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Scott Gardner Job title Technical director, Bahnsport Porsche experience 15 years
Dear Sir, How much oil is used between the top and bottom indicators on the small digital screen on my 996? I recently completed a lengthy road trip around Scotland and before I did the trip the oil was filled to one bar below top on the digital gauge. Back home and 1,800 miles later, and the reading is below half, so how much oil have I lost? And should I be concerned? Jon Wooldridge
On the 996 the electronic oil level gauge is made of eight segments, with six segments indicating between the ‘minimum’ and ‘maximum’. If all eight segments are filled, this indicates the oil level is over-filled above the maximum; if only one segment is illuminated then the oil is under-filled below the minimum. It needs to be between the minimum and maximum markers and ideally one under the maximum, therefore showing six or seven segments.
Each segment represents 200ml of oil, so that’s roughly one litre between the minimum and maximum markers. If your gauge is just under half, that means it would estimate approximately 600ml of oil has been used, lost or burned over an 1,800-mile period.
Porsche advises one litre to 1,000 miles as acceptable. However, in the real world this is a lot and rarely do they use this amount of oil. You’re therefore using one litre of oil every 3,500 miles which, in my opinion, is slightly on the higher side but not yet cause for concern. Driving style is a factor: if the car is driven very hard then oil consumption can increase.
It’s always worth noting that the electronic gauges are very sensitive and you must ensure the engine is at operating temperature (oil temperature, that is, not coolant temperature) and that the check is carried out on level ground. If you’re still concerned, there are a few steps to consider: renewing the oil/air separator; ensuring there are no external oil leaks; or carrying out compression tests or a bore scope. It might be useful to start logging and monitoring more frequently, and assess the consumption in case it increases.