Oil Consumption on F430 - My experience

Dan, the 360 manual states the same 1-1.5L every 1,000 kms, but several Ferrari technicians have told me this is not the case,
I don’t know about the F430 but with the 360 the oil gets foamy (because the car is idling) and the dipstick is hard to read, which makes people to believe their cars have less oil that they do which ends up with overfilling their cars. Just an observation


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just for reference......
1200 miles last summer....redline several times....rest on idle 5 mins. when checking......No measurable lost of oil. Mid mark on the dipstick.

 

With my 430, so long as the oil registers somewhere in the dipstick between the marks, I don’t worry. If I ever see nothing, I will add a quart and check again later. Yes, the foamy thing makes a precise reading darned near impossible, which is why I just look for “about right.”

(For what it’s worth, the owners manual for my 328 states to check the oil every 500 miles. And it can indeed show a marked drop in that distance.)

 

Sounds worse than a rotary

 

Yep. My RX7 went through oil almost as fast as my MG. And that's saying something!

 

Yup....my E92 M3 V8 consumes about 1 liter every 2k miles.

 

I think you are overfilling the oil and it is burning it off. You should not check it from the screwed down position. I have not added any oil between services since I started checking the oil properly. I overfilled it twice, a quart each time. Took about 1500 miles to burn it down to correct level.
Hope this helps.
From the manual :Checking the engine oil level
The level check must be carried
out with the engine warm (oil
temperature >70°C / 158 °F) and the cap
resting on the oil separator filler neck.

 

I've only owned my 360 two years, and put 5000 miles on it each year of ownership. I check my oil level as mentioned (warm after a little bit of driving, with the engine idling), and my 360 doesn't seem to use up any. Using 1-2 liters after just 1000 miles is a fair bit, but at least in my case, hasn't been the case at all. I have yet to find a need to top it off. What I've read however, is that overfilling an engine with oil can damage it, so be careful out there if self-servicing.

 

I had an E92 coupe for 6 years... bought new in 2008 and sold it in 2014 with 36k miles. I never had to add oil between oil changes, and I even tracked it regularly.

 

I think the screwed down position, where the cap slides down the grooves and locks into place lowers the dipstick about 1/2" lower than when just resting on TOP of the filler neck.
Maybe I am interpreting the manual wrong. Either way good luck and love your car and all of the info you have posted.

 

My 360 is actually Dan’s former car and I drive about 4K miles per year, every time I bring the car to the shop (for whatever reason) between annual services I have the oil checked (because it seems hard for me to pinpoint an exact level on that metal made dipstick and all that foam) not a single time the technician added oil if there was not an oil leak. (And even with a small oil leak I had because the bottom plate tread was damaged the level never got that low)
BUT Dan’s logic is valid, if you screw down the dipstick it will show more oil than just sitting on top of the filler neck therefore the chance of overfilling is less.
I have heard from Ferrari technicians it is very common for owners to overfill their cars so as long as the dipstick shows some foamy oil I would just check for oil leaks and get the oil changed every year.


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Yes his logic is rock solid. Just wondering why it is burning oil. The engine is supposed to be warm and running at idle when the level is checked in case any owners are missing their manual. Best of luck to all.

 

All manufacturers put inflated oil consumption rates in their manuals which lets them off the hook for the rare motor that happens to use a lot. I have owned my 430 since new (2005) and never had to add oil between changes, even after 3 days on a track. I broke it in according to the instructions in the manual. Most owners do not do this. I know of other car models that will use oil when not broken in properly. I've never read anything definitive on Ferraris in this regard. Many think it makes no difference. I'm not so sure. BTW, I've used Mobil 1 5-40 since new. The recommended Shell oil will foam.

Dave

 

By design .. interested to understand

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Thanks

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