Winter is comming, oil change too (Questions)

[tolum]

Hi Guys;

This is my first Porsche and will put it in my garage end ofoctober for winter time. It's a 03 base Boxster.

I'm planning to do my oil change myself. I will buy an oem oil filter with o-ring and Mobil one 0-40 synt. oil. My question is regarding the aluminum crush washer for the oil plug. The place where I buy my Porsche stuff offers me 3 sizes: 12x15x1.5mm, 14x18x1.5mm or 18x24x1.5mm. Pls confirm the good one?

Thanks!

[Loren]

You want part number 900.123.106.30 sealing ring 16 x 24 -- US MSRP $0.38 each

[tolum]

Where can I buy an oil filter wrench on the net???

[gregtachyon]

Pelican Parts is where I bought mine.

Part #000-721-920-40-OEM

Edited October 16, 2008 by gregtachyon

[tolum]

What Mobil 1 grade I should use? Also, I'll be changing motor oil in my garage the same day I will wintherise my car for the nest 6 months. Is it better to add new oil and not start the engine or better to start engine for couple of minutes to lubricate it with new oil?

Thanks for your help.

[Loren]

What Mobil 1 grade I should use? Also, I'll be changing motor oil in my garage the same day I will wintherise my car for the nest 6 months. Is it better to add new oil and not start the engine or better to start engine for couple of minutes to lubricate it with new oil?

Thanks for your help.

Use the factory of 0W-40.

[gregtachyon]

What Mobil 1 grade I should use? Also, I'll be changing motor oil in my garage the same day I will wintherise my car for the nest 6 months. Is it better to add new oil and not start the engine or better to start engine for couple of minutes to lubricate it with new oil?

Thanks for your help.

I use 0W-40 Mobil 1.

Here is a tech article link to help you out. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/b..._oil_change.htm

I back my car up a set of ramps rather than jacking it up.

I store my car in the winter also ( I live in Michigan ) and I start it after the oil change - by doing so you will get the oil through out the system including the oil filter.

Edited October 17, 2008 by gregtachyon

[Loren]

What Mobil 1 grade I should use? Also, I'll be changing motor oil in my garage the same day I will wintherise my car for the nest 6 months. Is it better to add new oil and not start the engine or better to start engine for couple of minutes to lubricate it with new oil?

Thanks for your help.

I use 0W-40 Mobil 1.

Here is a tech article link to help you out. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/b..._oil_change.htm

I back my car up a set of ramps rather than jacking it up.

I store my car in the winter also ( I live in Michigan ) and I start it after the oil change - by doing so you will get the oil through out the system including the oil filter.

:lol:

We have a very detailed DIY tight here

[tolum]

Thank you all. I'll be missing my Boxy for the next 6 months...

Thierry

[acadian_dad]

I had a discussion with local dealership in Ottawa - should I change oil in fall prior to storage - or - in spring prior to the new driving season ??? They recommended spring so any debris could work its way to the oil pan ... hmmm :unsure: Its gonna get pretty mixed up in the process of driving the car to the dealer for service / heating up the engine to change the oil warm ...

Seems to me with the DE miles I've put on, etc. that there could be lots of contaminants in the oil by the end of a season and better to change in the fall ...

There's probably lots of opinions on this on the forums, but wondering Loren, what the "official" line would be ?

thanks

[gregtachyon]

I had a discussion with local dealership in Ottawa - should I change oil in fall prior to storage - or - in spring prior to the new driving season ??? They recommended spring so any debris could work its way to the oil pan ... hmmm :unsure: Its gonna get pretty mixed up in the process of driving the car to the dealer for service / heating up the engine to change the oil warm ...

Seems to me with the DE miles I've put on, etc. that there could be lots of contaminants in the oil by the end of a season and better to change in the fall ...

There's probably lots of opinions on this on the forums, but wondering Loren, what the "official" line would be ?

thanks

I have read that it's not good to leave the old oil in the car prior to storage because of the dirty deposits in the oil.

