Question Please, oil level - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

TRPLBLK04 · 11-14-2013, 03:16 PM

2004 base. First oil change, after month of ownership. Did the cut the filter, and spanking clean..Yeeesssss. My question is, oil reading on dip stick looks perfect at the full level, hair under full mark. Yet, electronic measure on dash, ALL bars FULL above top arrow indicator..........anything to wory about?

Many thanks.

Spinnaker · 11-14-2013, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRPLBLK04

anything to wory about?

Yep, it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. Your car will get dirty.

pothole · 11-14-2013, 03:49 PM

Is it parked on a completely level surface?

TRPLBLK04 · 11-14-2013, 03:53 PM

Funny Spinnaker....and yes pothole......level.

Karl Nettgen · 11-14-2013, 04:25 PM

mine acts the same, I wouldn't worry about it

runjmc2 · 11-14-2013, 04:46 PM

I have heard that some leave the oil level down a bit and that may reduce the chance of an AOS failure. I have noticed that my mechanic leaves mine down a bit also….

TRPLBLK04 · 11-14-2013, 05:47 PM

Thanks for the replies all.....Enjoy your evening.

cas951 · 11-14-2013, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runjmc2

I have heard that some leave the oil level down a bit and that may reduce the chance of an AOS failure. I have noticed that my mechanic leaves mine down a bit also….

Yes I agree and exprienced this myself. I keep it at least 1/2 quart below the recommended capacity. Get to know your oil level and understand what the level means. Check your oil level before draining and know exactly where the level was on the dipstick or dash gauge. Measure how much oil you drained. I typically let it drain for about 30 min before ptutting things back on.

I have oil recycle curbside pickup at my house so I place all my used oil on 1 gl jugs and use that as measurement. I fill the oil based on how much I drained and maybe a little more but not the full capacity as recommended on your manual.

Note: Eng Temp must be in operating temp before checking oil level and engine off at least 5 minutes so oil can drain back to the oil pan.

RawleyD · 11-14-2013, 10:09 PM

Similar with mine.
Manual dipsticking produces a near perfect oil level, but the electronic gauge itself usually reads low.

Mark_T · 11-15-2013, 05:25 AM

That's interesting about a lower oil level reducing stress on the AOS. Hadn't heard that before. Anyone else want to weigh in on that? Maybe Jake can tell us what they do at the Super Dave compound.

TRPLBLK04 · 11-15-2013, 07:33 AM

Should i pull the filter to lover level a bit? If so, will o-ring still be ok if i just changed yesterday? Thanks again.

Mark_T · 11-15-2013, 07:44 AM

O-ring should by fine after only one day, unless you pinched it or over-tightened the housing. I'd re-use it.

TRPLBLK04 · 11-15-2013, 07:55 AM

Thanks Mark T

recycledsixtie · 11-15-2013, 08:01 AM

Be careful of the positioning of the O ring on the oil filter housing. The last time time I did it I put the O ring too high and it leaked like crazy.

I use the oil dipstick as the primary means of measuring oil and not the bar guage. Don't overfill!

Check for oil leaks after you are done - check with engine running and then take a short drive....

TRPLBLK04 · 11-16-2013, 03:24 PM

Update.......pulled and re-installed filter. Spot on now, one bar below full. Thanks again for replies and suggestions.

Perfectlap · 11-16-2013, 06:54 PM

I started doing the dip stick layed flat on a blue shop towel trick to get a reading.

Clean dip stick, insert dip stick, pull out again, lay it perpendicular to the towel (layed down on flat surface like your hood) and then turn the dip stick so its resting on the towel.
You will get an imprint on the towel. Clean the dip stick off and use the imprint to measure agains the clean dip stick's hash marks. Forget who posted this trick but give that guy credit.

Those of you without a dip stick and relying on the dash gauge (that is reliable as a Congressional Budget), good luck.

TRPLBLK04 · 11-17-2013, 08:52 PM

@ perfectlap......are u joking?.....must gotta flat azz dip stick?, 2004 base box, ain't lying flat. Crazy wire, plastic tip, imprint on towel?........too funny.

recycledsixtie · 11-18-2013, 05:20 AM

Some of us are more anal than others. Just saying.

Whether PL is serious or not about this issue he is humorous!

Topless · 11-18-2013, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycledsixtie

Some of us are more anal than others. Just saying.

Whether PL is serious or not about this issue he is humorous!

PL is from Jersey so we always give him a little maneuvering room.

Personally, I used to compare both dip stick and gauge all the time but I found that as long as the car was warm and level, the dash gauge was right on and far more convenient to use. The dash gauge will not tell you if you are overfilled and overfilling will kill your AOS quickly which may be what he means. I check my oil with the dip stick after each change to insure it is not overfilled and then I trust the dash gauge for oil level after that. Use the method that is most comfortable for you.

kk2002s · 11-18-2013, 07:10 AM

My trust is with the dip stick. I let the gauge tell me if I should check the dip stick
I know exactly what PL is describing, maybe it's because I'm from NJ too.
I find with clean oil it can be hard to read the dip stick level but if you carefully lay it on a paper towel you can better see the level relative to the min/max lines.
Do to the fear of overfilling I tend to keep my level south of the max fill line. About 3/4 + of the min line