Hey all, just joined after picking up my mint 2004 40th anniversary edition with 8k miles! I am totally fired up... it is a streetable racecar and hits all the right buttons for me! I have dubbed her the Silver Surfer!

Maybe you can help me with a few questions:

1) What is the lowest cost online OEM parts supplier, hopefully a trusted site with 6speedonline discounts! I love doing my own maintenance... helps me bond with her!

2) What oil should I be running? It will only be operated in weather above 60 degrees... what do you recommend? I have cases of Honda 10W-40 semi-synthetic for my Lex... it meets the specs in the manual, so could she handle 1-2k miles per year on this oil without any risk?

3) Car has only 1k on the current mobil1 dealer fill, but it has been 1 year. Do I need to change it religiously at the 1 year mark even if such low miles, or go another year or up to 3k or so miles? Time or distance basically.

4) I have extended warranty through Sep2013. I hear about IMS bearing failures... what is the common failure prone areas i need to keep a close eye on before my warranty wears out? Car has been dealer (over) maintained... just had 60k service and new tires done due to age.

That's it for now, many thanks for dropping some knowledge or links to help!

-Viper6

 

Benvenidos

1) Pelicanparts.com

2) Mobil1 0W40 Full Synthetic yearly

3) Change the oil. It's been a year. Every 5K or once a year.

4) Lots of opinions on that one. Research, research, research. IMS failure is prone to low milage 996 -997. Aside from poor design, condensation can be the culprit. Do not let her sit, drive her, and drive her in the 3K-4K rpm zone.

Now get some PICS up!

 

[QUOTE=Viper6;3533509]Hey all, just joined after picking up my mint 2004 40th anniversary edition with 8k miles! I am totally fired up... it is a streetable racecar and hits all the right buttons for me! I have dubbed her the Silver Surfer! -Viper6


Welcome to the group and congrats on the car. You should search herein and read a lot. Most questions have been answered over the years and pretty darn well.

First of all it's a car, drive it, take care of it and do not worry any more about minimally possible issues which may arrise some time in the never future.

There is no one lowest price parts place - just like with every other type of purchase you can make on line. If you need something, search the forum sponsor sites and you'll see variances between them all on various items.

Sell the Honda oil and keep up with the Mobile 1 0W40.

I have had three of these and only ever once replaced a water pump. I keep up with my maintenance and drive the car like I'm late for lunch. That's all you have to do unless something comes up. Since you have an extended service plan, like I do, don't worry about anything unless something comes up.

Oh, and have fun.

 

Search out oil and read the opinions here, but definitely change it. You can also get good oil info and Raby Racing and LN Engineering. They have a new oil called Joe Gibbs DT40 made for our cars and the bearings. Supposed to be very good.

When you do your clutch plan on doing the IMS bearing. It will give you peace of mind and get you many more miles of hard driving.

Congrats on your purchase and enjoy it!

 

Many thanks for the replies!

DO you need to use a code for Pelican parts to get a forum discount, or just standard low prices for all?

I see manual calling for 10W40 up to 15W40... so no Honda oil, but really you are using 0W40? I read somewhere Mobile1 05W50 is "Approved" and can get some shipped to my house for $6ea... does this fit the bill, or stick with 0W40?

Once I teach myself how to post pics I'll do so...

 

Welcome to the club. That amount of mileage is crazy, it must still smell new.

As to your questions: Pelican and Suncoast are good sources.

There are 2 trains of thought when it comes to oils. One is 0w40 the other is 5w40, here is some reading http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html .

Finally, I fully believe a driven 996 is a healthy 996. So due to her extreme low mileage I would change the IMS before the warranty ran out and drive her at least 4-5000 miles a year.

P.S. Without pics she doesn't exist!!

 

It had oil changed yearly by dealer and prev owner drove it the way it should have been. Brakes bled 4 times, 60k service done, new tires less than 1k, etc... full maintenance per specs. And yes, he was as **** retentive as I am... it is effectively a brand new car and just the way I like to buy em. Can you tell I am psyched for my first Porsche!?

I will do aggressive IMS monitoring thru extended warranty period I think (maybe that LN Guardian device) and determine by that point if I want to do the Upgrade...

By the time I look at oil/filter/washers it makes no $ sense to DIY... indy costs less and I may need the relationship, luckily I have a highly regarded one in my backyard.

There must be an FAQ on how to post pics somewhere... I'll hope to figure it out this weekend and get some up!

This Forum rocks!

 

Congrats on the car. Enjoy it. Just wondering why the 60k service was done when it only has 8k miles?

 

Some more thoughts on oils and weights. Mobil 1 5W-50 is approved and good if you track or run it hard / hot. Also check out Amsoil Euro 5W-40. It has some of the highest ZDDP numbers that protect the bearings and metals.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...l-997-2-a.html

I pulled this from a good oil thread / the one above, but very informative:

There are many recommended Porsche oils including Castrol and Motul. Knowing the attributes of each oil is easy and reads like the nutrition labels on food in a grocery store.

Porsche factory oil is Mobil because Mobil gives them lots of money to do so. Kinda like Nationwide is a sponsor of NASCAR. Does not really make it the best insurance company though. Or probably a better comparison would be Gatorade or a Powerade sponsoring athletes.

If your interested in what the labels and numbers on the back of your oil is saying about what you put in your engine you can go to www.LNEngineering. com.


