I know the manual stipulates to wait at least one minute on a warm engine to get the proper reading, but I seem to get different readings depending on the type of driving.

If I have taken a trip on the highway at a high speed I will get a lower reading. When I read the level after around town type driving, I get a full level.

This is confusing and i'm now waiting longer to take a reading. My thinking is that oil hasn't all dripped down for a proper measurement?

Yesterday waited five minutes after highway driving and level down two bars. Drove around town this morning, waited five minutes and it shows at max level.

Yearning for the old dipstick!

 

Manual says to wait about one minute and make sure care is on level pavement. I get mixed reading too, usually 2-3 bars, but that is within acceptable limits, so I don't worry about it.

 

Porsche if your listening please bring back a real dipstick!

 

A dipstick would give the same disparity. Oil coats all the parts and has to slide down. The harder you drive, the more is splashed & dispersed throughout the motor and the longer it takes for most of it to re-gather so it can be measured.

Relax. Carry an extra liter in the frunk with you in case the reading drops to or near Min. or especially if the Oil Warning light comes on.

After 50 years of making 911 boxer engines, thinking that Porsche engineers made a serious design flaw by failing to put in a dipstick is just silly.

I can't remember if my 993 and 995 had dipsticks, but I am certain that my 996 did not have a dipstick. If M96 motors were blowing up because the electronic oil readings were inaccurate, we would have heard about it over the last 12 years.

 

It is annoying. It usually takes about 6 miles before I can get a reading after an oil change, however as I check the level before the change, measure the drained fluid and replace only what was drained, it's not a problem

 

I read the oil level after I parked the car for a while.. engine is still hot, but the oil had some time to settle. I found this gauge at least more accurate and less annoying than the ones in BMW's.

 

I have always found that I can get a true oil reading when I allow the car to get to operating temperature without driving it OR take the reading after the car has been off, after a ride, allowing it to sit for atleast 30 minutes. Any oil that has been splashed about has drained back and the temperatures only drop a little. Of course, the car has to be on level ground.

 

whats interesting is that my 991 will give me a oil reading at anytime, even when cold.
However on my Cayenne, it only provides the reading after the engine is warmed up.

 

Mine too. And I'm thinking its because its not working properly. Until recently, would take a few minutes to post a reading w/ a cold engine. Now the reading is there before the engine starts in accessory mode....? Not right.

I'm worried b/c if its not functioning correctly whose to say it will report critically low oil levels....

 

i wonder if it has to do w/ the intergrated oil sump???

 

I think the oil sending unit, or its modern equivalent, either isn't operating properly, or if it is, perhaps the car's system needs to be reinitialized to relay the information accurately.

The mechanic at the dealer plugged directly into the PIWIS system on the car and got an exact read out of the amount of oil in the car in litres. His reading did not match the display in the car. It was off by approx. 20%. which is fine if that's just a tolerance, but I have a funny feeling I could take a few quarts out of the car and the display on the dash wouldn't move. Thats the part that worries me.

I'm going to search this forum, b/c I could swear I saw something about a faulty oil sending unit.

I'll post if I find anything else.

DRP

 

To be honest I have never looked at the oil reading. I got my first oil change at 10K miles and the second at 20k. I do look out for any error/warning messages, but have not had any. So I assume all must be good.

 

BTW, never had any issue with the oil read out on my 997.2. My comments/issues apply only to the 991 and only recently. It worked fine for 9 months.

DRP[/QUOTE]