Porsche 996 Carrera oil light comes on when the engine is warm

Dear Albert,

My engine is running now beautiful (thanks for the nice cylinder and pistons I got from you), but now the oil light comes on when the engine is warm and idling. I have tried to get more information about this, but I don't think it does any harm in itself; I just find it annoying that it comes on, and it makes driving less relaxed. My question is, is it bad to keep driving with this, and what is the best thing to do to fix it? I know that the oil pump on an M96 is not the best And sometimes the meter can indicate something different than reality.

Thank you for your time and knowledge
Bxxxxx Txxxx (uit nederland)

Dear Bxxxxx,

great to hear from you, and I’m very happy that the engine is running wonderfully now!

Regarding the oil warning light: on the M96 engine it is indeed quite common that, once

the engine is fully warm, the oil pressure at hot idle becomes low enough for the warning

light to flicker or come on slightly. In many cases this is not immediately harmful, especially

if the pressure rises normally as soon as you increase the RPM.

However, the warning light should never simply be ignored completely. The best first step

is to verify the real oil pressure with a mechanical gauge, because the factory sender and

dashboard indication are not always perfectly accurate on these cars.

Things that can influence this are:

• oil viscosity (sometimes a slightly thicker oil helps)
• oil temperature
• condition of the oil pressure sender
• idle speed being slightly too low
• wear in the oil pump or engine bearings

If the engine has good pressure while driving and only drops very low at hot idle, it is usually

not dangerous in the short term. But ideally we should confirm the actual pressure values

before deciding the next step.

A lot of customers improve this behavior by:

• using a high-quality 5W50 or 10W60 oil (depending on climate and usage)
• replacing the oil pressure sender
• slightly increasing idle speed via software if necessary

So my recommendation is:

1. Measure the real oil pressure with a mechanical gauge.
2. Check the oil sender.
3. Then decide whether an oil change or further action is necessary.

As long as the pressure immediately increases with RPM and there are no engine noises,

I would not panic. Have a nice weekend.

Best regards to the Netherlands,

Jürgen Albert

Hi Albert,

Thanks again for these wise words. I have another question. I am a member of a Porsche magazine called PUUR. It is a nice magazine in itself, but I was thinking, wouldn't it be nice if I conducted an interview with you and tried to submit it to the magazine as an article about your beautiful and very skilled workshop? I don't know if they are open to that. I would love to read about it, especially because you have been around for so long and have a wealth of knowledge. I would also understand if you weren't interested in this, but I wanted to ask you anyway.
Bxxxx

Hi Bxxxxx,

Thank you for your kind words, that really means a lot to me.
I actually think that is a very nice idea. If PUUR would be interested
in it, I would certainly be open to doing an interview. After all these
years working with Porsche, there are definitely quite a few stories,
experiences, and technical insights worth sharing.

What I enjoy most is still the combination of craftsmanship,
engineering, and passion that surrounds these cars and the people
who love them. If that could make for an interesting article for fellow
enthusiasts, then I would be happy to contribute.

So yes, feel free to explore the idea with the magazine. And thank
you for even thinking of me for something like this, I truly appreciate it.
Have a great weekend as well!

Best regards,
Jürgen Albert