figure it's probably the starter. If it starts doing it more frequently, you might look into having the starter replaced.

FrayAdjacent,

Some questions about the starter:

-Pretend I do not get it replaced and assume it is not in perfect condition but it is 'decent'. Will this have any long term damaging effects on my engine/car?

-Do you have a rough guess as to how much this costs to fix (Parts+labor from a porsche dealer)

Rebuilt starter
 

I had a similar problem with my 1997 Boxster.
The Porsche starter is made of standard Bosh parts, and can by
easily rebuilt for less $120. Mine as a solenoide problem
and a Bendix bushing problem. These repairs solved my problem. :)
The starter is not a big deal to remove.
Good luck.
Installing a starter DIY

i get that sound as well.
i met a fellow boxster owner at the auto cross, and he said that his car has been doing it for 7 years now, and still does....so there, you have at least years haha.