Oil level check BEFORE driving? 308 GT4

I know the drill for checking the oil 10 mins after shutdown, before the oil drains back into the sump....but is there a more logical agreed to oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you go for a drive, eg, when cold? I'd like to be in a position to double check my oil coverage before I set out on a drive, and not have to burn myself checking while en-route. (not that the Italian logic isn't perfectly acceptable).

A friend who has checked his before and after and suggests about 1/4 inch above the max fill line equates to the mid-point (between min & max) at the 10 min hot checkpoint.

Any one else weigh in here? Thanks. John

 

John,
There can be enough individual variation, that I would take a measurement of your own when cold (after confirming the correct level hot) and make a small scribe on the dip stick. That way you know it is correct for your car.

 

why's that? it's not a dry sump car. doesn't the dip stick measure the level in the sump? am i missing something?

 

Yes. Due to the oil cooler and lines draining back, you will get a higher reading when cold on a wet sump Ferrari.

 

ohhhhhhhhhh...learn something every day!

doesn't mention anything in my hand book about that. actually...doesn't mention anything about checking the oil apart from "here's the dipstick"!!!!! useful, hey

 

The simple way here is to do an oil change and then you can find out what the correct level is. Just warm up the motor and then drain the oil and remove the filter. Let the car sit for a few hours and then add the amount of oil recommended by the owners manual. Wait for 5 minutes and then take a reading on the dip stick. Recore the dimention from the top line of the dip stick. Now start the car and warm it up. Shut it down and going by the OM take a measurement again on the dip stick. Record the number. Let the car sit overnight. The next day take a reading with the engine cold and record it. So now you have it in various timeframes. So you should have enought info to check the oil at any time. Simple but just takes a little time.

 

.....and you'll probably have over filled it. You never get it all out, some get's stuck in the oil cooler etc.

328 manual says it takes 10 litres, I've never put more than 9 in it at an oil change.

I.

 

Wet sump or dry sump makes no difference. Just start it up cold, watch the oil pressure gauge for indication and let it warm a minute or so and then shut it down. Wait a few minutes and check the level. You can also check the level at fuel stops, etc..

 

i'm not too sure about that!

definitely with a dry sump car you have to do it soon after you shut off the engine before the oil drains out of the tank (which is where the measurement is)


re the oil on a wet sump car....how do we know the oil isn't MEANT to run from the oil cooler and everywhere else into the sump before measuring?

there are detailed instructions on checking oil in a dry sump, but i can't find anything for a wet sump.

 

I own a 75 gt4 and I found the manual's procedure for checking oil basically useless. The level on the stick changes with the amount of time elapsed from shut off. The manual does not specify the exact time that should pass from shut off to reading the stick. Useless. So what I did was change the oil, putting about 8 1/2 litres in. The manual says 9 but the consensus here is that there will allways be 1/2 to one litre of oil in the system that will not drain out. Then I took a reading the next morning cold and it was about 3/8 of an inch above the max line. So that is the mark I use. I dont bother checking it hot. I check it twice a week cold, top up when necessary. I know at least one other gt4 owner who used the same method and his "full" line is about the same spot on the stick.

 

thanks!

that's very interesting

 

Paul, its kind of a strange deal.
On a GT4 the oil cooler is mounted high therefore it drains into the oilpan and will give you a false reading. Thats why the owner's manual says to check it right away after shutdown.

 

does it??

damn...i couldn't find that anywhere!!!


grrrrrr....more reading

 

Makes perfect sense to me too. That's how I do it. Cold checking is when you have the least amount of vairiables, oil age, ambient temp, length of drive, type of driving.....

I input the recommend amount of oil at oil change, run the car la little and let it cool, check the mark, make a note and that is my refrence.

 

Page 59 of the North America owner's manual...see below

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John,

The answer to your original question is to check the oil per the owner's manual. Assuming it is full to the mark, make a scribe mark on the dipstick when it has been sitting and all the oil has drained. This should be above the standard full mark.

