First oil/filter change in the 996

I am writing to ask a little feedback from all of you. I have the 99 996 C2 with 90k now. I notice a cold start rattle / knock that quickly disappears as the engine warms. I was told when bought the car with 86200 miles on the odometer, that the car had fresh Motul 5W 40 oil in it. I drove the car throughout the winter and there were days when it was bitterly cold. The engine ran well despite the weather but as I researched the noise issue, I became more attentive about every possible engine anomaly that could spell trouble later. Tonight I performed my first oil change. I thought I would try Motul 15W 50 as summer is approaching and a thicker oil might be more protective during hotter weather. I replaced the drain plug with a new magnetic one and replaced the oil filter. I cut open the filter and as the photo shows, there are a few, less than ten silver pieces of glitter sized silver metal particles embedded in the filter. When I started the engine, the fresh oil seems to have caused the very subtle knocking noise to be heard even at operating temperature. So, two questions: If there are so few metal particles in the paper filter, is this normal for a car with 90k? Would a thicker oil slow the chain tensioners more as they refill and stretch the chains? Thanks, Bob

What was in the oil filter housing oil? Any scary bits. Any ferrous metal? The few bits of metal I can see in the filter pleats do not look like anything to be worried about. I'm more worried about the 15w-50 oil. That's not an approved oil. The 15w part means the oil flows slower upon startup and this can (can) lead to the possibility of increased wear and tear on the engine upon cold start. I note you report hearing knocking noises after filling the engine with this oil. My advice would be you drain the oil and replace it with an approved oil. Replace the filter too. Porsche doesn't consider approve and unapproved oils miscible. My advice would be if you want the extra protection a "50" weight oil provides, use Mobil 1 5w-50 oil. This is an approved oil and has the 5w for quicker oil flow at cold starts. Neither of my Porsche engines knock with it in the engine.

Your filter and particles look normal....I posted the same thing on my first oil change. That's how I got my signature picture! They should be non-metallic. If metallic, that's another story.

The black plastic oil filter housing was clean. I will drive the car today to really determine if the engine knock is increased due to the 15W oil I just put in. If so, I will change it again with a lighter weight approved oil. Live and learn, I guess

You can always rent or borrow Paul's microscope if you need to further examine it in further detail. I believe it may even be better than sending your oil sample into places like Blackstone Labs.

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LOL. OP: Your oil grade is too thick. And way too thick for Rochester, NY.

Thanks for the comments. I just finished a 20 minute freeway speed drive. I let the car idle for 5 minutes, watched for the oil pressure gauge to drop down to 2 bars, where it usually goes to when the engine is at operating temp. It stays just under 3 bars. I am assuming this is the thicker viscosity of the oil that is causing this. There is just the slightest (and I mean minuscule amount) of knock that I do not believe I heard before the oil change. This is heard at operating temp. So, what to do? My Indie uses Castrol which I believe is a Porsche approved oil. Should I go back to the 5W 40 that was in there originally or go the other way and try 0W40 for the next 4-5 months? Or, should I leave the oil in there? Trying to get to know my car intelligently... Thanks for all of your help! Bob

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You bought the car after I assume determining it was in good condition. It has covered 90K miles with apparently no ill effects. I would not change anything. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This includes the oil. My advice, and I think I'm repeating myself, would be to do a proper oil drain and replace the 15w-50 oil with an approved oil the viscosity grade dependent upon climatic/temperature conditions were you are. You are up in I believe Rochester NY? If you drive the thing in the winter 0w-40 is probably a good idea. Otherwise pick an approved 5w-40 oil and be done with it.

Just get Mobil 1 0W40.. Walmart has it for $24 each 5 gallon jug.

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Assume you mean 5QT?

So, I took the car to my shop here in Rochester. The mechanic put the car up on the lift and looked very carefully at everything and also listened very carefully with a stethoscope to try and diagnose the very faint ticking sound that was present while the engine was warm. He was unable to identify any specific source that would lead him to believe it was an IMS bearing problem, a rod bearing problem, a sound indicating cylinder scoring or a water pump issue. He reassured me that the engine was not in serious trouble. He said that a lot of the Boxster and Carrera engines are a little bit noisy and that many of them that do exhibit some noise run just fine for thousands of miles. He also said that many 996 owners opt for a heavier oil in the summer months to provide a little extra protection including 15 weight 50 oil

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Assuming that you are using Motul 300V Competition 15w-50 (and not the motorbike version of the same viscosity 300V Factory Line) your oil selection is fine. There is hardly any better lubricant than 300V available on the market. Just warm it up gently. The racing oils will never make A40 list due to SAPS levels exceeding ACEA A3/B4 norms. I know of at least one very respected Indy who recommends 50 viscosity for higher mileage 996 and 997. Also see Porsche inconsistencies when it comes to 1984+ cars, 964 and 993 (Porsche went from 0w-40 to 10w-60 overnight). RE: Engine noise, or ticking noise, I would seek a second opinion. It will not go away. Cheers, =L=

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Yes. Otherwise it would be Sparkletes.

I would go to 5-40 oil. I would stay away from M1 oil. Syntec, DT40 or Motul. Your oil is too thick as already suggested.

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to clarify the 3 oils suggested are better than M1. I fell for another oil thread

Hey Pete how is the hooning going?

I know it is not a 996, but my 1998 Boxster which now has 128,000 was a little noisy so I did some research on the Boxster forum and quite a few people spoke highly of Royal Purple so I switched from M1 0w-40 to Royal Purple 10w-40 and it quieted down and seemed to run smoother after a few days of driving. I live in Raleigh area of NC so for the most part winter temperature is not really an issue though we did have a few single digit days this past winter which is unusual. I do have a garage which helps with temps. I may try the Joe Gibbs oil on the recently purchased 2002 996 when it gets back from IMSB and RMS.