Engine oil problems - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

HKboxster · 05-21-2005, 05:35 AM

Hi! I'm an owner of a 97' boxster. I drove thru very heavy rain and water puddles yesterday, after driving it a bit more when the rain stopped, I noticed that my engine oil LED light came on, so I took it to the mechanic today.

The mechanic told me there is a crack in my engine oil tubing (near the top). We replaced the tube and added new engine oil into the car. But the engine oil LED is still on! He told me there might be some problems with the engine oil sensor, so that needs changing. Additionally, he mentioned that some water may have entered the engine oil! And could be disastrous.

Now, my question is, what are the symptoms of a car with water in engine oil? How can I check? What are the possible problems going forward? Assuming that this is a one off event, water came thru the crack of the engine oil tubing and there are no leaks anywhere else, what should I do to remedy this situation?

Anyone else had a similar problem? Any comments would be much apreciated! Thanks.

Brucelee · 05-21-2005, 06:37 AM

I would simply change the oil and filter immed. and allow the oil to drain for an extended amount of time, say 30 minutes.

Problem solved unless you see symptoms later on.

And yes, the sensor may be faulty or need to be re-set.

Good luck!

Brucelee · 05-21-2005, 06:38 AM

BTW-if you catch the old oil, any water that MAY be in there should have sep. from the oil.

HKboxster · 05-21-2005, 06:43 AM

Thanks for the recommendation Brucelee. I'd have to wait till Monday to do that since everything is closed tomorrow

Do you know the sort of symptoms I would encounter under this situation?

Brucelee · 05-21-2005, 07:22 AM

It is hard for me to imagine that you got a large qty of water in the engine but I suppose it is possible.

In a perfect world, you would not drive the car until Monday.

As far as damage goes, in short run, I would not expect anything, esp if you do not run the engine hot etc.

If you did not change the oil and continued to run with water in there, one could speculate but why do so.

For peace of mind, get a new filter and some Mobil 1 in there on Monday and sleep peacefully.

HKboxster · 05-21-2005, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

In a perfect world, you would not drive the car until Monday.

As far as damage goes, in short run, I would not expect anything, esp if you do not run the engine hot etc.

If you did not change the oil and continued to run with water in there, one could speculate but why do so.

For peace of mind, get a new filter and some Mobil 1 in there on Monday and sleep peacefully.

Ooops. We just put in another 90km on the car today.....had to drive it to the mechanic at least!

Well, we'll try to leave the car until Monday.....now that we know.....thanks.

Brucelee · 05-21-2005, 12:48 PM

We are always here to help.

Best of luck, let us know what you find!

insite · 05-21-2005, 03:30 PM

chances you got a lot of water in your oil are slim. likely it will just evaporate while the engine is running and be scavenged off by the oil separator.

worst case scenario would be a LOT of water in the oil, which can cause the oil to froth, the oil pump to cavitate, and some very unhealthy issues with friction.

basically the water boils into suspension, turning your oil into something like champagne (like carbonated oil). if you pull your dipstick and see anything that looks like coffee w/ milk where you read the oil level, don't drive the car.

HKboxster · 05-21-2005, 08:55 PM

Thanks Insite. My suspicion is that there isn't a large amount of water in the engine oil (hopefully). However, you are absolutely right, my mechanic told me he saw some "froth" at the plastic funnel (the tubing where you add the engine oil), I personally can't see it clearly, thats why he notified me of the potential problem.

If this is the case, would emptying the engine oil and letting it run with new oil do the trick? As brucelee suggested. I'm worried, only had this car for 2 months! My mechanic mentioned that the worst case scenario would be my engine dying on me one day! He also mentioned that lots of 97/98 Boxsters have this problem, anyone else with a similar problem?

HKboxster · 05-22-2005, 12:14 AM

BTW, car was stuttering at around 4-5 gear. Engine sound didn't sound right..... is this a sign of water in engine oil? However, if I step on the gas, the stuttering goes away.

I had the mecahnic work on my suspensions yesterday, it was too low and I asked them to change the height for me, will the stuttering be caused by an imbalance of the suspensions? Or do you think it is the water in engine oil problem?.....very worried....

Brucelee · 05-22-2005, 05:56 AM

Hang tight and get the oil changed. The stuttering sounds more like you may have some moisture in the FUEL!

Run some dry gas through as a precaution.

HKboxster · 05-22-2005, 09:32 AM

Thanks buddy! Will get it done at the mechanic tomorrow and see what happens. Cheers.

Brucelee · 05-22-2005, 10:31 AM

Keep us posted. This is an interesting topic!

HKboxster · 05-23-2005, 02:02 AM

Bad news....initial response from the mechanic is that the stuttering is probably signs of a failing engine and not the engine oil.....he believes that the crack on the engine oil tubing is too high for any water to reach....

He also mentioned that alot of 97 boxsters have this problem, and seems like there are no other ways to fix it apart from replacing the whole engine!!! Lets hope it is something minor and nothing drastic like what he thinks.....

Brucelee · 05-23-2005, 06:29 AM

Most of the 97 Box engine issues were resolved years ago. Before you replace the engine, I suggest a second opinion!

Was the engine stuttering before this recent rain and water issue? If not, I suspect electrical issues, not a bad engine!

Others, what do you think?

HKboxster · 05-23-2005, 09:12 AM

The stuttering problem started after the rain and water, so yes, hopefully it is some other issues. I left the car to him for a comprehensive check up, so lets hope its not as drastic as what he initially suggested. Will update on this issue. Appreciate your help brucelee. Others, have any suggestions?

RandallNeighbour · 05-23-2005, 09:52 AM

I have a 97, but it received a new engine just before I bought it. Probably due to the poorly made crankshafts they put in the first boxer engines that created RMS failures.

So, I haven't experienced your problems, but it would be very good to get some vehicle history on your car and examine it. Did the previous owner have any similar problems that a dealership looked at?

You may have just had a bad tank of gas as well, you know...

I've been to HK at least six times, last trip was in November. What part of it do you call home? HK island, or Kowloon?

HKboxster · 05-23-2005, 10:47 PM

It wouldn't be easy to get a full history with this car, cus I am the 4th owner of this car. The only major problem the previous owner had with the car was the gearbox and that was apparently fixed.

Hopefully it is just a bad tank of gas (now that you mentioned) because I did add some gas that night after the heavy rain & water.

I live on the HK island side, and would consider that home, but as you know, HK really isn't such a big place, you can basically travel to any other destination in HK within 2 hours. November is a very nice season to visit HK, autumn over here and usually accompanied with good weather during this period of time. Good time for a round of golf too. Hope you had a good stay here.

Brucelee · 05-24-2005, 05:35 AM

Regarding the service history, here are some tips:

Go to Porsche dealer and ask them to run warranty claim history. This will tell you what dealer has put in a claim for any time since new.

Call each dealer on the list and ask them to tell you what service was done to the car IN ADDITION to the warranty claims. At that point, you have all the service done by Porsche.

That MAY be all there is, esp if it looks complete and sequential.

If not, start by calling the last owner and see if you can work your way backwards to new.

Sometimes you get lucky and get it all. Sometimes you just get what you need!

Good luck!

YellowJacket · 05-24-2005, 08:35 AM

Stuttering after going through water and stuttering after adding gas are clear cases for gas issues. I would run this tank bone-dry, add gas and fuel system cleaner (like techron), and change the fuel filter. But I'd also trust Brucelee's advice over mine as he has worked on one or two more Boxsters than I have, and I'm just speaking from general car knowledge.