Oil level too high?

I just had a chance to check the oil level on my "new to me" 2010 Cayman S . All of the segments are filled in including the one above the upper arrow. However, I have not gotten a "CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL" display. The Service Manager at the Porsche Dealership said it would not be a problem. Does anyone know of anyone who has had a problem from the oil level being at the level mine is at?

Mine reads all the way up as well, particularly if the car has been sitting for a couple days. If I drive it every day, it will usually read one bar down which is where it's supposed to read as full. And, it's done that the whole time I've owned it. I bought it in late 2008. I suspect it's primarily because service departments don't let it drain the few hours I read it takes to completely empty during an oil change. I've had no problems and no smoking. My service department also said it's not a problem but if I insisted they'd drain a little. I passed since I'd not have done so if the old dip stick read a little high.

The last three times I had my oil changed at the dealer, the oil level was pass the top arrow. When I questioned this (each time) they said it is OK contrary to what the manual says. I have had no problems or display warnings. They say if the car sits overnight the amount oil indicates higher than when the engine is actually running.

The oil level gauge isn't entirely accurate on our cars, but I have never seen mine go above the max mark. ________ PRILOSEC CLASSACTION

you do have an overfill situation, which the manual says one shold not have. Mine, after a oil change at dealer, was at the correct level (top bar blank). I theorize (and is only a theory) that an overfill situation may contribute to slight smoke at cold start up reported on some cars. I noticed mine did this a few times while it was overfilled, whereas I have not gotten any smoke whatsoever since oil has been at the correct level. my .02

It seems like it should be safe for me to continue to drive it the way it is. Thank you, folks, for the feedback.

Pull the oil filter canister off and drain it. That will lower your oil level down a bar.

That's a good idea! Thank you.

Mine's been filled to the top bar at every dealer oil change, but no mechanical problems thus far and no leaks.

While my car was under warranty I always gave the dealer's service department 8 qts. of Mobil1 , since they used a different oil brand, with specific instructions not to add any more oil than what I gave them. Then I added the last amount to bring it to the full mark. I like the idea of just draining the filter housing as a way to correct any over-fill. Good suggestion.

I also take 8 quarts along for the refill. If it's a little short the next day, I'll add a bit more. The main problem I have with overfills (readings at the top line instead of the full line) is that one never knows by how much it's overfilled; by a little, or by a lot. If the overfill is barely enough to register overfill, there's probably no harm done. But someone posted that he had his new oil drained out after noticing 10 quarts on his service invoice; about 9.5 quarts drained out in just a few minutes. What are the consequences of driving around with a quart overfill with these cars anyway? I remember trying to clean oil from my RS America's engine compartment at the track, and I started with almost a half quart less than full registering on the dip stick.

Thanks. I can't take credit for being the originator of this idea, but I'm happy to pass along nuggets of knowledge.

I used to work at a small, independent Porsche repair/restoration shop. The owner told me that the labor paid the overhead and that parts/fluids we the "profit. Sure the oil costs more than what you can get it for, but the shop needs to make money to stay in business. Keep that in mind when you take your own oil to a small shop for them to do a service. If enough of the shops customers do this, that shop won't be around for long.

Hmmm.... Interesting, my 986 is the same way. No leaks or anything but has been always filled to the top of the reader. Nothing bad has happened. I'm set to do an oil change in a little anyways. We'll see where it fills up with the 9 quarts she takes.

The proper way is to after draining and buttoning up engine add a half a quart less than the recommended about, start the engine and let it idle and warm up then shut off the engine and add oil until the oil level is at the max line, 7 segments are lit. The oil level will be lower when the engine is cold but not much (segment or two is my experience). You do not want to over fill the engine with oil. Sincerely, Rockster.

Good advice Rockster. And I think we can all agree that one does not want to overfill the engine with oil. The question becomes: When is the engine overfilled with oil? Certainly, if the "CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL" message appears, it is overfilled. But if the message is not displayed, and the top segment is lit, is there an overfill problem? My local dealer's Service Manager and some of the folks on the forum have said that it is not a problem. The best thing to do is fill oil until the segments are lit to the MAX arrow. However, when a mechanic has done the oil change, and now all the segments are lit, without a lift, the driver needs to go through some effort to take a half quart of oil out of the engine. And it seems it may not be necessary.

