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deciphering 964 dials (oil gauges)

jlee

Well-known member
Joined
14 Nov 2007
Messages
200
Folks,

new to the game and just got myself a 964. pics attached
Wondered a few things (not a dummy - just nuances of 964)

1. How to read the numerous oil guages and what is normal (fluctuation etc)
2. where the hell is the dipstick.

Any help appreciated.

Saving up already for some repairs !

Jlee
 
Although a search doesn't seem to reveal much, this question is probably one of the most common from new owners. Don't be embarrassed though because asking is a better solution than guessing - particularly when it comes to checking and topping up the oil level!!

The oil gauges consist of Oil Level, Oil Pressure ad Oil Temperature. Because the 964 has a dry sump engine you cannot check the oil level when the engine is cold as you would with a car with a more usual wet sump. There is very little oil left in the bottom of the engine.

You have to run the car until the oil is hot - at least hot enough for the oil thermostat to open. You can recognise this by closely watching the oil temperature gauge. The temperature should rise as the car warms up until the needle reaches the first graduation. It will then drop a little and stabilise - that's the point where the thermostat has opened. You can confirm it by feeling with your hand the top of the right front wing as it will be warm to the touch because of the oil pipes directly beneath.

With the engine oil hot, let the engine idle for a minute or two on level ground and the oil level gauge should, ideally, show with the needle roughly horizontal (or maybe a little above). You do NOT want the gauge to be up at the top of the scale. The oil level gauge has no meaning at any other time and can be completely ignored. The dipstick (top right hand corner of the engine compartment - about 3 feet long!!!) should be used to confirm the oil level under the same conditions and be the primary check until you have confirmed the oil level sender is trustworthy.

Oil pressure will normally be around the 5 bar at startup when cold and at all times when over 3000 rpm. At tickover it will drop to around 1 bar when hot.

Be aware that temperature plays a great part in the oil level since it expands when hot so the displayed level will change as the oil gets hotter. There is also a LOT of oil compared to most cars - over 11 litres in all - and it takes a while to get it all hot.

Hope that helps - and enjoy the car. You'll get lots of comments about the wheels and mirrors from this forum!!

Regards

Dave
 
I was going to say exactly what Dave said about the oil, for real ! :D

well done on the 964
 
Sundeep said:
I was going to say exactly what Dave said about the oil, for real ! :D

well done on the 964

Yes Dave's reply will make this thread a very useful addition to the FAQ section in due course :wink:

I can also confirm that my own oil level gauge agrees perfectly with the dip stick so I use the gauge routinely to monitor the oil level at the end of each run out. It's also worth knowing that the distance between the red and full positions is about half a litre. So when you come to top up, add no more than a quarter of litre at time. Any more and there is a chance you could overfill. :eek:
 
thanks dave et al.

still a dummy here.

Not quite sure what dial 1 and 2 are telling me. Is 1 oil level and 2 oil temp ?
I think my dial 1 is showing quite high on the scale. almost top.

not like a normal motor and dont wanna have an expensive mistake if its overfilled, too hot etc.

most helpful and great explanations. just wanna make sure i know what each dial 1,2 and 3 should read at startup and normal temp. excuse the homer simpson questions.

Cheers again folks ! Great forum.
 

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Dial 1 is, indeed, the oil level gauge. This is the one you can ignore for the most part - except when the oil is hot. level ground etc. etc. If your oil level is quite high it's not unusual for this gauge to bounce around at the bottom of the scale during normal driving but it doesn't mean anything. If it's up near the top of the scale during normal driving there are likely to two scenarios - 1, that you are overfilled or 2, your level sensor is knackered. Bear in mind that this gauge reflects the level of the oil in the TANK - not the engine. If the tank registers a high level with the engine running you run a great risk of overflowing on idle or venting to the inlet manifold causing problems with the air flow measurement and idle valve.

Dial 2 is, as you say, the oil temperature. In my first post I mentioned about the oil temp getting to the first graduation. Looking again at your pic I really meant the second graduation. Once the thermostat opens you should find that the temp should drop to somewhere between the first and second marks. Only if you are stuck in traffic - or really caning it - will the temperature get much higher than that.

