jayandrews
New member
can anyone tell me what oil pressure i should be seeing at hot idle?
944 turbo oil pressure?
- Thread starter jayandrews
- Start date
pauljmcnulty
Active member
2.5-3.
Peter Empson
PCGB Member
As Paul says I'd hope for in the region of 3bar as a good sign everythings as it should be. My car is somewhat below this figure even on cold days [
] and it hasn't gone pop yet []
It's years since I've studied the manual, but I think it says it's ok (however you want to define that) to be much lower, in fact I think a flicker of the warning light may even be mentioned as being acceptable. I'd put this alongside the high oil consumption figures quoted as being in the category of Porsche covering their backsides, but it's still good to know.
] and it hasn't gone pop yet [] It's years since I've studied the manual, but I think it says it's ok (however you want to define that) to be much lower, in fact I think a flicker of the warning light may even be mentioned as being acceptable. I'd put this alongside the high oil consumption figures quoted as being in the category of Porsche covering their backsides, but it's still good to know.
jayandrews
New member
im just a bit confused as ive had a guy come to view the car today with a view to buying it.its covered 185000 miles with fsh,doesnt use oil or smoke etc.when first started its over 4 bar at idle but settles down to 2 bar when fully warmed up.he spoke to someone(specialist apparently) who told him it should be 3 bar,because mine is "only"2 bar the big ends will need replacing soon!!! i would have thought 2 bar was ample at idle.......
ive just been looking at the history for the car and it was fully inspected at 174000 miles by the same "specialist" company and they checked oil pressure then and deemed it as ok although it doesnt say what the pressure was then-just ok.
i think he was ready to buy the car before being told this as he was very happy with everything else.i told him in my opinion 2 bar at idle hot was plenty of oil pressure and an oil change may even help,but he has now gone away to think about it.
ive just been looking at the history for the car and it was fully inspected at 174000 miles by the same "specialist" company and they checked oil pressure then and deemed it as ok although it doesnt say what the pressure was then-just ok.
i think he was ready to buy the car before being told this as he was very happy with everything else.i told him in my opinion 2 bar at idle hot was plenty of oil pressure and an oil change may even help,but he has now gone away to think about it.
Peter Empson
PCGB Member
I'd say that is lower than average, but I'd probably look to the accuracy of the gauge first (it's probably original, it's quite possible the sensor is a bit tired).
What grade of oil are you running?
What grade of oil are you running?
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Might sound simple, but does the oil need topping up?
jayandrews
New member
oil was changed 12 months ago and hasnt done 1000 miles since.may look into changing the sensor,is it easy to get at?
what oil do you guys use?
what oil do you guys use?
Peter Empson
PCGB Member
It's worth checking what oil is in there, if it's something like a 0W-40 then that will give you a lower reading, something in the 10w-40 area is probably the ideal (I'm running 20w-50 at the moment which is really rather thick, but my engine is, erm, quite well used).
Fat Albert
New member
Mine is at 4-4.5 dropping to 3-3.5 at idle.
I too have switched from 10w40 to 20w50 and my oil consumption/loss has dropped significantly!
I too have switched from 10w40 to 20w50 and my oil consumption/loss has dropped significantly!
Diver944
Active member
Another thing to consider is the idle speed. If it's toward the lower end of 800rpm then your oil pressure will be lower, if it's around 900rpm it will possibly jump up 1 bar in oil pressure
That's if you totally trust the oil pressure gauge on the dash to be 100% accurate (I don't)
That's if you totally trust the oil pressure gauge on the dash to be 100% accurate (I don't)
edh
New member
Paul is spot on with his comment on idle speed - a couple of hundred rpm makes a huge difference. Give it a tweak, then do an oil change & tell your buyer that's what's improved the pressure []
2 bar on hot idle is fine - the dash gauges aren't very accurate anyway. Bear in mind it can take a long time for the oil to get to working temps - something like 10 miles, and much longer than it takes to get the coolant up to temp.
