OIL time vs mileage ? and oil weight

[britdave]

I own 5 vehicles, so my Porsche 911/ 996 only gets about 2500- 3000 miles put on it every year. I drive it at least once a week and put about 20 - 30 miles on it each time.

I also use "Mobil 1 0-40 weight " ( the dealer told me that, but my 2002 owners manual calls for something different ? ) #1 Is that correct ? Also, #2 do I need to change the oil every year if I only put less than 3000 miles on the clock each year, hence the question, time vs mileage ? Thanks Brit Dave

[996CabMan]

Mobil 0-40 is fine for our weather in Florida on a lower mile Pcar. My independant suggests oil changes either at annually for cars that don't get driven much or at 8000 miles maximum for those that do.

[tanny02996]

Hi Brit - I too have an 02 996 and put on about 4,000 miles per year. Oil selection and intervals seem to raise intersting debates, but a well respected P-car mechanic that I know believes frequent oil changes are the best thing you can do to mitigate the risk of IMS failure and with that, he recommended that I change my oil every 6 mos or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first - so that is what I do. For what it is worth, I do my own oil changes (more for the time savings than cost, but it is about 1/3 the price of the dealership) and use Mobile 1 0w40.

[Loren]

Porsche says:

"· On vehicles with annual mileages of less than 9,000 miles (15,000 km), an annual maintenance must be carried out once a year.

· Maintenance with oil filter change must be carried out at least every 2 years according to the mileage, if the mileage for a major maintenance has not already been reached.

· For an annual mileage of more than 9,000 miles (15,000 km) it is recommended to carry out the next maintenance as soon as possible."

[jimmy3530]

I'm also planning to do oil changes myself and am about to embark on my first one. Is it necessary to lift the car off the ground or can one successfully access the drain plug and filter with the normal ground clearance. I've got a 2000 996 Carrera 4 (stock). Also, anyone know the best place to buy Mobil 1 0W40? Online?

Thanks in advance.

[carrera3.2]

I'm also planning to do oil changes myself and am about to embark on my first one. Is it necessary to lift the car off the ground or can one successfully access the drain plug and filter with the normal ground clearance. I've got a 2000 996 Carrera 4 (stock). Also, anyone know the best place to buy Mobil 1 0W40? Online?

Thanks in advance.

I do my own oil changes by running the back wheels of my (30 mm lowered) 2003 C2 onto a pair of 2"x12" pieces of wood. That gives me enough space to get the wrench, oil drain pan, etc. under the drain plug and to drop the oil and the filter. It takes no more than 1/2 hour to do this on the 996. It is the easiest to service car I have ever owned (spark plug replacement excepted :soapbox: ).

I get my oil filters for less than $12 at Pelican (Hengst or Mahle) and the Mobil 1 0W-40 oil at Walmart for ca. $7/qt. Be sure that you get the proper Mahle oil filter wrench before you start this in order to safely remove the oil filter canister. It costs less than $30 from Pelican and makes the job a lot simpler. No reason to pay a shop $200-300 when you can do it yourself for less than $80. Good luck, and be sure to recycle your used oil properly.

[jimmy3530]

Thanks for the quick reply. One further question, if you're running the back wheels up 2 inches onto some wood are you actually draining all the oil out, given the angle of the car. I am (overly?) concerned with this since I'm really interested in finding any and all the little bits of RMS in my oil.

So should the car be level to get all the oil out?

Thanks again!

[tanny02996]

I too use the 2x12 method. If you are concerned about keeping the car level, try using a second set behind the front wheels. As for the oil, I order from Amazon (no tax or shipping charges is nice), filters, washers etc. I order from Sunset (board sponsor here) - and definitely get the proper filter canister removal tool. Finally, make sure you have an oil catch pan with a wide opening, the oil will come out pretty fast (enough to overflow somethng with a small opening - I know, I learned this the hard way).

Edited September 15, 2010 by tanny02996

[carrera3.2]

Thanks for the quick reply. One further question, if you're running the back wheels up 2 inches onto some wood are you actually draining all the oil out, given the angle of the car. I am (overly?) concerned with this since I'm really interested in finding any and all the little bits of RMS in my oil.

So should the car be level to get all the oil out?

Thanks again!

As tanny has said, if you want the engine pan to be perfectly level, then by all means, do run the front wheels up as well. I don't worry about that. Regarding looking for debris, I think the most important thing to look for would be debris caused by a failng IMS bearing, not the RMS. When you get out the old oil filter, carefully cut it open along the long axis and examine the interior for metal debris. Better yet, get an oil analysis as I do. I send a sample of my oil at regular intervals for a complete chemical analysis to see if anything that should not be in the oil is present. I have been using Blackstone Labs (Ft. Wayne, IN ) to do this for years and have been very satisfied with the results. They will tell you what the significance of each level of elements is that they analyze for. From this one can infer problems from oil-water mixing to failing bearings. If you do this regularly, you can spot trend lines and anticipate developing problems before a catstrophic engine failure. They supply free sample kits upon request. The price of a standard analysis is now up to $25, but I feel it is worth every cent. (Note: I have no affiliation with Blackstone Labs other than as a satisfied customer.)

Good luck.

[britdave]

Is the 'TIME" factor that important ? Does the oil break down or somehow lose it's viscosity or what , after say , a year or so,if you only have say, 2 or 3000 on the stuff ?

Why would that happen if the engine has not been used that much during that time period ? Thanks DC

[Loren]

Is the 'TIME" factor that important ? Does the oil break down or somehow lose it's viscosity or what , after say , a year or so,if you only have say, 2 or 3000 on the stuff ?

Why would that happen if the engine has not been used that much during that time period ? Thanks DC

It is the opposite problem of over use -- under use.

When the car is not driven much there is more moisture in the oil and the oil drains out of bearings and other important places.

Many times rarely driven cars have oil that is more contaminated (corrosion and oxidation) than cars driven daily.

[britdave]

Thanks a lot ! Your correct, I remember hearing that before. Time to change it !

[Nehmaiz]

Thanks for the quick reply. One further question, if you're running the back wheels up 2 inches onto some wood are you actually draining all the oil out, given the angle of the car. I am (overly?) concerned with this since I'm really interested in finding any and all the little bits of RMS in my oil.

So should the car be level to get all the oil out?

Thanks again!

As tanny has said, if you want the engine pan to be perfectly level, then by all means, do run the front wheels up as well. I don't worry about that. Regarding looking for debris, I think the most important thing to look for would be debris caused by a failng IMS bearing, not the RMS. When you get out the old oil filter, carefully cut it open along the long axis and examine the interior for metal debris. Better yet, get an oil analysis as I do. I send a sample of my oil at regular intervals for a complete chemical analysis to see if anything that should not be in the oil is present. I have been using Blackstone Labs (Ft. Wayne, IN ) to do this for years and have been very satisfied with the results. They will tell you what the significance of each level of elements is that they analyze for. From this one can infer problems from oil-water mixing to failing bearings. If you do this regularly, you can spot trend lines and anticipate developing problems before a catstrophic engine failure. They supply free sample kits upon request. The price of a standard analysis is now up to $25, but I feel it is worth every cent. (Note: I have no affiliation with Blackstone Labs other than as a satisfied customer.)

Good luck.

Oil Analysis for Just 25$... that is brilliant!!! wish had similar labs here...