Oil level warning lamp after one hour of running?

My 2009 2.9 987 with 51,000 miles gives me check oil level warning after about 1 hour running. When checked oil level is at maximum. Is this software malfunction or something more serious?

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This post was auto-generated based upon a question asked on our tech article page here: Pelican Technical Article: Common Boxster Engine Problems and Failures - 986 / 987

[Wayne 962]

This is an interesting problem. I could be caused by one of many factors. The first thing that comes to mind is to check the oil level sensor, although if the sensor is defective, I would think it would not be reading correctly when the car was cold. On the other hand, there may be some type of foaming that is occurring inside the engine after it's been running for a while. Your car does not have a dipstick, so it's difficult to look at the oil in the side of the engine to determine. Another thought comes to mind as well. I remember hearing about an air cooled 911 dry sump engine that ran out of oil when it was being driven at high RPMs for an extended period of time. The problem was that the engine was having its oil sucked out of the sump at a rate that was fast enough to replenish its use throughout the engine., But I do know that it was caused by an oil pump that could not keep up. I'm not sure how this relates to your engine, but it certainly is food for thought.

- Wayne