Dial 3 - oil pressure is pretty much as I explained before.

If you haven't already done so, make sure you have a good look at the FAQs section that Steve recently set up. There are some good pointers there to many of the common issues with the 964.

It's a great car and it's little nuances just make it better in my view.

Regards

Dave
 
Dave, you star. Many thanks.

Perhaps the car is overfilled then. Can this damage the engine and should i have the mechanic drain it ASAP.

Feels amazing to drive and the way it feels planted in the corners is amazing adn the feel you get through the wheel. I love this classic shape of the 964. Went out to stare at it at lunch time. Maybe got the 964 bug ?
 
As I mentioned before, having the oil level too high CAN cause problems and nobody would recommend that you do it intentionally. However, just a little too high is not the end of the world. My own car had been overfilled to the tune of 3 litres when I first got it - by the fool I bought it from - but it didn't do any lasting damage for the few weeks I ran like that. It did start to develop a problem at idle but it cleared up as soon as the excess oil had been drained.

It's worth getting a definitive measurement from the dipstick - in itself no mean feat I'll warn you - but IF it's overfilled I'd certainly recommend that you get it sorted sooner rather than later.

I'm afraid the bug you speak of is completely normal and completely infectious. Going to look at the car in the middle of the night is perfectly normal!! The other part of the infection relates to the purchase of ever more expensive add-ons and customisations with the occasional repair/upgrade etc. Don't be hard on yourself - it's normal!!!

Regards

Dave
 
dave the guru,

sure enough, checked the oil and as you said and it does indeed seem overfilled. pulled out what is possilly the longest dipstick i have seen.

ran it for 30 mins long run, let it idle for a while on flat ground with engine running and it seems about 1 inch over the maximum mark.

how much oil is this overfilled by as will let some out tommorow.

Cheers
 
An inch over the top of the full mark isn't a great deal - and I would strongly recommend that you DON'T try to drain that much from the tank. Once you open the tank drain plug you'll be inundated with more oil than the Torry Canyon and you'll have an even bigger problem.

The best way to drain a small amount is to let the engine get cold and undo the drain plug on the bottom of the engine. Since the sry sump engine has relatively little oil in the "sump" you won't get so inundated.

The other option which I have heard being used is to use something like a turkey baster to suck some out of the fill tube. I'm not keen on that solution though because of the potential danger of dropping something in there which you then can't retrieve - without a engine strip!!!

My guess is that you've only got something like a litre over - if that - so don't go too mad draining it off.

Regards

Dave
 
dave, given your molten brown droplets of wisdom on the gaages, my oil level gauges reads half full but when driving for more than 20 mins, it starts to read almost at full level and stays there when driving. Does not go down really go down when pressing on a bit.

does this mean the guage is not accurate or would one litre extra cause the gauge to do this ? Reads fine until hot then goes very near or to the top.

Cheers
 
You've got to be a bit selective about what the gauge reads ... and when.

When you just turn on the ignition from cold the gauge should be at the bottom.

Very little will change until the oil gets hot enough for the thermostat to open - then the gauge will read the oil level in the return part of the tank. If that pegs the gauge to the top it implies that the tank is over full - and you should be able to confirm that with the dipstick.

If it IS over full the tank will stay pretty full as you drive - a bad sign. Normally I would expect the gauge to drop to the red section in normal driving since the oil is sucked into the engine to supply it's needs.

One litre over the top WILL cause what you describe.

Hope that helps.

Regards

Dave
 
Congratulations and welcome to the forum. Very interesting thread as well. I've had my 964 for just over a year and I'm still getting to grips with the oil levels.

Having said that, just when I do think I've got it cracked it'll start to be affectionate and leave me a puddle of oil on the garage floor :)

- David
 
thanks for the welcome folks.

Dave, my level is reading on full when driving so i will drain some out. i trst frove another porsche before buying this one and it did drop in the red when i was driving. gauge seems to work otherwise so presume must be overfill. stays almost solid on top of gauge - bad sign as you say.

will let you guys know ho wi get on when its drained a little.

what is the best oil brand and viscosity. dont have a user manual on the car so will have to get one.

cheers
 

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