Techy question on an old 911 for a porker expert

[pikey]

I've got a 1982 911 SC and its done something weird.

The car wasn't used at all in the 6 months before I bought it, I took it on a 1,500 mile weekend trip and left it on the drive. Started it up a week later(its a weekend toy) and it turned into a smoke machine. After about 5 minutes all the smoke had gone and its normal.

Any idea what might have happened?

Thanks

Ben

Details:
1982 911 SC
94,000 miles
parked on a drive on a slope
oil filled up 300 miles earlier, level currently just under full
No sign of anything odd before I parked it
When it was smoking & after, it ran absolutely fine (just had a full tune up) - power delivery is spot on.

[rich 36]

Parked on a slope, for any amount of time, causes the oil to naturally seek the lowest point in a flat six engine
(Cylinder barrels) consequently, on start up, a puff of smoke is not uncommon, and need not be cause for alarm, except if it persists on driving off

[rubystone]

[pikey]

I thought it was something odd like that - thing is it drives perfectly and surely that wouldn't happen if the engine had imploded!

Thanks

[leosayer]

You might be able to prevent this in future by keeping the oil level lower than 'just under full', nearer the middle might be better.

[paulmc]

Are you checking the oil level when the car is warmed through and on flat service at tick over. Otherwise the reading you suggest could mean it's got too much oil.

[FLAT 6]

Pikey - congrats on a great purchase! Biased of course..

I nearly sh*t myself when I first checked the oil in my SC - seemed there was none..! Luckily I was at Le Mans and surrounded by 911 drivers. Engine was cold and meter/dipstick suggested no oil. Temptation then is to chuck a load in...

You really need to drive for a good 20 mins, using plenty of welly, before you get an accurate oil level. Also - don't necessarily assume that the gauge on the dash is correct. Although mine is accurate apparently many are not - use the dipstick inside the oil filler tube to check that the reading is OK. And it is very important that the car is level.

Flat 6

[pikey]

FLAT 6 said:

Pikey - congrats on a great purchase! Biased of course.. I nearly sh*t myself when I first checked the oil in my SC - seemed there was none..! Luckily I was at Le Mans and surrounded by 911 drivers. Engine was cold and meter/dipstick suggested no oil. Temptation then is to chuck a load in... You really need to drive for a good 20 mins, using plenty of welly, before you get an accurate oil level. Also - don't necessarily assume that the gauge on the dash is correct. Although mine is accurate apparently many are not - use the dipstick inside the oil filler tube to check that the reading is OK. And it is very important that the car is level. Flat 6

Cheers! Yes, have been checking the oil when warm and on a level surface. The gauge on the dash reads about the same as the dipstick.

On that weekend I checked it, drove to Nurburg, did a couple of days, topped up to almost max, drove to London, level still ok. Fairly sure then I didn't overfil, but thanks for the tips - good to know these things