At 3000 RPM, Oil level drops from 8 Qt to 5Qt

[clevy70911T]

Is it normal for my 70 911T w/o ext cooler to have a oil level of 8 quarts in the tank at idle to drop to 5quarts at only 3000 rpm? This is with the engine at operating temp and driving for 5-10 minutes at 3000rpm. Sometimes under the same conditions, it may only drop to 5.5 quarts and sometimes slightly under 5.

My fear is that my scavenger pump might be starting to fail.
Thanks for any replies.

[jluetjen]

At 3000 RPM you shouldn't be looking at the oil level guage - only the road, the tach and the oil pressure guage!

The oil >>>Level<<< guage is ONLY "accurate" when ALL of the following conditions are met:
1) The engine is fully warmed up
2) The car is at rest on a level surface
3) The car is idling at its appropriate idle speed (<1000 RPM)

Your memo failed condition #3 so you shouldn't be paying attention to the oil level guage.

PS: How much oil did you put in the car in the first place? If in fact your guage is accurately reading 8 liters of oil in the tank at idle, you might have too much oil in the system.

(PS: Duh - Yes I was talking about the Oil Level Guage, not the Oil Pressure guage. Sorry for the confusion! - John)

[clevy70911T]

Originally posted by jluetjen
The oil pressure guage is ONLY "accurate" when ALL of the following conditions are met:
1) The engine is fully warmed up
2) The car is at rest on a level surface
3) The car is idling at its appropriate idle speed (<1000 RPM)

Did you mean the oil level guage? My manual from the the car says to never let the level go into the red. The "red" is <5 quarts and >8 quarts. I'm probably ok but really wanted someone to say, "Yes my car does this and it's normal." As an amatuer pilot, it is a routine to do a scan of the instruments every few seconds....or maybe I'm just verly worried about my baby and it's motor Thanks for the reply.

[Jack Olsen]

The reading of the interior gauge means very little. When the car isn't idling at a dead standstill on a level surface, it means even less.

It measures oil in the tank. Since it's a dry sump system, this level is supposed to drop down as the oil pump speeds up.

A good habit to get into is to check the dipstick (again, with the engine idling, on a level surface) after a long enough drive so that the engine is at least at 180 degrees. The level should be between the high and low marks on the dipstick, not all the way up to the high mark.

It's an odd system, especially if you're used to engines with oil pans.

[slakjaw]

my gauge does the same thing, i never really worried about it cuz it never goes below 5. also i am not sure if i can really trust the gauge anyways i usually just watch the oil pressure gauge, if that goes below 5 then i would prolly be a little scared



Kyle
71 911