OIL LEVEL

If it is constantly reading full, could be electrical problem with the leads shorting out.
If reading empty, the Sender unit in the Oil Tank may be corroded.
Had the one on my 964 replaced in 1997 Parts cost £58.34 Labour £ 21. Plus VAT - Ken C

12.3.01 - my oil level gauge shoots straight up to the top of the dial on ignition on and stays there.
It is most likely the send unit. It is in the o/s/r wheel arch right in front of the tyre and gets all the sh*t that's going.
The part is: Oil Tank Guage 964.641.051.00 GBP62.85 +VAT Oil Tank Sender Gasket 993.207.226.00 GBP3.56 +VAT
It can be fitted by any DIY person. Jack up the car, remove the wheel. Unscrew the cover and lift out the sender, twist slightly as you pull it out. You do not need to drain the oil - Steve W

12.3.01 - sounds daft but give the oil tank a GENTLE tap and even the gauge too for good measure this may clear problem. Good luck Chewitt

OIL LEAKS

difficult to spot on the 964 because drips are caught by the undertray and then collect on the garage floor just behind the wheels. Loose pipes, especially in offside rear wheel arch from engine to oil radiator in offside front wheel arch. or on higher mileages cylinders loosen enough to allow oil to weep. Have a good look at the scavenge pipes which take the oil from the engine to the collector tank on the offside under the filler cap. Oil filler cap leaks if not screwed down tightly. May have to put up on ramp and remove undertray if losing enough to worry.... Alex D, Rob F

OIL TEMPERATURE

oil radiator thermostat has been known to fail. If temperature approaches red, slow down or stop and wait for it to cool. Fit replacement thermostat. NB the oil system cools the engine as well as lubricating it. - Ken C, Gary B

OIL TYPE

A good synthetic is recommended. Mobil One 0-40 for newer / low mileage engines, 15-40 for older / high mileage. Some people recommend Castrol Magnatec - Gary B

Mobil 1 used for the life of mine and no probs. I understand with older cars it can find it's way past worn out or perished seals more easily than other oils. The car started life at the factory with it, so it can't be bad!! - Melvin B

OIL PRESSURE at IDLE

I have read various posts about oil pressure at idle and started to worry a bit when the figure of 2-2.5 bar was mentioned. Mine registered about 1 bar at idle (at normal temp) but since I have taken the lower engine cover off it seems to sit at just about 1.5 bar now. Don't quite understand why because the oil temp seems about the same but maybe the engine is running cooler (obviously the gauge only measures oil temp and not engine temp). I asked the question just recently on this board as to what everyone else was getting. The general reply was 1 bar at idle. What is your idle speed? Obviously if this is below 800 it would probably give a lower pressure and vice versa. When I first bought mine the car had been sitting for nearly a year and had only done 1500k in the previous year. The idle was slightly erratic (probably from under use) and would sit just below 800rpm, this gave me just below 1 bar. Also if I blipped the throttle it would drop to 500 and then rise again. It does not do that now. I took the idle stabilizer off and gave it a squirt of WD40 inside. Didn't notice much change but did improve over time. Not sure whether it is okay to do this so don't take this as a recommendation! If you haven't already I would go through 911 and Porsche World (and the links on this site) and ring up as many specialists as you can to get there opinion on oil pressure at idle. Good luck. Richard C-H - 1990 C2 90k - 11th June, 2001