sfgirl

Thanks wvicary - that's something I had forgotten and *almost* did today...

According to Mobil 1, they only sell it to Walmart. I'm on hold on my 11th Walmart (9 more to call in the Bay Area), and so far none of them have it + its not avail. online. Another older post from Mobil 1 forums says they dont sell it to anyone but dealers. I bought Castrol 5w-50 today but came home and read that is a 200ºc flash point vs. Mobil 1's 228ºc

Castrol- Flash Point 200ºc Viscosity Index (179)

Mobil 1- Flash Point 228ºc Viscosity Index (184)

Now the question is - is Castrol going to be ok, what's the next best alternative. Ppl keep recommending 15w-50, although that a completely different oil if I understand correctly. Oil book at Kragen recommended 5w-50 & 0w-40.

Options?:

1. Use the Castrol 5w-50

2. go with the Mobil 1 0w-40

3. Give up and take it to the dealer for the oil changes (BUT I want to do them myself so badly) :wrench:

I suggest that you purchase - and read smile.gif - an owner's manual sooner rather than later. There are a lot of "features" that are not apparent and/or not covered by the salesman's post-purchase briefing.

Check out: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...;code=prices_us

That link returns an error that says I need to be a contributing member to view the info. But I did downloaded a Carrera manual from Rennlist last night and read through almost half of it so far. Who knew an owners manual could be fun reading?

Is that dealer close to you? I'd bet that the dealer who replaced the water pump will top it off for you for free - one because they swapped the pump, but two, to probably try to establish some good will and make you a customer.

Maybe I will go by the dealer this week. They know us because I drove the car straight there when the water pump busted on my test drive (another reason I got the car at a killer price).

And I'll pick up a new cap + oil w/out getting religious :) . We have several auto stores around - I know there are at least Kragen and Auto Zone + some others. Are any of them known to be better stocked with Porsche parts? Is anyone actually stocked with Porsche parts? I know I should get to know the dealer well for most maintenance, but I do want to fix the little things (like the cap, oil changes, replacing sill plates, etc) myself.

By the way, :renntech:

You have a Carrera, Cab refers to the convertible. If you know for sure you have mobil 1 you can mix the oils. I'd go get an oil change. 0W40 has a wide temp range. I'd go Mobil 1 5W50 with 100,000 miles on the engine. Keep an eye on it. E

Excellent - thank you! :D

It's the coolant level. Shouldn't be low, it's a closed loop.

I'll attach a pic here- it's below minimum level. Maybe never attended to? Although car supposedly had service at the dealership before I bought it. Also had a busted water pump? fixed right before I bought it.

Drive it like you stole it.

LOL! Best advice I've heard all day! :drive:

The car: 1999 996 Carrera (Carrera Cabriolet? Dont know?). Sill plates & emblem on back of car say Carrera. It has 99K miles & needs some love.

To start:

1. WHICH CAR IS IT?

Is there a way to deduce which one of these Carreras it is? I need to get the manual, so I'll look for that on here once I've got it figured out.

2. OIL

It needs oil - it's not time for a change yet but it's low. I've been looking around for what type of oil it should take. 0W-40 is my best guess, although not sure if thats the best bet w/ 99K miles? I live in California - pretty temperate - usually 50-90 degrees. I also like to push the car a little when I drive it (so fun - cant resist), although I probably wont take it to a track. I dont know what kind of oil is in it now, so I'm not sure if I should just drain the oil and start new, or put in a quart of whatever oil is recommended for it?

3. MYSTERY FLUID

There is a fluid in the back that is below minimum, but I dont know what it is. Here is a pic of the fluid cap and a pic of where it is in the back.

And FWIW - here's some pics of Bonaduce:

Thanks in advance for your help! :cheers:

Just bought a 1999 996 with 99K miles for a steal. Here's hoping I'm not looking for answers in the dead engine forum next time I sign in! ;)