First oil change today...

[chrisbruck]

Went smoothly, no big deal, no big mess (thanks to plenty of reading here and one buddy who I "helped" do his last summer and created a major stain in his rental house driveway!).

I did have a minor panic moment when I realized the oil was draining out of the tank faster than my catch pan was draining it into the basin. Got right up to the top edge of the rim before it tapered off and stayed put. Kinda like when you pour your beer to fast and it slowly but surely rises up and over the rim of the mug and all over the counter.

Anyway, my main question below...

I was surprised at how clean the oil looked. Is this normal on our cars given the capacity and dry sump system?

I was expecting the normal, dirty, opaque oil I see on every other car I've had with routine oil changes.

Been about 6.5k since previous change (told it was just done when I bought it).
I'm adding a new qt every 300-600 miles with bum valve guides. I sure this helps to the "clean" look I saw. Is it normal to look relatively clean?

[ivangene]

in the summer that oil comes out even quicker - drill a couple LARGE holes in the top of your catch pan or you will be really mad at yourself when it overflows and hits the drive

wow - oil consumption is way high
I hope you are planning to get that fixed and YES - that is why it is so clean I would speculate

I put a qt in about every 1k miles but with track days i will suck more oil so it's always a guess how much exactly I am using - watch for fouled plugs - if it runs bad, swap a new set of plugs in - keep a set on hand, it's only a matter of time

[SiberianDVM]

Small world: I did my 1st ever 911 oil change Sunday afternoon. I was surprised to find that my 911's oil tank had a quick drain valve with a lever instead of a threaded plug. Sure made draining the oil from the tank easy, but I'm a bit worried about how safe it is for track use.

Paranoia, anyone?

P.S. My 911 uses almost no oil. In 1 year, about 3k miles, 600 or so were track miles, I added zero oil. Checked it regularly, and it dropped about 1/2 quart, but never had to open another bottle.

I think the PO was using Kendall. I did add 2 small bottles of ZDDP right after I got it, but I used Brad Penn 20W50.

[zippy_gg]

While not specific to Porsches it still applies and it is how I do an oil change on my BMW bike...
First go for a ride to warm up the oil.
After burning myself a couple of times either on the exhaust or on the hot engine, I go inside and have a beer while things cool off a bit. Piece of advice: Don't forget to wipe feet on the "welcome" mat so the missus won't ream you a new one for dragging garage-born hazardous material inside the house.
After a couple of brewskis is it time to go back out and tackle the afore-mentioned oil change. A few minutes into trying to get my sausage-like fingers to fit under the greasy center stand I realize that I forgot to put down a mat to save my knees and I tear a hole in my new jeans. (Note to self: change into old pants before ANY maintenance).
Back on the ground again, but with a floor mat this time, I manage to unscrew the drain plug... just a tad too much and the still hot black tar is now pouring all over my hand, making its way to the inside of my sleeve. My reaction caused me to bang my head on the foot peg as I tried to move away from the hot lava. Ouch! Paper towels to the rescue
Not discouraged, I move the drain pan under the engine almost in time to collect a sizable amount of oil. Time to remove the filter plate... and to realize that there is still quite a bit of liquid dinosaur left as I instantly let half of it escape onto the garage floor. No worries, that's what paper towels are for, right?
Once the plate is out I have to call Larry who borrowed the filter wrench 6 months ago... He says he is on his way. So time for a pee break an another brew! Dang, forgot again to wipe my dirty paws on the mat and the wife gives me the evil eye.
Larry shows up with the wrench. The tech session is now back in full swing. The filter is removed without too much of a commotion but one of the cover screws fell in the drain pan. To retrieve it I guess I should have used the hand with the sleeve already soiled during the drain plug removal...Oh well, I remind myself that I am saving money by not going to the dealer. Right?
New filter in, a bit of clean oil on the new o-ring and the cover goes back on. The drain plug is also back on.
Did someone mention that it is a good idea to remove the filler cap before draining the oil? The darn thing is so tight that Larry and I can't get it loose! Good grief! The engine is empty of oil and we cannot refill it! Gasp!
Time for a brewski break, except that the wife locked us out. Something about tracks in the kitchen and living room???
Working together we grabbed 2 pairs of pliers and managed to get the oil filler cap off, ripping a portion of the plastic off. It'll look ugly until I get a new one, but Hey, I am saving money by doing the work myself. I break out the funny looking funnel with the flexible hose, tie it up to the side of the bike and proceed with opening the first can of fresh oil.
The process is veeeeryyyy sloooow, and after a while it is time for the 2nd can of oil. It would have been fine except that Larry walked to close to the bike and knocked the funnel off and we now have fresh oil joining the black oil on the garage floor. Good thing I bought Mobil 1 and not the expensive BMW oil from the dealership (what a rip-off!).
In the end we used almost 5 quarts of Mobil 1 ('cause of the spill). Once the filler cap is back on we clean up the mess under the bike (that's what paper towels are for!).
The bike fires up without too much of an argument and we let it warm up, checking for leaks. So far... so good!
All in all it took less than 4 hours, 5 quarts of oil (thanks to Larry), a new filter and o-ring, a filler cap, 3 rolls of paper towels (real life savers), 5 beers, a new "Welcome" mat, a new pair of jeans and a new shirt! Not bad for a Saturday morning!
Now I can enjoy the rest of the day and the money saved from the greedy dealer!
The wife said something about me taking a long ride and no need to hurry back! She's a keeper!

