Oil pressure at 4.5

HI Guys, I'm a new 911/996 owner ( 1 year in) Had no problems with the car. I'm pretty sure after reading this blog and speaking to the guy i bought it of that it just needs oil. However thought i'd see what you guys thought. So oil wise, had some last year on my service. However have driven more than usual this year, so done more KM's. The oil pressure this morning was cranked up to 4.5 and the engine was over heating and had a burning smell coming from it. So left it in the garage. Assume putting oil in it and then take it to the mechanic? But any other advice of what to do as dont want to damage it any more? Thanks RW

Quotes source post: 15346657

O... mg... Is this your first car?

Had a golf GTI (newer one) last car - so this sort of thing was easy enough to see as the warning lights etc would come on. So basically, first proper car that needs this type of attention. So yes first car!

Another one bites the dust...

Quotes source post: 15346657

The car has a dipstick - did you check the oil level. Do this before adding any oil.

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/popcorn.gif

Oil pressure has nothing to do with your problem. Oil pressure is like blood pressure, whereas oil is like blood. You have 4.5 bars, which is plenty. It overheated and you think you need oil? Have you checked your oil level? You�d have to be so low on oil at this point to have a temperature problem that it�s either extremely hot, or you�ve starved the engine of so much oil that you�ve done some damage. Hopefully your problem is the water pump or cooling fans. No, you should not drive it to the mechanic if your water pump or oil pump failed. Is the oil light or any other lights on?

Quotes source posts: 15346657, 15346835, 15346669

Wait, you haven't checked the oil since it 'had some' last year? ^^^This. Hopefully you get lucky but buying a bus pass might be in your future if this is your only car.

Quotes source post: 15346657

What did he say that makes you think the car needs oil? It is possible to damage your car by overfilling it with oil, so, as others have stated, measure your oil level with the dipstick to determine if the car is low on oil rather than just assuming.

Thanks this is really useful. I'll get it taken by the mechanic on a tow truck and get it checked out Vs try and do it. I'll have a look through the oil dip stick later, as didn't have time before driving to work. I'll ping you to let you know the outcome! Fingers crossed!!

Thanks i'll give this a check and come back - Thanks for the post Tough crowd in here haha

This place can be rough on novices. If you're keen on learning about the car just let it roll off of your shoulder, there are helpful people here. I'm not one of them I'm still curious what the seller said to you about oil consumption. Did he/she say the car used quite a bit of oil when you bought it?

Quotes source post: 15346657

If you are overheating check the coolant, not the oil...

Amazing! Kudos for having the courage to come in and put yourself up for abuse... I apologize for being a little incredulous at your lack of the most rudimentary knowledge of basic maintenance - especially of a �sports car� such as a Porsche 911. It�s just difficult to fathom... hopefully you�ll learn a bunch about your car and love it all that much more

Just said to make sure i'm checking on a monthly basis. After being on here today..... seems its common knowledge haha I do appreciate the insights though - gotta learn

Thanks mate! All good i'll take it on the chin. now fingers crossed its the bloody oil and nothing else I'll get the oil checked and put in for a service. Then should be right for a bit!! As mentioned before appreciate the help massively and i've got to learn

I'm just wondering how hot it got sitting in the garage running? How long was it running before it got hot? Were there any weird sounds coming from the engine bay? 4.5 bar oil pressure isn't bad at first start up, at idle once the engine is warm and the oil thins out it will drop. Did you see any fluids under the car? what was the "hot smell"? Coolant has a sickening sweet smell when it burns.. could be as simple as the coolant recovery tank cap leaking onto the headers.. or if there is thicker blue smoke coming out, it could mean the AOS (Air Oil Separator) needs replaced.. so many questions.. hang in there

Ummm...you do know that when you turn the ignition key to ON there is an oil level gauge on the instrument cluster that shows you the engine oil level? Not always dead on accurate, but it does show you the oil level prior to starting the engine. Always best to confirm it with the dipstick. Open engine lid, pull dipstick, wipe it off, reinsert and pull it again. It really is fundamentally easy to check. The oil level on the dipstick should at least be between the low and high marks on the dipstick. Visually check the coolant level in the expansion tank as well. This procedure should be done at least once a month, but a weekly check is even better. Good way to get to know your car.

Make sure the car is on level ground when you use the dash oil level gauge. My driveway is just a slight incline and it scared me, showing only 1 line on the gauge..on level ground it was full.

Some cars, such as a new GTI, can be driven 10k kilometers (or miles) without ever checking the oil, not that I recommend doing that. Your 996 is not one of them. I check the oil level on the dipstick every 500 miles or so, just for the piece of mind. You may get early warning of an AOS (air oil separator) issue or a leak before it becomes a threat to your engine. I agree with the other posters that 4.5 bar on the oil pressure gauge shortly after startup is normal. If you really are experiencing an overheating issue, it is probably not related to a low oil level. Hopefully your shop can properly diagnose what's going on. I suggest you watch some YouTube videos on Porsche 996 maintenance. You can learn a lot.

So checked the oil level and was basically non-existent So i'll fill her up at the weekend on level ground using either the 0W-40 or the 5W-40 oil. Everything else seemed good, so i'll come back at the weekend and let everyone know.

Quotes source post: 15349080

Let us know how many quarts it took to fill it up. My 1999 held about 9.5 quarts before I installed the deep sump kit. DO NOT overfill. If you do fill it above the top line on the dipstick, crack the drain plug and let out the appropriate amount out to get it below. Torque the drain plug to about 19 ft-lbs when you tighten it. An oil level that is too high can challenge your AOS, resulting in oil carrying over into the intake plenum. There are a bunch of oil threads. Most owners use 5W40, from what I have read. I currently have 5W40 in mine.

The M96 is water and oil cooled. I'm not sure but think it would be possible to overheat due to a very low oil condition which still shows sufficient pressure. However, I have not tested this! lolz....

Specifically, when was the oil change done prior to this issue? By whom i.e.: you or a garage? Since this time you have not checked the oil either by the electronic gauge or the dipstick? Are you now saying there is ZERO oil on the dipstick when on a level surface after the car has sat overnight? Why do you think the car overheated? Were there any lights on your dash when the incident occurred? Is the cooling water up near full level with car off? Does it look like radiator water or something else? Guys depending on SPECIFIC answers to these types of questions wouldn't it mean something serious occurred that removed a significant amount of oil from the engine? Or is this all just a little...?