Oil Weights / Viscosity

[shothem1]

Again I've read several posts concerning oil with no solid conclusions. I have a 2001 986 Boxster 2.7L and no owners manual. What is the recommended oil weight? The online manual suggests 10W-40 in desert climate - I live in Las Vegas. Suggestions?

Also have the infamous engine "tick" - suggested weight / viscosity?

Thanks.

[Loren]

Please do a search here - oils have been discussed here ad nauseam...

[N41EF]

You are new, and this HAS been covered way too many times. Please use the search function, you'll find more than you could ever want to read. You will find that oil opinions are like armpits, everyone has one, and everyone elses stink. Since you are new, I'll give you the 50 cent version.

Porsche endorses Mobile 1 as factory fill and has an "approved" oil list. I suspect the manufacturers pay to have their oil evaluated and to get on the list. I look more for ratings than the brand. My top two picks for my 986 are Mobile 1 5w 40 which they label as a turbo diesel truck oil, or Rotella Synthetic T which is also a 5w 40. Both are available at Walmart in gallon jugs. the 5w part means that the oil flows better at each cold startup than a 10w oil so there is better protection. The 40 part means that at normal operating temp it flows like a 40w oil and gives great protection. There are many things to look at for cam/lifter wear high temperature sheer strength is one of the keys to look for. I tend to follow ACEA which is a european oil spec, anything A5/B5 is supperb, both of the oils above meet that. Here are a few things to read:

http://www.engineoilinfo.com/info_service_class.php

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

http://www.valvoline.com.au/pdf/Essential%...ure%20FINAL.pdf

Bottom line, I use a 5w-40 full synthetic that meets A5, and replace the oil and filter every 10k miles or 12 months.

[shothem1]

Please do a search here - oils have been discussed here ad nauseam...

That's just it....no one seems to provide a clear answer only opinions. What does the owners manual recommend?

[Loren]

Please do a search here - oils have been discussed here ad nauseam...

That's just it....no one seems to provide a clear answer only opinions. What does the owners manual recommend?

You can download the Owners Manuals here

[JFP in PA]

Please do a search here - oils have been discussed here ad nauseam...

That's just it....no one seems to provide a clear answer only opinions. What does the owners manual recommend?

There are several major disconnects on this issue:

1. Porsche produces an almost mystical “approved” oils list, but regularly changes it, without any explanation of why a particular oil was added or dropped.

2. Some oil compounders (mostly smaller ones) employ totally deceptive marketing practices to imply that they have specific oil ratings when the actually do not (a fact that can be independently verified).

3. Major oil producers reformulate their products constantly, often to the extent that they totally lose some ratings that a particular grade used to hold, and yet they say nothing. Some of these companies fortunately are honest enough to change the packaging to indicate that a specific rating is no longer held, but you have to search for it to find out.

4. Owner’s manuals are time capsules. The products and grades recommended in 2001 or 2005 may no longer exist, or meet the same ratings they did when the manual was printed. This basically renders the manuals useless………..

This leaves you, the consumer, in the unfortunate position of having to become more informed and staying up to date on the latest changes in the available products, and while there are a lot of resources available, it is something not everyone is interested in doing. There is also the option of doing your own testing, which is both time and $ consuming, but very informative.

So, here we sit, “caveat emptor”, unless we are willing to do our own homework, or trust the data collected by others………….

[70Sixter]

Welcome Trev0006! :welcome:

Don't trust the owner's manual for current recommendations. As mentioned recommendations change and oils are reformulated (Mobil 1 might not be the same formulation for the same advertised viscosity as it was when the original fill was done.)

The recommended oils TSB is on available to RennTech contributing members and is a good place to start. But there are plenty of good oils not on the list for several reasons. The search will cover most of the logic, but not tell you which oils is "best."

The Oil Spec TSB says on 0w-40, 5W-40 or 5W-50 for cars. Different for Cayennes.

ZDDP levels seem to be going down every API cycle.

:thankyou: N41EF - thanks for the sites, I'm doing my annual research for my next oil change. Here is another one I just joined.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

[phillipj]

Another reason I don't like Mobil 1 is their containers are too big :rolleyes:

[shothem1]

I changed the oil the weekend after purchase and used 10W-40 Mobil One which was recommended by an owners manual I found online for climates associated with living in the desert. I see no mention of anyone here using 10W-40 - hence my initial posting. Any feedback on this viscosity? I realize everyone has an opinion on oil brands - however I'm more interested in correct viscosity. Here's my .02 cents worth on oil brands....

I have several other cars and use Mobil One exclusively and have had tremendous success over the years. I am 39 and this Porsche is my 47th vehicle. Others currently include:

1991 Miata - many performance enhancements 10W-30 Mobil One 125K miles

1998 Isuzu Rodeo - many off-road enhancements 10W-30 Mobil One 178K miles

2005 Mercedes C320 - stock Mobil One 0W-40 70K miles

2007 Suzuki XL-7 - stock Mobil One 5W-30 11K miles

2002 Jeep Wrangler - off road monster 10W-30 Mobil One 76K miles

[JFP in PA]

I changed the oil the weekend after purchase and used 10W-40 Mobil One which was recommended by an owners manual I found online for climates associated with living in the desert. I see no mention of anyone here using 10W-40 - hence my initial posting. Any feedback on this viscosity? I realize everyone has an opinion on oil brands - however I'm more interested in correct viscosity. Here's my .02 cents worth on oil brands....

I have several other cars and use Mobil One exclusively and have had tremendous success over the years. I am 39 and this Porsche is my 47th vehicle. Others currently include:

1991 Miata - many performance enhancements 10W-30 Mobil One 125K miles

1998 Isuzu Rodeo - many off-road enhancements 10W-30 Mobil One 178K miles

2005 Mercedes C320 - stock Mobil One 0W-40 70K miles

2007 Suzuki XL-7 - stock Mobil One 5W-30 11K miles

2002 Jeep Wrangler - off road monster 10W-30 Mobil One 76K miles

We use 10W-40 as the "standard" offering at my shop now for several years; only difference is that we do not use any Mobil 1 products......