That's how I change my oil. You?

[ivangene]

hahhahaa - great !! ^^^ Loved it...thanks for the good humor

[ivangene]

oh man, I am in tears laughing - my sides hurt!!

[SiberianDVM]

That was great!

I was so ashamed at my stupidity that I wasn't going to mention it, but now I have to come clean. I told you about the quick drain device on my oil tank, right? I thought I put the lever back in the closed position. You can see where this is going. Yep, not 1, not 2, but 3 quarts of brand new Brad Penn went through the tank and into the catch pan. For a moment, I just stood there thinking how ***** stupid can I get, then I just closed the lever and opened some more bottles.

I'm glad I buy it by the case.

[esonefour]

My first oil change, 10L bucket haha

[Reiver]

there are inexpensive oil evacuators out there, some hand pump types from Whitneys....tube in tank, suck out oil...no mess at all.

[Guardsred911]

That IS right up to the top!

[zippy_gg]

Originally Posted by esonefour

My first oil change, 10L bucket haha

Wow, that was close!!!

[Justin@Athens]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

Small world: I did my 1st ever 911 oil change Sunday afternoon. I was surprised to find that my 911's oil tank had a quick drain valve with a lever instead of a threaded plug. Sure made draining the oil from the tank easy, but I'm a bit worried about how safe it is for track use.

Paranoia, anyone?

P.S. My 911 uses almost no oil. In 1 year, about 3k miles, 600 or so were track miles, I added zero oil. Checked it regularly, and it dropped about 1/2 quart, but never had to open another bottle.

I think the PO was using Kendall. I did add 2 small bottles of ZDDP right after I got it, but I used Brad Penn 20W50.

Siberian,
I am pretty sure I know the valve you speak of. I think they are great myself, but it really just depends on the location of the drain plug. Through the years Porsche has moved the drain port around. I would suggest NOT using it if it extends below the case toward the ground. If on the other hand it simply extends laterally along the the crankcase--I think its a great thing to have. It all depends on the location of the drain port on your car.

Is this what you have:http://www.qwikvalve.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1

[Canada Kev]

Jeez, that's kinda pushing it. Perhaps next time, you'll empty it out between draining the sump and the oil tank...

[porsche0nut]

Originally Posted by esonefour

My first oil change, 10L bucket haha

Good thing your car burned a couple quarts

[esonefour]

Haha yea didn't spill too much, got a 15L container now
Has anyone got a link to some straight answers in regards to oil weights?
I have read so much on what to use, does it come down to temperature that you use it in and how old the vehicle is ?
I have 12L of 5w-50 but little hesitant to use it in my 83 SC , Don't mean to change topic or anything but there must be simple answers out there?