The info I have is the only the lower 7 segments should be lit. If the segment above the max line is lit the oil level is too high. However, I do not have access to the factory manuals for the newer cars. The wording may have changed to allow/permit the top segment to be lit. But since the top segment has no segment after it, one can't know if there's just a quarter of quart of too much oil in the engine or a gallon too much oil. Thus I would want to see the top segment not lit to know for sure. (And before you take the car in, or before you pick it up, look at the owners manual and see what it has to say about the oil level. Most IIRC caution against overfilling the engine with oil.) From the change engine oil section of the 996 Turbo factory manual but I believe the same applies to all engines: 8. Check the oil level. Check oil level on the instrument cluster and correct. Seven segments must be displayed in the instrument cluster. And a bit further down with a Warning Triangle with an ! in it: The engine oil level must not exceed the seventh segment on the instrument cluster display. What I do and what I was told to do by the tech is to sneak up on the oil level when changing the oil. For instance the Turbo engine's oil cap . is approx. 8.5 quarts with no filter change, and approx. 8.75 quarts with. (And a drain time of 20 minutes is mentioned.) The instructions then say to pour in 7.8l of oil, which is approx. 8.25 quarts. The engine has 8.25 quarts of oil in it so it is not low on oil. (The techs point out the oil level device just measures the upper most 1.6 quarts of oil.) (For the Turbo the instructions say to pour the oil in slowly and give it time to move from the tank to the crankcase. Weird.) Then start the engine and let it get warm enough to check the oil level. The Turbo's oil check works with the engine running, other engines you have to shut the engine off and let the engine sit a while before you can check the oil level. Add oil a re-check until the oil level reaches the 7th segment. The car has to be on level ground. I have found it doesn't take much tilt to affect the oil level in my Boxster 's oil level display. The Turbo won't perform an oil level check if the car's not level enough. Sincerely, Rockster.

The 996tt oil instructions have several non-standard procedures. First, the turbo oil system is dry sump with a separate oil tank. The oil is scavanged in the 'block' by several pumps and constantly returned to the tank during operation. The majority of the oil is in the tank(where the level is measured), but there is also some in the crankase -therefore 2 drain plugs. If you overfill the turbo's oil tank, it can back up the wrong way, spilling over the top of the tank. Also, since the turbos are below the level of the oil tank, an overfill condition can put too much pressure on the turbo oil lines, allowing oil to seep into the turbos after shutdown. So an overfill can be a more acute problem than in a 'modified sump' car. The biggest problem I can see in the OP's case is possible foaming or frothing of the oil, but with modern synthetics this problem has been greatly reduced. BD

While the engine is running there is very little (relatively speaking) oil in the crankcase. The scavage pumps are overdriven to ensure the oil is scavaged faster than it can ever accumulate. One reason the oil level system requires some wait time is to ensure that every bit of oil that can be scavaged is scavaged so the oil level reflects the true(r) amount oil in the engine (oil tank mainly). The second you shut off the engine though whatever oil on the components in the crankcase, whatever oil was in suspension whirling around the air in the crankcase, this falls to the crankcase floor. And it might even be possible for some oil to drain from some oil openings (like the piston jets) and add to this. When I change my Turbo's oil I get around (roughly) 2 quarts from the crankcase and this is with the engine pretty hot and only having been off maybe 15 minutes or so. A few tablespoons (?) comes from the turbo oil collector tank drains and the rest and in one big hurry comes from the oil tank drain. Oh and yes the Turbo has different oil change/check procedures than from the other cars. But with those NA engines that do not have a dipstick the procedure is basically the same. Drain the oil. Remove/replace the filter. Add a known quantity of oil to the engine. Perform a proper oil level check with the car on the level. The oil level should not be too high (or too low) or this strongly suggests the oil level measuring system is faulty. Of course, one must know the required amount of oil to add (the Turbo factory manual says add 7.8l with no filter change) but of course other engines will almost certainly have different amounts both with and without a filter change) so one should be doubly careful to add the proper amount of oil. Not too much, but certainly not too little either. Sincerely, Macster.