Mobil 1 0w40 SM 3.6 x
Mobil Delvac 1 / Mobil 1 Truck & Diesel 5w40 CJ-4/SM 4.1
Mobil 1 Synt S Special V 505.01 (Europe only) 5w40 SJ 4.67
Mobil 1 (Canada) 5w50 SM 4.3 x
VW 505.01 Castrol 5w40 SL 4.5
Castrol Syntec 5w40 SL ? x
Castrol Syntec 5w50 SM ?
Motul 300V 5w40 SH 4.51
Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 SL 3.92 x
Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic European Formula 5w40 SL 3.9 x
Redline 5w40 SL 4.6
Quaker State Q European Formula 5w40 SL 3.9 x
Schaeffer Supreme 9000 5w40 SM 4.57

This is from their site. Not a good paste but shows you some of the numbers/acronyms.

If you do some research you will find that the recommended ZDDP level for oil in our engines is .12%. The minimum API requirement is .06-08% which is noted by an SM. Mobil 1 0w-40 just meets this minimum. While the Porsche approved Euro blend Castrol 5w-40 is SL which is .118%. This is only one attribute but shows that Mobil 1 Euro Blend is actually inferior to most oils. This was not always true but Mobil re-engineered their Euro blend several years ago I believe due to EPA and cost considerations.

The thinner quality of Mobil1 0w-40 is alright initially given Porsche's warning about thicker oils. However, Mobil 1 wears considerably over short periods of time. That is why many using it experience a lot of "oil consumption" as the oil actually becomes too thin. The lower viscosity could also be consideration in seeping RMS's, IMS bearing failure, and IMS shaft failures.

 

I was wondering the same thing.

Welcome and don't worry too much. Have fun with your new baby!

 

Hey Viper, congratulations and welcome. You've got yourself a magnificent car. Enjoy it.

IMS failure is extremely rare everywhere but internet message boards, and I've never seen any reliable evidence that the "fixes" fail at a lower rate than the OEM bearing (i.e., they both work fine for 99% of the cars out there). Enjoy your car; can't wait for pics.

 

60k was done allegedly due to Time... or dealership salesmanship.

 

Good luck finding any of these oils... All are out of spec and are not for sale any longer with the exception of the Delvac/Diesel products. SL oils haven't been around for over 10 years, SM oils for 2. There is not a single SN oil listed (current API rating) which all of these are now more or less SN. Not sure what the numbers mean here, HTHS? Pennzoil Plat and QS Euro (3.5 HTHS, 179 viscosity index rating) are thinner oils than the M1 0W-40 (3.8 HTHS 185 Viscosity Index rating). This list is suspect and out of date.

 

Search for the same general names and you'll find anything you're looking for. They changed the ratings and names on some, but pretty much the same / and many great choices. The above list was from J Ellis on March of 2011 in this thread: Mobil 1 vs Shell Ultra Synthetic Oil in a 997.2

Viper, you mentioned you located and found the Mobil 5W-50 for $6. In my "opinion" only, especially if you push your car, that would be a great oil to go with.


03-16-2011, 07:58 AM
JEllis
Registered User
Garage is empty, add now Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: San Diego
Posts: 2,065
Rep Power: 111


Quote:
Originally Posted by 911 Molar
sorry thats crap - 0W40 - is a superior quality oil as its thinner and is recommended as its factory fill

Uhh no no no no....

There are many recommended Porsche oils including Castrol and Motul. Knowing the attributes of each oil is easy and reads like the nutrition labels on food in a grocery store.

Porsche factory oil is Mobil because Mobil gives them lots of money to do so. Kinda like Nationwide is a sponsor of NASCAR. Does not really make it the best insurance company though. Or probably a better comparison would be Gatorade or a Powerade sponsoring athletes.

If your interested in what the labels and numbers on the back of your oil is saying about what you put in your engine you can go to www.LNEngineering. com.


Mobil 1 0w40 SM 3.6 x
Mobil Delvac 1 / Mobil 1 Truck & Diesel 5w40 CJ-4/SM 4.1
Mobil 1 Synt S Special V 505.01 (Europe only) 5w40 SJ 4.67
Mobil 1 (Canada) 5w50 SM 4.3 x
VW 505.01 Castrol 5w40 SL 4.5
Castrol Syntec 5w40 SL ? x
Castrol Syntec 5w50 SM ?
Motul 300V 5w40 SH 4.51
Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 SL 3.92 x
Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic European Formula 5w40 SL 3.9 x
Redline 5w40 SL 4.6
Quaker State Q European Formula 5w40 SL 3.9 x
Schaeffer Supreme 9000 5w40 SM 4.57

This is from their site. Not a good paste but shows you some of the numbers/acronyms.

If you do some research you will find that the recommended ZDDP level for oil in our engines is .12%. The minimum API requirement is .06-08% which is noted by an SM. Mobil 1 0w-40 just meets this minimum. While the Porsche approved Euro blend Castrol 5w-40 is SL which is .118%. This is only one attribute but shows that Mobil 1 Euro Blend is actually inferior to most oils. This was not always true but Mobil re-engineered their Euro blend several years ago I believe due to EPA and cost considerations.

The thinner quality of Mobil1 0w-40 is alright initially given Porsche's warning about thicker oils. However, Mobil 1 wears considerably over short periods of time. That is why many using it experience a lot of "oil consumption" as the oil actually becomes too thin. The lower viscosity could also be consideration in seeping RMS's, IMS bearing failure, and IMS shaft failures.

Jason
__________________
2006 C2S SOLD

Last edited by JEllis; 03-16-2011 at 08:00 AM.