Topping up oil an a 911 (997) C4S

[sidicks]

I checked the oil at the weekend on my C4S (997), having now done circa 4,500 miles - definitely getting low (although no warnings yet) and so I will top up at some point this week.

Two obvious questions spring to mind:
1) Is that the right sort of usage level compared to other people ?
2) Presumably Mobil 1 is the oil of choice ?

Thanks

Sidicks

 

[Alex L]

I think I have put in about 5L in 7000 miles.

You want Mobil 1 0W-40 (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_0W-40.aspx)

It's available Halfords or cheaper in bulk at http://www.oil-store.co.uk/?path=item&id=112

-Alex

 

[THX911]

ORIGINAL: Alex L

It's available Halfords or cheaper in bulk at http://www.oil-store.co.uk/?path=item&id=112

-Alex

Or if you have a Costco nearby then they are the cheapest at £23.37 (inc VAT) for a 4Litre; you have to be a member though (worth it)...

Otherwise if you happen to be in France then you can pick up a 5litre 5W 40 from their supermarkets for around 25Euros...

 

[blaine54]

I've gone through 1.5 litres in 1800 miles on my C2S, which I was expecting...on a related topic, is it just mine or does the time for the computer to give you an oil reading fluctuate from anywhere between 10 seconds to 20 minutes before you get a measurement?

 

[sidicks]

ORIGINAL: Alex L

I think I have put in about 5L in 7000 miles.

I thought that the difference between min and max on the electronic guage was only just over a litre, meaning you've had to top up at least 5 times ??!!

It sounds like i've been using less oil than most of you on here, so either I'm not driving the car hard enough, or I need to check the oil level more regularly !!

I've just confirmed that my local Halfords has the right oil in stock, so I'll top it up this evening, and keep a closer eye on it in future.

Thanks for your help,

Sidicks

 

[Alex L]

I don't think I've never seen 20 mins! 5 mins yes... all depends on how long the car's been static for so that the oil level can settle and give you an accurate reading. So if you've just been driving the car, stop, and look for a measurement then it's going to be a small wait! [8D]

 

[Alex L]

ORIGINAL: sidicks

I thought that the difference between min and max on the electronic guage was only just over a litre, meaning you've had to top up at least 5 times ??!!

Yup, I've used 3 litres now out of my 4L bottle, and I've used 2 x 1L bottles, so that makes 5L [8|] I think a 4L bottle in Halfords is about £40, so about £10/L

I got the car at 2500 miles and I'm on about 9500 now. Seems to really drink the oil. However, when you compare to how quickly it drinks the £1.04/L Optimax petrol the cost of oil suddenly becomes rather insignificant!! [8D]

I worked out yesterday that if I average 20mpg then it's about £240 every 1k miles in petrol against £5-10 for oil...

 

[blaine54]

alex she seems to do the opposite. After a quick run to warm her up I get the extreme timings to calculate the oil levels. More of an inconveniance than anything else, but it can't be right to wait that long??

 

[Geoff_Fields]

Compared to others your oil consumption does seem high. I'm using oil at the rate of 4000mls/Ltr. including a couple of track days.

 

[sidicks]

ORIGINAL: Geoff997

Compared to others your oil consumption does seem high. I'm using oil at the rate of 4000mls/Ltr. including a couple of track days.

I guess that is more what I would have expected, based on previous experience with my M3.

If I'm more careful than others about revving the engine when cold, would that lead to lower oil consumption (albeit I don't hold back when the engine is warm!!) ?

 

[sidicks]

ORIGINAL: Alex L

I don't think I've never seen 20 mins! 5 mins yes... all depends on how long the car's been static for so that the oil level can settle and give you an accurate reading. So if you've just been driving the car, stop, and look for a measurement then it's going to be a small wait! [8D]

funny that - it's normally been 2mins to 5 mins for me, however the other day I'm sure it said something like 23 mins so I gave up and tried again later !

Sidicks

 

[Guest]

nearly 3K on the clock of my C4s and minimal oil consumption. never rev beyond 3k unless oil temp >90, once greater than 90, it gets driven quite hard at times...

 

[Alex L]

These results are from a poll on another 997 forum:

"For those who probably don't drive their cars especially hard, the mean oil consumption is 0.273 ml per mile (or 0.171 ml per km). The standard deviation is 0.119 ml per mile (or 0.074 ml per km). To be roughly 95% confident that your car's oil consumption is normal, based upon the 17 responses, it should be between 0 and 0.511 ml per mile (or between 0 and 0.319 ml per km). Again, this is a crude number and the sample size is small, but it seems to make sense.

For those who apparently drive their cars more aggressively (a sample size of only 5), the mean oil consumption is 0.73 ml per mile (or 0.456 ml per km), with a standard deviation of 0.12 ml per mile (or 0.075 ml per km). To be roughly 95% confident that your car's oil consumption is normal for an aggressive driver, it should be between 0 and 0.97 ml per mile (or between 0 and 0.606 ml per km).

One interesting additional point - it appears that the standard deviation is almost the same for the basic driving mode group and those who drive aggressively. So, aggressive driving increases oil consumption, but the spread around that higher mean level is the same as for those who don't drive aggressively.

All of these results fit in with what my dealer had told me last April when I got concerned about oil consumption by my 911S. Basically, it's normal and it will likely decline considerably once the rings are fully seated, which takes longer for cars using synthetic oil."

So my consumption is about 0.66ml per mile"¦ which I guess, means my weekend countryside back-road fun, puts me more towards the 'aggressive' camp...

 

[YvesD]

Mine has used about 1 litre in 3500 miles from new, I am in the 'non aggressive' driving group.

If you measure the oil first thing in the morning when its stone cold it takes about 6 secs and gives an accurate reading. From piping hot the times are much longer, a good compromise is a check after the hot engine has been stopped 5 mins. The car also gives you an automatic oil reading after refueling too.

Yves

 

[nsm3]

I also find that from cold you get the 6 second reading but if you start the car, then think to check the oil and turn it off, it goes up to around 28 mins!

I'm not sure I trust that oil meter device to be strictly accurate, as in the middle range it can fluctuate up or down 1 bar. Mine is showing at the lowest setting at the moment, but the oil pressure is fine (3.5 to 5) and as it is due in for a service soon I will leave it.

 

[sidicks]

Well after almost 1L of Mobil 1's finest, my car is now topped up with 3 bars showing (but not over the top), so we'll see how that lasts.

Also bought a spare 1L bottle ready for when it needs topping up !!

Thanks

Sidicks

 

[Guest]

4k so far in my C4S and 3/4 litre added. This has taken it right to the top of the range on the on-board gauge. One track day and one 1.5k trip to Germany (a pathetic 170 indicated due to big blouse of a co-driver and too much traffic), so mimimal consumption for me.

If you just turn the engine over (say by accident, when you just meant to measure the oil level), the time reverts to 59 mins 59 seconds before you will get a reading from the on-board gauge. The longer you run th engine for, the more this comes down. Obviously, the time is designed to let the oil settle in order to give an accurate reading.

Gallardo anyone?