38 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHNew purchase, what is this?
Reported or suspected cause
cracked head, likely
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
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Reported cause
Turned out to be a cracked head, likely from a previous water pump failure years ago.
Leading evidence: 'cracked head, likely' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'cracked head, likely' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check dipstick' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
- I've used either DT40 or FR50 oils with good UOA which showed no coolant in oil.
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Discussions that suspect a cause
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Suspected cause
It�s most likely a cracked head and hopefully not a cracked block.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
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Suspected cause
I think they reason why Porsche says to check oil at operating temp is due to thermal expansion of fluids.
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Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
What does the oil look like when you check the dipstick?
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Suggestion
OP, even though your oil may look clean, consider how old this oil might be, and if that�s condensation, consider changing the oil and resetting your baseline after wiping the moisture off.
Inspect those and pop a camera into the combustion chamber
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Reported fixes
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Unsuccessful attempts
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Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
I have some work to do on the car coming up in next month or so and I'll take out all my spark plugs and inspect those and pop a camera into the combustion chamber to see if I can see scoring - doubt I'll find anything.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
38 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
I can help you avoid any mistakes and money wasted during my quest to get it fixed.
New to Porsche ownership, researched and landed on a 2003 C4S with 44k miles. Right off I realized I�m using oil, more it seems than the ~1 QT per 600 miles that�s apparently �acceptable� per Porsche standards. I plan to get it to my mechanic soon and figure out if I got hosed. Curious to thoughts on why the oil filler tube has a white/tan/creamy looking substance in it? Thanks
Did you have a PPI done before purchase ? If yes what did it state ? If you didn't well it's time to get a post purchase inspection . Hopefully it's just simple like the previous owner never drove it enough to get the oil hot . If you don't burn off the condensation it turns into the white gravy in your pic . Change the oil/filter and drive it like you stole it . It will do you and the car some good .
It's a concern, if you see the same "mayonnaise" substance in your coolant reservoir, you got hosed. That substance in your oil fill might be just condensation mixing with your crankcase oil, at a minimum clean out your oil fill tube as best you can. When you say you are using oil, are you burning it, evidenced by blueish smoke out of your tailpipes, are you leaking it, evidenced by drops under the car, or it escaping into your coolant due to a bad oil cooler or cracked head? This is where the "mayonnaise" in your coolant reservoir comes into play. Take real good look at your coolant reservoir for the same substance and let us know what you've found. Best of luck.
No on the PPI (slams expected) over a three hour drive home from the purchase and another 125 miles of winding it out today. Oil is clean but uses enough that I imagine it might always look clean since it is being topped off so much. Post purchase I hope to get some this week, oil change, heavier weight and possibly a brand change is in order from what I�m reading. Appreciate all advice.
Mine developed the mayonnaise in the reservoir a couple years after I bought it. Turned out to be a cracked head, likely from a previous water pump failure years ago. It�s quite an expensive $7-9k fix. If the block is cracked, though� then it�s a full rebuild and double that amount. Could be the oil heat exchanger �oil cooler�, but I unfortunately I doubt it. It�s most likely a cracked head and hopefully not a cracked block. Requires $ to properly diagnose.
If you want to talk about it, PM me. I can help you avoid any mistakes and money wasted during my quest to get it fixed.
i don�t see anything similar in the reservoir.
i absolutely will reach out to you, I might start with my mechanic first. If it�s something that bad I�m going to start with hassling the dealer who sold it to me.
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As a predominately unnecessary follow up, while not an official PPI the dealer was friends with the service manager of a reputable local Porsche dealer who had recently serviced the car, I spoke to him for a half hour and felt good about it and his glowing review of the car. I�ll post follow ups for those who might be curious.
Exactly like when you have really clean oil, you have to really squint and get in the right light to see where it lands between the lines. Nothing that stands out other than that. Thanks
I�m less doom and gloom on what you showed- I had a car that I was driving regularly to work and back 2-2.5 miles each way that had the same happen. I started taking a longer trip home as able to get it up to temp and it stopped looking that way.
Every 996 driven in a cold climate and not driven up to operating temp for long periods regularly is going to have some of this yellow sludge on the filler tube. Where do you live and where did the car come from? If there is no trace in the coolant/tank and none on thr oil dipstick it is probably not a cracked head or block. Have a trusted shop look it over, maybe a full PPI (in this case a post purchase inspection) and see what they say. It does sound like it is burning more oil than usual. Again, any blue smoke and how do the exhaust tips look.
FWIW ; If the oil that was in the car when purchased had moisture built up from short drives, it is not unusual to drop rapidly over a three hour drive, to make "seem" to be using a lot of oil...FACT..
Good info. Spent the most recent portion of its life being wintered in Saint Louis MO. Full PostPI planned. Pics of both exhaust tips (pains me to send pics of a dirty car). Thanks for contributing.
Good info. The following day after the long drive, and filling to the top line, then driving relatively high RPM for 125 miles I dropped 2 lines in the digital oil capacity readout.