I store a motorcycle and change all oils in it prior to storage also.

Heck I even change the oil in my riding lawnmower prior to putting it away for the winter. In fact the owners manual says to do so.

[jmatta]

Don't let old oil sit in there all winter. The oil is full of contaniments and all you would acheive is spreading them around again as soon as you fired it up next spring.

[VRsyncro]

I had a discussion with local dealership in Ottawa - should I change oil in fall prior to storage - or - in spring prior to the new driving season ??? They recommended spring so any debris could work its way to the oil pan ... hmmm :unsure: Its gonna get pretty mixed up in the process of driving the car to the dealer for service / heating up the engine to change the oil warm ...

Seems to me with the DE miles I've put on, etc. that there could be lots of contaminants in the oil by the end of a season and better to change in the fall ...

There's probably lots of opinions on this on the forums, but wondering Loren, what the "official" line would be ?

thanks

Hi Acadian Dad,

I am in the Ottawa area as well and was wondering what I should do to prepare my car for winter?

If I change the oil in the Fall, are we to change again in the Spring as well?

Do you place any fuel stabilizer when storing?

Other?

Looking to store in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Mike

[gregtachyon]

I had a discussion with local dealership in Ottawa - should I change oil in fall prior to storage - or - in spring prior to the new driving season ??? They recommended spring so any debris could work its way to the oil pan ... hmmm :unsure: Its gonna get pretty mixed up in the process of driving the car to the dealer for service / heating up the engine to change the oil warm ...

Seems to me with the DE miles I've put on, etc. that there could be lots of contaminants in the oil by the end of a season and better to change in the fall ...

There's probably lots of opinions on this on the forums, but wondering Loren, what the "official" line would be ?

thanks

Hi Acadian Dad,

I am in the Ottawa area as well and was wondering what I should do to prepare my car for winter?

If I change the oil in the Fall, are we to change again in the Spring as well?

Do you place any fuel stabilizer when storing?

Other?

Looking to store in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Mike

Yes put stabilizer in it, I also inflate the tires to 55 PSI ( I believe that is the pressure ) I also push the car forward once a month and then back the following month so they will not flat spot.

If you have your owners manual look in it for a storage section - that is where I got the info to inflate the tires to 55 PSI.

According to my manual Porsche doesn't recommend lifting the suspension off the ground - something about extending the shocks and exposing the rods of the shocks and possibly causing corrosion to them.

I wash and wax it, clean interior, treat leather, etc. and I put rodent poison in the front, rear trunks and the interior of the car. I prop the wipers away from the windshield with some cardboard. I remove the battery and store it in my basement but prior to removing the battery I make sure I do not need to get in the rear trunk or interior. I leave the front trunk cracked open to the safety latch so I won't have to hook a 12 volt supply to get into it after removing the battery. I do not open the doors anymore after that - I would not like opening them without the window going down that 1/4 inch to clear the window molding. I stuff a rag in the exhaust outlet and then cover.

I do not change the oil again in the spring - I run it.

[usaf-lt-g]

In regards to this... is there a good way to get all 4 tires off for the winter to prevent flat marks on the tires? Reason I ask, is because I currently have 1 puck adapter, and I can't find any other good locations other than where the holes are for jacking, and I'd like to place the car on stands for the winter without worrying about flat marks.

Just wondering how everyone else is doing this... :huh:

[gregtachyon]

Here is an article where the guy use hockey pucks on the jack stands.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/b...box_jacking.htm

Below are some suggested jack points.

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...F-AD549A03E5F0}

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...C-C87679F55D82}

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...4-FDCDEEFD6A1A}

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...2-41A7456A6959}

Check out these tire cradles below.

http://www.tirecradle.com/

Hope this helps.

[acadian_dad]

I like all the stuff that gregtachyon lists ... all make sense.

Peronally, I don't like the idea of lifting the car - from my perspective, suspension is much more expensive than rubber. I do over inflate (50+ psi) for storage. I've stored my car in previous years quite a long way from my house so it didn't get moved all winter ... Did not have flat spot problems. This year will be using a location closer to Stittsville and may make the effort. The tirecradles seem like a great idea.