]2 bar on hot idle is fine - the dash gauges aren't very accurate anyway. Bear in mind it can take a long time for the oil to get to working temps - something like 10 miles, and much longer than it takes to get the coolant up to temp.
Peter Empson
PCGB Member
Just checked my manual (it covers the Turbo too) and it says that at hot idle it is "permissable for oil pressure to drop to 0.5 bar - this does not indicate any loss of engine reliability" and "an occasional, brief flickering of the warning light when the engine is hot, at idle speed, is normal and no cause for concern".
Whilst I'm not really worried about idle oil pressure (assuming it doesn't suddenly change) this does seem to be a rather extreme example that they're quoting, but it is in print so might be useful to show to a potential buyer.
Whilst I'm not really worried about idle oil pressure (assuming it doesn't suddenly change) this does seem to be a rather extreme example that they're quoting, but it is in print so might be useful to show to a potential buyer.
Copperman05
New member
Oil pressure appears to be variable depending on what oil is being used, etc. 2 bars would seem acceptable to me considering the mileage of your car. Using a thcker grade of oil may see it rise somewhat but i use 5w-40 and get 3.5 - 4 bars at warm idle which seems to condradict that theory.
Clarks garage says that anything below 1 bar should start ringing alarm bells so looks like you have some leeway yet.
Edd
Clarks garage says that anything below 1 bar should start ringing alarm bells so looks like you have some leeway yet.
Edd
944 man
Active member
I ran a '2 BAR' car for thousands of hard miles and it was fine. Its probably a result of using 5W synthetic oil. If I reverted to a 15W or 20W synthetic then itd never drop below 3 BAR. This is the only negative Ive suffered for running 5W PAO synthetic in the car, although my 2.7l car would use litres of it.....
Copperman05
New member
Simon,
I dont see how the winter rating of an oil should be of an issue here as we are talking about running temps are we not? A 0w-40, 10w-40 and 20w-40 all have the same viscosity at working temp, a xxW-50/60 on the other hand would be a different matter.If you lost pressure changing to a 5w-40 oil I would hazard a guess your previous oil was a xxW-50 or 60 grade oil. Surely it is less of a issue of the 5w oil and more to do with how oil viscosity affects oil pressure, but you knew that anyway didnt you![]
Edd
I dont see how the winter rating of an oil should be of an issue here as we are talking about running temps are we not? A 0w-40, 10w-40 and 20w-40 all have the same viscosity at working temp, a xxW-50/60 on the other hand would be a different matter.If you lost pressure changing to a 5w-40 oil I would hazard a guess your previous oil was a xxW-50 or 60 grade oil. Surely it is less of a issue of the 5w oil and more to do with how oil viscosity affects oil pressure, but you knew that anyway didnt you![
]Edd
jayandrews
New member
thanks for all the comments guys-very helpful.
.since i got it in june last year ive barely done 100 miles in it and it hadnt been run since xmas.yesterday it was 2 bar after it had been left to idle for 30 mins while we had it up on the ramp-i actually believe that the oil pressure is always above 2bar and closer to 2.5 bar in normal use.either way i dont believe the engine is worn or on its last legs and there is plenty of life left in it!
i think an oil change with 15-40 or similar and set up the idle to 900 and maybe a few days of use now the snow has cleared and let it stretch its legs may do it the world of good-and maybe make me change my mind about selling it!!!
.since i got it in june last year ive barely done 100 miles in it and it hadnt been run since xmas.yesterday it was 2 bar after it had been left to idle for 30 mins while we had it up on the ramp-i actually believe that the oil pressure is always above 2bar and closer to 2.5 bar in normal use.either way i dont believe the engine is worn or on its last legs and there is plenty of life left in it!
i think an oil change with 15-40 or similar and set up the idle to 900 and maybe a few days of use now the snow has cleared and let it stretch its legs may do it the world of good-and maybe make me change my mind about selling it!!!
jayandrews
New member
just read the handbook....... 4 bar at 5000 rpm and as low as 0.5 bar at idle. dont think there is anything wrong with mine then.......
Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members
Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions
