2010 997.2 3.6 Random Check Oil Message ?

[Targatwos]

Sorry guys and girls, I put this under General Porsche Chatter, might be better served on here. Basically I'm getting the red "Check Oil Level" warning message every few days when I use the car, it was serviced recently by an Indie Porsche specialist just before I purchased, But other end of the Country so not worth driving back.

When checked with engine warm Oil level bars are right to the top, some say it should be one down from top bar, but others say their gauge has been like that for 5,000 miles or more, still at the top appears to use no oil and and they still get random message occasionally ? Any ideas or similar ? is it just overfilled? a faulty sensor ? or has anybody had the same thing and can point me in the right direction please?

Many Thanks as always :?:

 

[Magic919]

This is what an overfilled one looks like. There were no warnings from the car.

I suspect you have a faulty oil level sensor.

 

[Targatwos]

Thank you for your reply magic,

Yes, mine looks exactly the same, level bars full to the very top.

The reason I mention the red "Check Oil Level" message is because in numerous discussions on Porsche forums / technical Info sites, owners or techs often say the message is also associated with an overfill too, not just low levels? ....... but of course, is that a fact or just a coincidence ?

Does anyone know if the message is indeed also a warning of an overfill ?

 

[Targatwos]

This is just one example of what other owners / Technicians have posted, but of course like all forums, how do you know if this sort of info is accurate ? Hence why I was hoping someone on this forum with a 997 / 997.2 could say " Yes, when mine got overfilled I too got the "Check Oil Level" message on the dash. :?:

 

[Magic919]

If yours is above the marker, then you need to remove some oil. Then you'll find out if that was the cause. As I said, mine didn't alert. Maybe it's a question of the degree of overfill.

 

[Targatwos]

Yes, fair point, I would replace the sensor at the same time because on the 997.2 they are not that expensive and very easy to swap out, but of course it means jacking it level, draining all the oil out first, then refill again, new sensor etc ....... or pay "The Stealers" frankly ridiculous charges to do something that in all honesty will take less than an hour to complete ! :terms:

 

[mark pearce]

recently had the same error message on a sales car

turned out to be the sensor, which isn't dear

But the sensor had corroded into the sump pan and it needed a new sump pan also

as the cars are getting older little niggles like this are starting to appear
I think it was about £560 for the sump pan

I will s[peak to the technician and see if there is a way to prevent it happening, but my understanding was, its just corrosion over time as the sensor sits in the sump

 

[cheshire911]

Sorry guys and girls, I put this under General Porsche Chatter, might be better served on here. Basically I'm getting the red "Check Oil Level" warning message every few days when I use the car, it was serviced recently by an Indie Porsche specialist just before I purchased, But other end of the Country so not worth driving back.

When checked with engine warm Oil level bars are right to the top, some say it should be one down from top bar, but others say their gauge has been like that for 5,000 miles or more, still at the top appears to use no oil and and they still get random message occasionally ? Any ideas or similar ? is it just overfilled? a faulty sensor ? or has anybody had the same thing and can point me in the right direction please?

Many Thanks as always :?:

You may have a faulty sensor. To check. turn the ignition key to position 1. The warning lights will come on. If your oil pressure gauge moves to show pressure, the sensor is faulty. If the engine is not turning there should eb no pressure showing on the gauge.

Sometimes cleaning the sensor fixes the issue. I had the sensor changed at a major service by OPC. The sensor is cheap. But in a 996 turbo, it is damn awkward to reach and replace. Around 2 hours labour. If your oil level gauge is right to the top, it is also overfilled.

As yours is a 997 non-turbo, it may be different if it is a wet sump setup.

 

[Targatwos]

Thanks to Mark and Cheshire 911 ...... I'm agreeing with both of you, I think it's possibly overfilled .....AND .... Sensor could be faulty, or one of the two at least.

Also agree these 997.2 from 2010/2012 are at least Eleven years old now, mine being a late 2010 is coming up for Thirteen Years, So yes, they are starting to show wear items like any other premium vehicle and is to be expected. Will let you know what I find. :thumb:

 

[Targatwos]

Overfill Warning or Faulty Sensor ?

Okay so just a quick update on the Oil Overfill message ...... So my 2010 997.2 was showing random "Check Oil" messages even though it just recently had a Oil & Filters service at a well known Porsche Specialist up in the North West .....

The check oil level bars were all the way to the top which apparently is not as they should be, one bar down from the top marker is correct, I also read on various UK and USA forums that the 997.2 Direct Injection engines are very sensitive to any over fill no matter how small, and in fact on these particular 997.2 models any overfill above a quart will also throw the red "Check Oil Message" warning you as such, although of course if you don't know this about the 997.2 models you will obviously think the message relates to "Low Oil Level" not high !

I was a bit sceptical as I thought any "Porsche Specialist" worth their name would surely know this AND be aware of the Check Oil message as an overfill so soon after an oil change ( To be fair it didn't flag up on the dashboard until I was at least 50 or 60 miles down the motorway ) so I immediately thought "it's probably a sensor issue" not low oil and I continued on my way with no loss of oil pressure, overheating, or high readings, and the car was silky smooth and as quiet as one of these can be.

As I live in Dorset and the car was serviced by the previous owner prior to me purchasing in Newcastle, I wasn't about to start taking it back and complaining over a dashboard message, I simply bought a new sensor as they are one of the few things generic to Porsche ( VW Skoda use exactly the same part no: ) but only this morning have I got around to draining the oil prior to fitting it, I thought I'd drain about a quart out first just to see if the level went down and it was an overfill rather than a sensor, and guess what ! ....... it turns out it WAS an overfill by the "Porsche Specialist" not a sensor at all, as soon as I did that the oil level bars went down to the correct level and the warning message disappeared, happy days .........

So if you get the red "Check Oil Level" message and your oil level is showing the bars all the way to the top, don't despair, drain a little oil out first before committing to a new sensor and hopefully all will be well again, although if you drain a litre or more and the oil level bars are still at the top that's more often than not going to be the sensor, I was lucky it was just slightly overfilled, although at least I have an OE spare now should it ever fail in my ownership. :thumbs: