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HELP

02 Carrera 4, 30,355mi. Oil change by Dealer 5/13/09 at 28,388mi. I complained of blueish/white smoke from exhaust(observed by others). dealer found no problem. No code set. oil level now At LOW LEVEL mark. Dealer says oil usage is NORMAL. Is it normal to go from full oil level to low level in 2,000 mi. ? What are your thoughts? Question

Have you noticed any oil spots on the ground where you normally park?

Are you sure the oil level was full or are you just taking the dealers word for it? There have been cases where dealers claimed they have done work without really doing it. Sometimes it is just an accident and sometimes it is not. I am not saying anything bad about the dealers or anything, but it is the best idea to know for a fact for yourself.

Also, what conditions did the smoke appear in? Was it full throttle haul? Was it at idle? Was the car cold or had it been running for a while? Was it cold out?

-aren

Hi Aren. thanks for your response. 1. no leaks on garage floor.2. oil level checked several times after oil change.can't know for sure if the oil was changed. I positively paid for it! smoke occured during Mt Palomar run(twisties) 2008. I added about a 1 1/2qt during the year prior to oil change. No smoke on this years run. topped off oil nite B4. Dip stick measured at the half mark prior to driving home from Sacramento two weeks ago. cruised home at 80. haven't driven it since then. I was concerned when in Sac and called dealer here.He assured me all was "normal". He also said to check the oil level "cold" not at driving temp Question

Well, these cars are a little notorious for kicking up a little smoke, especially if they have been sitting for a while. If there are not CELs and the problem is not occurring every time, I would just keep an eye on it and just see how things go.

So, how was the run this year? Laughing Out Loud

-aren

Could be the Oil-Sep which is a common issue on the 996....

Page CJ for more information on it.....

-Eli

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your
response thumb up

Before warming the engine, I'll add oil to bring the level back to full. One other question

Have any of you heard of the oil seperator failing without posting an error code Question

Tony,

don't fill oil all the way up before starting because oil expands when it gets hot. so if it is below the full mark, it would be fine. once the oil warms up and expand then it would be at the full mark.

Young Steve is correct. Do not fill it up too much as that can cause problems of its own.

-aren

KNOW YOU TELL ME Sad

Just kiddin. Haven't put oil in yet. Fri or Sat. Thanks again guys thumb up

typical

just make sure it's not giant clouds of smoke

Oil Seps have a tendency to first fail then maybe 5000+ miles down the road will trigger a CEL, Usually a P0410.

When the oil seps fail, they sometimes like to swallow up oil from the crankcase and allow it to get sucked into the intake. Usually mornings or during lunch break startups drivers will notice a 30 second long puff of blueish white smoke coming from there exhaust.

Its definatly not a DIY, Takes a full 8 hours to replace on a Carrera, Automatic trans Carrera's takes a couple hours more due to tight access underneath the vehicle area where the 2-10mm mounting bolts are and the bellows tube, you really need space to install those and the Automatic just requires more contorting.