 

Sounds very sensible. Way to go.

 

Regarding p. 59 of the manual...the problem is what does "just after its stopping" mean? I did this; Shut car off, exited drivers seat, walked around the rear to passenger side, removed dipstick....holy horror mother of god almost had a heart attack....zero reading on the dipstick..WTF? Let it sit for 3 or 4 mins and it starts to creep up. Are we to conclude that 3-4 minutes is "just after its stopping"?
BTW the car had full oil. Ahh... you gotta love the quirks! Thank god for the support of forums like this.

 

Sorry to tell you, but reading what you wrote above I would tell you that car was NOT full of oil and that you were way short.

 

yep...you're right...page 59...i was blind the first read through.

and it's very clear on the fact that it needs to be checked before the oil from the cooler has time to drain into the sump.

i think not being able to check it before you go for a drive is dumb...but i guess it's the same with dry sump cars....so how it is is how it is.

 

+1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what you end up with is a bunch of guys driving around without any oil in the sump because its all in the cooler. VERY dangerous. Any bump, turn, hill, etc could run that oil pump dry.
When I was shopping for mine I checked the oil in every one I looked at. I kid you not; 50% of the cars I looked at had owners who didn't know how to check the oil and as a result were 3 to 6 quarts low.
Pretty scary.

 

A 60 year old Beech Craft Bonanza isnt any different than a dry sump 308. They both are checked after shutting down warm. If you changed oil and put in the specified amount, and you didnt witness a lake of oil on the floor, how is it you still cant figure out how to read the stick? Wait 10 minutes and check it, or 9 minutes and 43 seconds, or whatever number you want. But its basically a $20K engine. I would think others would be as careful as I am to check it every minute for 20 minutes or so and keep watching it until its as high as it will get. Youll figure out sooner or later how long you should have to wait. If its not coming up to the upper mark, add some. If its near the lower mark add some. If its over the upper mark, let some out.

I stand by what I said, dry sump or wet sump. Stop for gas, fill up, pay for gas, check the oil. It should be between the two marks. Its not a POS car with a 4 quart capacity. The sump is huge. To change the level takes a considerable amount of oil, and the level isnt ultra critical. Just get it between the lines and youll be okay.

 

Oil (dip stick) level has to be checked in the condition that the oil level is "used" while the motor is running, and that is with the motor hot and thereby oil also being in the oil cooler.

In my dry sump Porsche that means checking oil level with the motor hot and running (idling). Standard Porsche procedure.

With the wet sump 308 motor, the motor needs to be hot and off just long enough for the oil level in the pan to stabilize and the oil level on the dip stick to stabilize, but no longer or the oil in the cooler will drain back into the sump and give a false reading.

For those 308 wet sump guys risking low oil levels, bear in mind that in sustained "high G" right hand turns, centrifugal force and low oil level will drop oil in the pan away from the oil pump pickup tube suction point , and you will look down and find zero oil pressure on your gage. NOT GOOD. It has happened to me a few times (I live near the Mulholland canyons), and I have learned to overfill by about 1/4" to compenstate. I also have bought a aftermarket sump baffle addition (subject of many posts) which I will install later this year.

Oil pressure and oil cleanliness is sort of the life blood of a motor. Without oil pressure the motor will die quickly. With dirty oil the motor will die "before its time."

Martin

 

Paul,
Were you on Ferrarilist 6 years ago when a two or three of us 308 wet sump owners did a test of oil level versus time? Surprisingly , the oil level goes up/down like a yo yo during the first 2 or three minutes, then stabilizes and starts to rise after 4 or 5 minutes (IIRC). I measured every 30 seconds for the first five minutes, then every one minute out to 15 minutes. It was pretty stable from about 9 or 10 minutes on.

Someone made a chart of our findings...unfortunately I did not save it.

As I recall the factory 1978 manual said to wait five minutes after shut down, and now I see why, to avoid seeing those wild swings during the first couple minutes after shut down.

 

No. I joined in 04 after I got my first car.