meteor10

Did my first DIY oil change yesterday. Put the car up on 4 stands Friday night (jack point stands worked great) in the garage and changed the filter, torqued it back on to 19lbs and let the oil drain out overnight. Saturday morning torqued the LN magnetic drain plug to their recommended 19 lbs ( doesn't seem like enough torque to me but what do I know), then put in 7.5 quarts of the recommended 8 quarts of 0w-40. Then took it for about a 10 mile drive and checked level. It was 2 segments down. Came home put in the last 1/2 quart, took it for another drive and checked again ( always on level garage floor) and it was 1 segment down. QUESTION- do I add a little at a time till it reads full or do I stick to the 8 quarts listed as the capacity. The last oil change was done by the dealer and when they were done gauge read full. Would it be bad for the engine to add maybe another 10 oz. or so to get it to read full? Before I drained the oil the gauge was 1 segment down and I measured what came out and it aligns with that. I measured about 1/3 of a quart shy of 8 quarts of used oil in the drain pan.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

Steve

meteor10

P.S
If anyone spots anything questionable in above post (torques etc.) please advise
thanks
S

Marine Blue

One segment down is spot on. Anything higher is technically overfilled. Mine came from the factory at the top but the manual specifies otherwise.

meteor10

Thanks Afshin. By the way loved your pix of driving in the Kansas country side. Those open roads with fields for miles and miles are obviously rare in N.E. Those conditions must must give you great visibility and allow for some really spirited driving. I am thinking you moved from N. E. not too long ago is that right? Massachusetts maybe? Correct me if I am wrong.

Steve

Marine Blue

Your welcome Steve. I'm likely going to change my own oil once my car comes off warranty so it is nice to know that it isn't too difficult.

We moved from MA in January of this year so it really has been a short time. I miss our friends back East and the fresh seafood.

Most of the roads around here definitely afford for some great visibility both in a straight line and around corners so it really does offer many opportunities for spirited driving. But there are some roads that are on very hilly terrain and often the only way you know a corner is coming up is by watching the road signs. There are some off camber corners too which can raise the hair on your neck depending on how hot you come into the corner.

BostonDuce

The oil change capacities are based on an optimum sump drain time (with a filter change) that a garage would use-around 20 minutes. Nobody could make money on a 12 hour drain time.

If you drain overnight, expect to drain slightly more, which will require a corresponding slightly increased fill to get to the "full" line on the indicator. I find an additional 8 oz is needed, but YMMV.

Each segment is 0.42 quarts, technically, anything between the arrows is ok. If you put in 8 quarts after an extended drain, you should be close to the 'full' arrow. If you 'need' to be at the full level (like me ), just adjust as you see fit in 1/4 quart increments.

Oil level is not as critical on the Boxster as it is on a full dry sump. That doesn't mean to go ahead and throw in another quart in just for giggles, but if you go to the top line, beyond the full arrow, it's no big deal. My factory fill registered on the top line- who can argue with the Fatherland?

DO NOT over torque the LN plug. You will drive the plug threads past the tapping on the pan and the plug will just spin in no man's land without tightening--19 ft. lbs is it.

BD

meteor10

Thanks BD, 19 lbs on the plug is it, and it sounds like few more oz after a long drain is ok too.

perretar

"Put the car up on 4 stands Friday night (jack point stands worked great)"

I have just a pair of the Jack Point stands.
Do you think doing an oil change with only 2 is feasible ?

meteor10

Perretar- My understanding is that the car needs to be level to get all the old oil out. If you can get it level somehow maybe with 2 ramps and 2 stands you are good.

the_vetman

Refill volume does depend on how long you let it drain for. My experience:

Drain for 45 min. = 8 qt. total (including oil filter housing)
Drain for ~4 hrs = ~8.5 qt.
Drain overnight = 9 qt.

EDIT: changed wrong numbers above.

meteor10

Thanks Vetman, very instructive and very specific, I like that.

PelicanParts.com

Great stuff here guys! A lot of detail regarding long-drains. We did a write-up as well for an oil change if you would like to have a read:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...Oil_Change.htm

the_vetman

You're welcome , but I just realized that I had listed wrong numbers. 2 of the numbers I listed were without the filter housing, i.e. what goes directly into the trunk tube. Fixed.

meteor10

Does the 3.4 engine have a different oil capacity than the 8 quarts of the 2.9 engine?

the_vetman

To be honest, I don't know. However, I don't recall hearing people say that it's different capacity (e.g. in Oil change articles).