Hi, just bought a 355! I'm a little worried about the oil situation. I know it says it should be checked as soon as the engine turns off, but does it have to be fully warmed up to get an accurate reading? I ran it in the garage for about 30 seconds, turned it off, and checked the oil and there was just a sliver on the stick. Oil pressure is showing healthy readings. What is the delta between when it's hot and when it's cold? I have 2 qts of 10w40 on standby, but I'd like to get this nipped in the bud before I go to Radwood tomorrow. Thanks!
I also don't want to run it when it's low, just to get it to temperature so I can add oil, if I don't have to.
Your checking your oil when the car is cold..........don't expect an accurate reading. On my 308 the car is run until at operating temperature then rested for 15 minutes before being able to take an accurate reading. Follow your owners manual.
Owners manual says to check it when it's hot. I'm asking what the delta is between hot and cold, as I don't want to run it for 30 minutes if the oil is too low to run it.
The delta is a lot. There is a 99.5% chance your oil level is fine. Your oil pressure is fine which means the engine is not starved for oil. Take a Xanax, get the engine up to temp, then check the oil. It's dry sump, this is how you check oil on 355's and air-cooled 911's.
My 308 holds 10 quarts............for it to get so low as to cause engine damage, there would need to be a lot of very large spots on the garage floor and plenty of smoke pouring out the exhaust. For my 308 the reading on the stick cold to hot is about a quart.
Procedure has been regularly posted as its a bit esoteric but critical as overfilling can cause immense problems Its worth looking up several and making your own judgement
Why all the drama? Start the car. Let it idle for 5 or 10 minutes. Check the oil level with the car idling, OR shut the car off and check the oil immediately. If it's between min and max you are fine. OR, read the manual under the Engine section, Main Specifications, a few pages in, Engine Lubrication, Engine Oil Level.
The delta between engine running hot and sitting in the garage for a week is massive, all the oil will be in the crank case and none in the oil reservoir (where the dip stick lives)--even if the actual amount is perfect. Secondly, oil changes volume as it changes temperature, don't bother to try unless the oil is above 180ºF on the gauge. Thirdly, the amount of oil in there is 10 quarts, and unless you are driving aggressively, you can get buy with as little as 6-7 quarts--which won't even register on the dip stick. So, drive to Radwood and check the oil upon arrival.
If the oil level is at MAX with 10 Lit., at 7 Lit. it should register on the dipstick since the MAX to MIN difference is ~2 Lit. (according to the manual). At 7 Lit., the oil level should be well below the MIN.
the car/oil needs to be at full temp to get an accurate reading.. instead of letting the car idle for 15mins.. take the car for a drive around the block, this will get everything to temp quicker.. be ready with the glove/clothe back at the garage.. pull in, turn it off, pop the engine lid, and check it.. this will give you the best reading.. regarding your question about delta hot/cold, the oil tank drains down fast once car turned off.. so pure cold or not hot enough wont read accurate. so get in 2-3 checks.. after that, its no longer accurate.. after first wipe, I screw down the stick all the back, and then unscrew it back up.. oil volume between min/max is 2 liters.. so you add as needed..
Add-on: if the car cannot be taken out.. and letting car idle is the only choice, you have to let it run until the fans come on.. from pure cold, that could take at least 15mins of idling.. this would be a full temp reading..
A total volume of engine oil of 10 Lit. will expand by about 0.4 Lit over the temperature increase from 20 to 80 C (oil expansion coefficient is 0.0007 per 1 C). If MIN to MAX is 2 Lit, 0.4 Lit. will represent about one fifth of the span between MIN and MAX. So, if you take the oil level reading without waiting for the engine to warm up, add to the reading whatever is 1/5 of the span between the dipstick marks and this will give you the level when the engine is hot.
That's what I ended up doing. I met a very nice gentleman when I rolled up who saw what I was doing and backed up what everyone else was saying, I forgot his name but thanks again if you're reading this. The dipstick was still basically dry, so I dumped a quart in. I drove it halfway home checked it again and it was just above min, so I added a bit more. We're good now!
Also note:: These cars will consume oil until the (hot) oil level is at the middle of the dip stick; and then stop consuming. I once took a 4,000 mile trip in the Ferrari, I decided to add "another quart" before starting "just to be sure"; and looked at the dip stick after the first day and found, to my horror, that the car had consumed a quart in the 600 miles I drove that day. I checked it again after the second day, and the car had consumed zero oil, I checked it on the 3,4,5th days and the car had not consumed any oil. I did the same checks when taking the car to HPDEs (race track use) and found it consumed a couple of table spoons of oil per day (4×30 minute track sessions:: 2 tanks of gas.) Thus, filling above the dip stick ½ way point is not warranted.