In the past I filled the tank with Sunoco 94 but am hearing people concerned about ethanol lately so may rethink that this year. Did not use any stabilizer and car started fine in the spring.

I purchased a Porsche smart charger so didn't worry about the battery stuff - it worked fine to maintain the charge.

This year I'll do the oil change as well before storage :)

Where are you planning to store the car VRsyncro ?

[gregtachyon]

One other thing I forgot to mention - do not engage the parking brake.

acadian_dad I have been storing a number different of Porsches since 1981 and never had a problem with flat spots either -at times I couldn’t roll the car either.

But if I can I roll the car just for some reassurance – tires are expensive.

[VRsyncro]

In the past I filled the tank with Sunoco 94 but am hearing people concerned about ethanol lately so may rethink that this year. Did not use any stabilizer and car started fine in the spring.

I purchased a Porsche smart charger so didn't worry about the battery stuff - it worked fine to maintain the charge.

This year I'll do the oil change as well before storage :)

Where are you planning to store the car VRsyncro ?

I plan to store the car in my garage. I have the Porsche Indoor Car Cover, as well as the trickle battery charger. I'm not too worried about the tires as I have a set of 17's that came with the car that will be used for storage.

Last year I was caught off guard with snow starting in Mid-November. No chance to really detail the car, oil change, prep, etc... Didn't even have a full tank of gas and finally thought it was a clear day and actually got caught in the snow with the Boxster, so decided to forgo any further adventures with the car and call it a season!

AcadianDad - Is there a large community of Boxster owners in Ottawa? Just wondering as i'd like to get more involved next summer.

[acadian_dad]

Last year I was caught off guard with snow starting in Mid-November. No chance to really detail the car, oil change, prep, etc... Didn't even have a full tank of gas and finally thought it was a clear day and actually got caught in the snow with the Boxster, so decided to forgo any further adventures with the car and call it a season!

Remember that snow well - I drove my car to Boyd's vehicle storage in the middle of it ...

Is there a large community of Boxster owners in Ottawa? Just wondering as i'd like to get more involved next summer.

There's no specific Boxster club I am aware of, however there is the Porsche Club of America (PCA) - Rennsport Region which you could join. They run DE's primarily at Calabogie (CMP) and Tremblant (LCMT) as well as Ottawa area coffee runs pretty much each month of the summer. There is a monthly dinner at Summerhays Grill on the 1st Tuesday of every month (during winter as well). There are also many social events in Montreal and Quebec. Its a great group of Porsche lovers. Checkout the PCA Rennsport Region website at http://www.rennsport.ca

Edited October 22, 2008 by acadian_dad

[itzbob46]

You can get a filter wrench for around $6 at a locak parts store.....you don't need that fancy Porsche one. Note the torque settings on filter and drain plug. Filter is bearly torqued.

Always run your car after an oil change and check for leaks while it's fresh on your mind. Personally I'm not crazy about that 55# tire idea. That is more up to the tire mfg than porsche to advise. Just roll it a bit now and then.

Leave the battery in and get a batt maintainer. Save some labor.

I'm in CT and we have real winter, although not as bad as some places. Personally my car is stored Early Dec through mid March. That's only 3 1/2 months. ya know, it's just depreciating while you are trying to preserve it. There are nice days in Nov and March-Apr to enjoy your car.

Bob

[jmatta]

Fill the tank with good quality, non-ethanol premium and add a can of "SeaFoam" before filling; stuff works wonders and you'll have a clean fuel system next spring. A trick I learned years ago was to place several carpet squares under each tire for the car to sit on during the winter's period. They are cushy enough so the tires don't flatspot and you don't need to over-inflate. Definately use a battery maintainer instead of removing the battery. When power is disconnected, your DME is cleared of all codes and needs to re-learn everything come next spring; takes about a weeks worth of driving to complete the "ready" cycles and be back to normal.