Hello I have owned a 1988 328 GTS for over a year an a have and love it (33,605 mi). I have had great help from you guys. Before I bought it the 30K service had been done. Two well respected techs from the Boston Area (John Terrell IFS and Tony Ferrari) serviced it, compression is great and it runs great. I have developed an oil leak that shows on the garage floor that I have card board under. I have driven the her for 300 miles since the last oil change and checked the oil today and it was at the MIN line. She doesn't smoke and exhaust tips are clean. Previously I had an old 911 that consumed oil as normal process. Do these cars consume oil while running? The leak does not seam that bad. All thoughts welcome. Thanks J
"Do these cars consume oil while running?" Depends. Was it built on a Monday or a Friday? Then it might! Wednesday cars...probably not. OK, seriously,...Ferrari said using up to a quart in 600 miles was OK. But actually, that's really terrible. It's the same figure that Mopar stated in the warranty for a 426 Hemi motor in 1968 - an engine almost 2x+ larger, 2x the HP and minus twenty years in technology! I drove my '89 328 from Vegas to MD two days after I bought it. The oil was at "full" when I pulled out of Vegas and when I arrived in MD on the third day (2700 miles) the oil level was down by just over a quart. I'd call that acceptable oil consumption (though a modern car engine typically doesn't use ANY oil in that mileage). A friend in MD with a Mondial sold it because he couldn't deal with the oil consumption - a quart in around 800 miles. So Ferrari oil consumption in that era seems to be all over the map. Again, Ferrari said a quart in 600 miles was OK but, of course, their primary interest was in NOT having to repair engines!
A leak isnt "using" oil. It's "losing" oil. The distinction is important, as the ramifications are as well. These cars can certainly leave it on the floor, but many also do not. Depending on the source of the leak, it may be preferable to add a bit of oil in the short term. I've done that myself. But I'd advise you at least determine where it's coming from to get a mental plan together for addressing it.
Figuring out what the cause of the leak is should not be difficult- for the most part these motors are very accessible and some leaks are an easy fix. Manufacturers today still throw around the quart in 700 mile figure as normal consumption to limit warranty responsibility. My experience working on generic cars is that a leak that is causing a loss of quart in 1,000 miles will leave a noticeable puddle every time you part it- even during a 10 minute stop at the 7-11. Oil leaks are annoying and should be looked after, if nothing else they make a mess out of the motor. But if it's just consuming some oil I agree with Glassman- drive it. Also, when checking the oil on these things it's really important to let them sit for a period of time to let the oil settle.
Am I sure to understand you well? You drove it for 300 miles after the last oil change, and during these 300 miles the oïl level has dropped from "full" to "minimum"? I have two '89, a GTB and a GTS, and that would definitively be too much for my comfort zone, assuming (and this is important...) that we are sure the level was indeed at "full" 300 miles before...no reason to doubt that the service was thoroughly done, but if you hadn't actually see the mark on the dipstick at "full"...if my memory serves me well, there should be 1,5 litres (= about one quart and a half, slightly more in fact between the "full" and "minimum" marks, and one litre and a half in 300 miles would definitively be too much for me. Rgds
I was focusing so much on leaking that I overlooked the quantity vs time. I agree with Nerofer - full to min in 300 miles would trouble me. Fill it properly now, and check the level properly (engine warm) after each drive. If it keeps losing 1qt every 300 miles, look into it. It might be burning off, might be leaking out, might be leaking into the gear box.
Is it possible the oil grade was changed to a fully synthetic ? I think this can accelerate consumption beyond Owners Manual figure
In and of itself, synthetic oil shouldn't lead to higher consumption. However, if you switch from conventional to synthetic, you may indeed notice an increase in leaks. This is due to synthetic oil being effective at removing sludge and other crap from your engine. If your seals have basically been sealed by crap, then the synth oil may cause them to start leaking. It shows the symptom more than is the cause. This doesn't mean you shouldn't use synth oil, of course... rather, it indicates you should get the engine/seals in good order. Once corrected, the leaking should be far less or eliminated.
Yep...synthetic oil is better at everything than dino oil, including finding its way out of the engine. But, as noted, if it leaks and dino oil didn't, Syn is not the cause of the problem, it's just alerting you to the problem!
Well, let's not start another oil thread, otherwise we might get banned... Mike above (= mike996) is running Mobil OW30 synth.; I have been running Shell 5W40 synth. in the two cars since I have them (= ten years for the GTB, seven for the GTS) and basically, yes I agree: you might notice a change in consumption after the switch from conventional to synthetic, but once the car is used to run synthetic, it should not consume much oil; my experience certainly mirrors Mike's above; Mike is speaking of about a quart for 2.700 miles, and this seems a good ballpark to me, even if one of my cars doesn't use oil at all: the GTS. The GTB might use some...or not, depending on her mood. And I agree with your previous post #7: do not neglegt the usual suspect of engine oil leaking into the gearbox, which will happen on any 3x8 sooner or later: the seals around the gearchange rod where it is entering/exiting the engine sump must be changed sooner or later. Rgds
Totally concur - but just a minor correction, Neo, I'm running Mobil 1 0W40, not 0W30. Though frankly, based on the oil pressure, 0W30 would probably be fine.
Burning oil should be noticed ! Blue smoke or oil residu on the tail pipes interiors. Check also the level of gearbox oil....when oil is passing seal between engine and gearbox. Guido
Thanks for all the input, The level was full on the stick after the oil change.I am going to fill it again and put a pan under the leak area and see how much oil it collects. The will be sitting for a while do to weather. I am hoping the leak is the cause of the low level and plan on having it fixed when the weather breaks. Thanks, J
Are you checking the oil correctly? Get the engine warm. Shut off. Wait 15 minutes. Check oil. That is the procedure for the 308. I will go out on a limb and assume it's the same for the 328. But as the others are saying, a quart in 300 miles is too much if the measurement is correct. Find the leak and remember, it's also leaking when driving.
My ‘86 328 has 98K miles and uses about 1 quart of 10W-40 every 600 miles. Car runs great, no visible smoke. Same level of oil consumption last 40K miles.
It is exactly the same procedure for the 328: engine warm, shut off, wait 15 minutes, and then read. The only difference, if my memory serves me well once more, is that the flat part of the dipstick between positions "min" and "max" on the 328 is perforated by seven holes between the two marks, making the oil level easy to see: the oil stays suspended in the hole, so you can catch the level very easily (one hole full = 1/7th; seven holes full = 7/7th). Rgds
If I drive my 328 then check the oil after 15 minutes or so, it is always low on the first read even after fully filling it when I change oil. After wiping off the dipstick and reinserting, the reading level rises on the dipstick quite a bit. Mine has done this for the 30 years of my ownership. The only thing I can figure to explain the reading change is that somehow an air bubble gets trapped in the area of the dipstick and goes away when the dipstick is removed.
Well, I don't know the explanation, but that's indeed how I was told to read a dipstick by my father more than 40 years ago: take it out (no need to read it this time) and wipe it clean; then re-insert it, take it out again: and now read it. Rgds
It is probably a geometry thing. I have one vehicle that reads properly the first time. I have another engine (non-automobile) where the oil level climbs up the dipstick and I mean way up the dipstick.
After seeing this countless times on generic car trans dipsticks I decided the o-rings at the top of the dipstick must seal well enough to hold air, thus keeping oil from creeping up the tube. Just my guess.
https://www.amsoil.com/newsstand/motor-oil/articles/what-causes-an-engine-to-burn-oil/ https://www.amsoil.com/techservicesbulletin/MotorOil/TSB%20MO-2004-04-03%20Oil%20Consumption.pdf