I have had the oil changed on my 08 Cayman at an indie shop where there is one expert mechanic. This guy has years and years of experience with Porsches and is also personable and allows me to watch him work. He removes the filter and drains the oil for a half-hour, then we look up the exact amount of oil required as per the manual (8.7 qts as I recall) and he adds that exact amount. He adds the oil in quart bottles so I'm quite sure he's not overdoing it. Nevertheless, every time the gauge shows "overfull" and he tells me the same as your Porsche dealer, it's not a problem. I have never noticed any smoke, and the car doesn't use oil. After 4500 miles, the gauge still shows overfull. I trust actually measuring the oil going into the engine a lot more than I trust the electronic oil gauge. He did the same procedure with my 99 Boxster with the same results and no problems, either.

"I trust actually measuring the oil going into the engine a lot more than I trust the electronic oil gauge." +1 on the above and three cheers for common sense!:cheers:

If the amount of oil added to the engine is correct, and relying upon the number of quart bottles dumped in the engine is ok, and if the oil level guage shows overfull then the gauge is not working right and should be looked into. The idea is at oil change time this is also the time to check the oil level guage system is working properly in that it shows the oil level properly when the right amount of oil is in the engine. It is not and yet you ignore this or your mechanic ignores this and lets you take the car out with a possibly defective/non-functioning oil level gauge system. While these engines should not be overfilled with oil, they should not be allowed to run low on oil either. With a possibly inaccurate oil level gauge system you may not be able to know when the oil level is low. Sincerely, Rockster.

O.K. So here is what I take away from this thread. 1. Most desirable option is to change the oil yourself. Allow the engine to drain thoroughly before replacing the drain plug. Fill with about ½ quart less oil than the manual calls for. Warm up the engine and take an oil level reading. Fill oil gradually until the segment just below the MAX arrow lights up (4th segment on my CS). 2. If you have a mechanic do the oil change, and the oil level reading shows the segment above the MAX arrow (5th segment on my CS) lit up, but there is no “CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL” message displayed, it is safe to drive. Nobody has experienced harm from this situation (although tango speculates that it could cause some slight smoke at cold start). However, if you want to be extra cautions, and have the equipment to do so, you can bring the oil level down a little by removing the oil filter and draining out the oil that it contains. Then rechecking the oil level to assure that the top segment is no longer lit.

Does anyone know how much the oil level can be overfilled before it triggers a “CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL” message on the display? I’ve had my CS for two months during which time the oil level display has always shown all 5 bars lit. There has been no sign of any problem until this past week when I got a “CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL” message on the display. The display still showed the bar above he upper arrow to be lit, and no oil had been added from the time I got the car. So, this weekend I got out the article on changing oil and decided to let a quart of oil out of the engine. Once under the car, since I did not have a 14 flute 74mm oil filter cap wrench, I found it much easier to loosen the drain plug and let the oil out there. I used a 5/16” hex socket (because I didn’t have an 8 mm) and the hex socket made it easy to loosen and tighten the drain plug without entirely removing it. That way I could control how quickly and how much oil drained out. Have the catch pan in place and a rag under your elbow. After draining a quart of oil out of the oil pan, I ran the engine until it warmed up and the display was able to show the oil level. All 5 bars were still lit, including the one above the upper arrow. Which leads me to two conclusions: 1. The oil level display is malfunctioning, lights up all the bars regardless of actual oil level, and I have less than the desired amount of oil. I would only conclude that if #2 is not possible. However, it is the reason I did not drain out more oil. 2. I’ve been driving around for two months with more than a quart overfill, and only got one transient “CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL” message a couple of days ago. Thus the question about how much one can overfill the oil and still not get a “CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL” message. Also, I have a copy of the text of Helo Driver’s article on how to change oil which I have edited to include torque and tool specs provided later by rrosen, and can post it if anyone wants it.

