calm my fear. first oil change as owner - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

stateofidleness · 07-01-2009, 04:52 AM

hey fellas,
got my first oil change as a box owner yesterday (5k miles since last)

I filled up today at the gas station and waited for it to do its little oil measuring thing. It only stayed at 1 bar?!!

I had no temp problems (indicated by the gauge) and no dummy lights, strange smells, strange noises. Drove it to work just fine.

So a couple questions.
1. Is this 'normal'? after an oil change?
2. What SPECIFICALLY triggers the oil fill check (nozzle in gas filler, gas cap being removed, etc) so that I can replicate it without refilling
3. What was the HVAC 'hack' thing where you could read your oil temps on the ac readout?

Thanks!

Lil bastard · 07-01-2009, 05:10 AM

You s/b able to check oil level at any time by putting the key in the '1' position - it may takes as much as several hrs. on the countdown clock depending upon when you last drove it.

The oil level displays if you fuel the car with more than 12 ltrs.

If you have a dipstick, this is more accurate.

Underfill (not LOW) is better than an overfill. The Boxster has a very generous OK range and OK means OK.

yimmy149 · 07-01-2009, 02:41 PM

I've always been confused about the oil thing at gas stations? How is it any different from leaving the key at 1 anywhere else? Or should I not have to leave the key at 1? Maybe mine is broken?

Also, my countdown clock has never displayed more than about 8 seconds.

-james

stateofidleness · 07-01-2009, 03:11 PM

after work today mine read about 3 ticks from the very top.
and I forgot about the key at 1 click thing, so thanks!

RandallNeighbour · 07-01-2009, 05:29 PM

1. Is this 'normal'? after an oil change?

Only if too little oil was put into the car. Each bar is about a cup of oil. Add a little if it reads low first thing in the morning.

2. What SPECIFICALLY triggers the oil fill check (nozzle in gas filler, gas cap being removed, etc) so that I can replicate it without refilling?

That's a very good question. It's one of life's great mysteries. The key in position one brings it back, but how the car knows how to do it when refilling is not public knowledge. Someone could tell you, but then they'd have to kill you.

3. What was the HVAC 'hack' thing where you could read your oil temps on the ac readout?

I'll search for that for you and if I find it, I'll post the link to it here. No guarantees though!

tonycarreon · 07-01-2009, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

hey fellas,
got my first oil change as a box owner yesterday (5k miles since last)

I filled up today at the gas station and waited for it to do its little oil measuring thing. It only stayed at 1 bar?!!

where was the oil changed? quick-lube type shop or someone who knows about boxsters / porsches ( dealer, etc. )

yimmy149 · 07-01-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yimmy149

I've always been confused about the oil thing at gas stations? How is it any different from leaving the key at 1 anywhere else? Or should I not have to leave the key at 1? Maybe mine is broken?

Also, my countdown clock has never displayed more than about 8 seconds.

Thinking about it, it takes about 10 minutes for my gas gauge to hit full after a fill up, so maybe the car doesn't know it got filled?

stateofidleness: Best thing to do is get the car warmed up, park it somewhere level and shut it down. Come back in about 5 minutes, and put the key into position 1. My car will read somewhere between "full" (but not over) and down a couple boxes. I don't think the electronic sensor is that accurate, don't forget you can check the oil level from the trunk. I think that one is supposed to be done cold? The manual says.

-james

Lil bastard · 07-01-2009, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

... 3. What was the HVAC 'hack' thing where you could read your oil temps on the ac readout?

Thanks!

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20436&highlight=Audi

stateofidleness · 07-02-2009, 05:03 AM

I was graciously PM'ed the "HVAC" thing so it it's pretty neat to check the oil temp!

Today it read 3 boxes from the top and the oil change was done by my highly respected Indy at "Foreign Specialists" (guy does Porsche)

I will add a bit more to get it to the "max" line and call it a success!

He said I had a small exhaust leak too...

Explains the "pinging" sound I was hearing at startup.

RandallNeighbour · 07-02-2009, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yimmy149

Thinking about it, it takes about 10 minutes for my gas gauge to hit full after a fill up, so maybe the car doesn't know it got filled?

You're lucky. I've replaced my sending unit and zip tied off my cables in the gas tank and my gas gauge never reads more than 7/8 when it's totally full.

I think the dash indicator for full and the oil thing are all independent of one another.