I hear you and really appreciate the feedback but the manual does say check at operating temperature. That said I�ve checked both ways, stone cold and operating temp multiple times and there isn�t a notable variation. Thanks!
Don't take everything you read in the owners manual as " best practice", many cars exhibit big differences at different temps.....consistency is key and stone cold is the most consistent..
I know for me if I take the car out and get gas then fire it back up it will show that its "low" but after sitting its back up to full. The stick looks fine, probably more trustworthy.
If you're not losing coolant as well then it's most likely condensation.
The fact you're burning oil and have soot on exhaust tips, points more toward bore scoring.
I am making an assumption here. If previous owner started the car up here and there to get "fluid circulation" and not fully warm it up, then the cold starts are very damaging and is possibly a receipe for bore scoring.
You're telling me it's not even worth it for OP to get the bores scoped? He's using a lot of oil. It's not like I'm just posting that every 996 will have bore scoping.
Lmao here we go, some dude that just wants to ignore everything until it hits him in the face.
This. OP, even though your oil may look clean, consider how old this oil might be, and if that�s condensation, consider changing the oil and resetting your baseline after wiping the moisture off. Be careful as that oil fill tube is likely quite brittle and can easily break, crack, or snap off down where you cannot reach it easily. Don�t let any debris or particles down that tube while wiping it off. Once you have baselined with fresh oil, your engine might not be going through that much oil.
Not that vote count determines the problem, but my vote is the moisture collection. If your coolant is clear and not dropping and your dipstick is clean, it's just condensation collection. Get out and drive!
I actually have the same problem in winters. It's just enough colder and my drive not quite long enough to really heat up the engine. I've been advised to just drive harder when I'm driving. I'm waiting to tell that to the police when I get stopped.
Moisture collection, really? OP states he uses more than 1 qt per 600 miles. Are you saying there's a quart of water in the oil? Or is it wonkiness with the digital oil level sensor when moisture is present? Something else?
I dont think he is saying any of this. The white goo is very common on our cars when not diven often or hard. It is not out if the norm. It is also a known fact that there are several different ways to measure the oil level. Do not ever fully trust the digital guage and make sure conditions r consistant for using the dipstick.
That much oil is a little much but i would be testing the aos first and then move kn toore diagnostics.
I've been dealing with something similar and had my car for well over a year so I'll chime in. Some facts:
- car uses oil anywhere between 1qt per 600 to 1000 miles. It varies but seems like it was worse in winter. This is within spec apparently.
- the mayo seems to appear more in the cold winter months which would speak to extra condensation.
- had a PPI done and found no bore scoring on bank 2
- I do an occasional short trip 20ish minutes around time but the car sees a lot of miles overall. 10k in a year.
- I've used either DT40 or FR50 oils with good UOA which showed no coolant in oil.
- UAOS installed and oil changes at 5k miles max intervals
Besides the oil consumption I have no reason to believe that the car has bore scoring. Runs great, no funny noises or ticking. Will puff some white smoke if it was just moved or did a short drive and shut the car off. This is normal. The oil needs to be going somewhere and my guess is that it's being burned via poor ring seal. Possible that the engine was not broken in properly, perhaps? What confuses me is that if the rings are not sealing and allowing to burn that much oil, why am I not seeing blue smoke? At all. I have some work to do on the car coming up in next month or so and I'll take out all my spark plugs and inspect those and pop a camera into the combustion chamber to see if I can see scoring - doubt I'll find anything. If the rings are shot and allowing the current consumption will things only get worse? Seems like at this point a full rebuild would be the only answer as you can't easily pull out a piston. The case needs to be split and at that point....well you know. I don't know if it will tell me anything regarding this issue but I'll also run a compression check on all cylinders.
With oil level, as Skip said, consistency is key. I think they reason why Porsche says to check oil at operating temp is due to thermal expansion of fluids. Oil is affected by this to a degree of around 4-5%. So if you take into account the full fill volume of oil, the difference between cold and operating temp can be as much as 1/2 of a quart. Add in moisture and that number grows.
FWIW ;; Burning one gallon of gasoline through your M96 produces 8 pounds of water, most of which just blows out the tailpipe as a water vapor (H2o) along with carbon dioxide (Co2)....
But during first start up and while the engine is still warming up, the hot blow-gases ( about 14 LPM) that go into the cold crankcase and contact the cold oil will condense some the water vapor back to water and will remain water untill the heat of the oil gets to around 212F to re-vaporize the H2o and re-burn it to blow it out the tailpipe which takes about 5-10 minutes for the process to start depending on ambient temps.
So if all your drives are 10-20 minutes, you haven't given enough time to burn off all the H2o in the crankcase and it will start to accumulate.This is not desirable.
The two solutions are 1. to change oil more frequently 2.. to drive for longer periods.
Wasn't aware of the actual numbers behind the phenomenon - thanks for sharing.
As others said - short trips and excess moisture. Don't lose sleep over it - if possible just drive longer to give the massive amount of oil a chance to warm up. Or, you could assume the worst and just pull your engine and start the rebuild now
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