Yeah, I think you know what comes next - since you are still under warranty. Take it in for the dealer to diagnose. If you can't or won't for some reason, your best move is to do a complete oil/filter change so you will know exactly how much oil is in there. Fill it about 1/2 qt less than the manual says - warm it up, and check the level reading. That should tell you if it works. If all is OK, top it off and you're done. While you are add it, try to measure the oil removed. Refilling the empty containers is an easy way. Just don't overfill them. There are marks on the side that indicate the volume. If it is just the sensor, make it the dealer's problem.

What happens to the engine when the oil level is too high? Does it get sucked up the valve guides and into the combustion chamber? Since the cylinder walls on the crankcase side are lubed by splashing of the crankcase, does it create a pool where the oil would normally drain free so there is less of an oil exchange?

I found that you can use a hill to check your oil level... in an effort to fine tune your reading. I pulled into my driveway after an oil change, and checked the oil and got a low reading. So I turned the car around and backed in to the driveway and it now reads full. My driveway is almost perfectly flat, but the slightest slope made a difference between one bar and the next (I hate electronic dipsticks)

Here's what I learned from this thread: 1. If you show overfill, take off the oil filter and drain the oil. Replace filter and recheck oil. 2. If you show overfill, but there's no smoke from the exhaust , don't worry about it. 3. If you show overfill, you may have a defective electronic gauge. 4. If you show overfill, remove the drain plug , drain off an estimated quart and recheck oil. 5. If you show overfill, you may be parked on an uneven surface. Which of these options should I consider given my situation outlined below? As a normal monthly check, I parked my 987.1S at a local Walmart parking lot to check my oil. After about five minutes the gauge showed one notch BELOW the full mark. So I checked the manual to see how much oil needs to be added. Manual said each notch represents .4 liters. So I bought a quart of oil (just short of a full liter). As you all know the plastic oil container identifies ounces/liters on the side. So I added oil until it reached the .6 liter mark (aka added little less than .4 liters). I drove home and rechecked the oil level. No warning lights illuminated on the ten minute ride home. Parked on the road and let the electronic (give me a dip stick, please!) gauge do its thing. Now all the notches are lit. I can't imagine I'm overfilled by too much, maybe .1 liters. Should I drive the car again to the same parking lot and check it again? Or not worry about it? Or do one of the options above. Since I've got the lovely IMS engine, I'm super concerned about doing something that could cause IMS failure. I DO NOT drive the car hard... easy starts, RPM seldom above 5500, highway speeds no more than 75mph. Thanks for any input!

I have had three oil changes in the 3 years I've had my 07 Cayman - one at an Indy, one at the Porsche dealer, and the last one I did myself. In all cases I randomly get either "full" or "overfull". On the oil change I did myself, I added small amounts of oil over a few drives until the full bar just lit, but it still occasionally shows all bars (overfull). I don't think the gauge, or at least the gauge in my car, is that consistent (all readings taken on my very level garage floor). I don't think you have anything to worry about - you didn't add that much oil. And don't lose any sleep worrying about your IMS bearing - that is mainly fodder for forum members when they get bored.

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm kinda thinking the same as you... If I did add too much, it can't be much. Just for the hell of it, I'll check it again tomorrow. I'm beginning to wonder if the road in front of my house might not be flat.

The safe answer is that it depends. An extra quart of oil in a Porsche will likely have no bad effect. On the other hand an extra quart of oil in an engine which takes only four quarts would be concerning. Here's the worst case scenario. When you put too much oil in your engine, you risk frothing the oil due to the crankshaft and connecting rods whipping air into it. The air bubbles in the oil will interfere with the oil's shear strength, which is what keeps metal parts from rubbing directly together. So this is obviously something to be avoided, but again highly unlikely if the oil level is only a quart high on a Porsche . Bottom line if it were me and the oil level were too high, I would immediately take it back to the dealer to have the surplus removed. Why take a chance, regardless of how low level the risk is of engine damage.