Hi guys, I'm a new Ferrari owner (see my first post on the classic forum) and having some trouble getting a definitive procedure on getting the correct oil level. I wound up filling the oil, starting the engine for a minute or so, stopping it, waiting a few minutes, painstakingly adding oil until the max was reached, then was dismayed to find the oil at 1L over the next morning. arragh. Then read the manual... "warm engine, shut off, wait **15 minutes**, then make sure it is between min and max." So, drained 1L out, now it reaches max when left to sit, and I figure I've got it correct. So, there was obviously 1L of oil in the filter/lines etc that needed the full 15 min to drain back to the sump. Now, I don't belive that after 15 min, there is anymore oil to drain back, meaning that the cold engine the next morning reads (about) the same level as the hot engine 15min after being turned off. And then it should follow that to check the oil on the car, you should be able to do this on a cold engine...No? And, that if the car is hot, then you will have to wait the full 15 min to get an accurate reading...right? The manual says the system has 10L of oil, and I filled it with 8L, meaning that presumably there are still 2L in the oil cooler and other nooks and crannies. Just want to make sure I've got this correct... BTW I filled it with Mobil 1 15/50 simply because I'm partial to this brand and I couldn't find 5/40 or 10/40. However, upon reading the exhaustive posts on this forum, it appears that this is overkill and that I'm sacrificing cold start lubrication. I will change to 5/40 as the climate here in Calgary is moderate at best, there is little traffic, and the car won't be seeing any track work. There looks to be a serious argument for 0/30 or 0/40, but it seems counter intuitive, and I will have to give the matter more study. The only difference the Mobil 1 15/50 appeared to make compared to the Shell Helix 5/40 is that with the Shell my oil pressure would be about 80psi @ 4000rpmand levels off at about 85 Psi @ 6000rpm, but with the Mobil it goes slightly higher to perhaps 85psi@4000 and 90psi @5000 and slightly more appraoching red line. Water and oil temperatures were difficult to compare exactly as the driving conditions differed, but with the Mobil, on a 800km roadtrip in coolish weather, the oil and water were barely at 1/3 of the dial and the oil pressure was about 85psi@4,000. Still with factory tollerances, if I am correct. Actually it made me happy to see the oil pressure at half the gauge and the coolant temps at 1/3!! Not very scientific I know. Anyway, thanks for any comment, great forum. Cheers, Lawrence.
With an' 85 308, and I presume your cars requirements are pretty close, the Mobil 1 you're using should be fine. Some guys are using 10w 40 oils, but in the hot weather, the pressure readings will be lower. I live in Upstate NY . In the Summer, I use Castrol 20w50 ; in the Winter, I use 10w40 . This seems to be fine. I'd prefer to use Mobil 1 myself, but my car leaks more w synthetic oil in it. I know it's not supposed to. but it does. A mechanic i know suggested using whatever wt oil which keeps the oil pressure/temp readings in spec. Reading the dipstick readings, there is a big difference between hot and cold readings. Just follw the manual's instructions to be safe. My car takes 8.5 qts on the nose for a full reading.
On my 78 308 it is recommended to check the oil immediately after shut down so as to get a reading before the oil drains back from the oil cooler. This tells me that the markings on the stick are to check the levels while oil is circulated throughout the engine and cooler. I have come to the conclusion that it is ideal for the oil level to be near the maximum level while the car is running. I have checked the oil as recommended and put it at maximum while hot. The next morning I went out to check the level cold and found the level about 1/2" above the maximum line. No big deal. Start it up and it goes back down to recommended levels. Now I check the oil cold and look for a high reading or check it while the engine running and yes I get a good reading while it's running.
I asked Ron Reineke at Flashback Motorworks and he recommends checking the oil with a hot engine immediately after shutdown. (My car is a 328, by the way.) And even though I bought some Mobil 1 15W-50 oil, he topped the oil off with 20W-50.
There are a few ways to do this. Do a hot oil change and remove the filter. Put in a new filter and fill up with the # liters stated in the OM. Wait a few minutes and then pull the dip stick , clean it and do it again and measure the oil level above the F mark. This is full with no oil in the filter or cooler. Now start and warm up the engine. Shut it down and count to 15-20 and take a measurement. It should be at the F level or very close. Let the engine cool down over night and take a measurement in the morning with the cold engine.It should be above the F mark but not as high as the 1st measurement you took after the oil change.Keep all of this info and you can't miss . Top when necessary.
A very important point to remember from basic physics is that most liquids (including motor oil) will expand substantially under heat. Measuring your oil level a few minutes after shutting off the engine is much more accurate than doing it cold in the morning. A cold measurement will be far lower than a warm measurement due to the fluid contracting overnight. Unfortunately many mechanics drain the oil warm but replace and check the level cold. By the time you drive it home and recheck the level it will be much higher. This is particularly important in 360 models which are very sensitive to oil overfill. Overfilling 360's causes drastic decreases in lubrication efficiency. But virtually all cars function poorly when oil is overfilled due to foaming and pressure variations at the pump. I have often removed a quart or more of oil after getting home from the dealer. At track events we constantly monitor oil levels as the oil gets hotter and hotter, and may remove a good bit of additional oil during the day, depending on heat conditions. Keep that turkey baster handy.
More on oil, OK, what Ive got to is this: Checked the oil before starting the car this chilly morning and it read ¼ over MAX. Drove the car and got the oil up to 175/185 deg, which is about all it gets up to, shut it off, waited about 20 sec, and the oil was ¼ over MIN. Let it sit for 15min and it reached exactly MAX. This makes me happy as the oil level is always between min and max when the car is running, and it follows the manual. This is with Mobil 1 15/50 and it runs at about 40 psi at idle, 75 psi at 4000rpm and 90/95 psi at 6000rpm and above. Now, if you are checking the level immediately after stopping a hot engine, and it is reading MAX, the oil will drain from the filter, oil cooler and lines making the oil level about 1 over max if you give the oil some time to drain. This goes against what the manual states. So, Im confused. Surely one has to follow the manual on this, but it would appear that many dont. Also it would appear that the 308 and 328 manuals have different procedures. As for the oil expansion with temp, if Im running near the lower end of the scale when running at 175 deg, that leaves lots of room for it to expand with greater temperature. Any further comments on this? Lawrence.
I would not worry anymore about it. Just do the checking per the manual. I will mention that the checking on a 308 is different (per the manual), and back on the ferrarilist we had several owners do a check every 15 seconds for 6 minutes after shut down and record the readings, then checked every 1 minute there after. The level seems to fluctuate a great deal during the first 3 to 4 minutes, and starts to stabilize after 5 or 6 minutes (If I remember correctly). Before that, the level would drop below min, then back to the middle, then below min, then start to slowly come up to max. Strange, but makes one understand why on the 328 they say to check after 15 minutes..... Davfe
