Mine was the same way. Before I removed the seal I kept cleaning it and the next morning there was oil only on the seam like it was oozing out.
I didn’t seal the seam with anything. I just couldn’t believe it was the case.
I still have the same seeping drip/leak.
New seal did nothing for me. I’m 100% positive it’s the case on mine.




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Hey Derrick how's it goin!

Well my plan is to use a small amount of Yamabond on the outer perimeter, this way it should seal the small seam area where the seal rests. For the outside seam I'll JB weld top and bottom just as an extra measure. I'll also JB weld the 3 little plugs. Going with a factory Porsche seal this time with the tool I found. I think I'm also going to try and put a little oil in and tilt the engine back slightly once the new seals back in to see if its holding before mounting up the gearbox.

I'm getting pretty good at dropping the engine. 4 hours total to drop and separate the gearbox! If this ends up working I'm happy to help you tackle yours if and when you get around to it.

Sounds good. I’ve got a couple projects in front of me.
My ultimate goal is to strip the 930 and have Nathan at C&C put her back to the original Indiana Red she came with.


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It's not the seam. The seal is leaking.

Seal installed. Checked, double checked, triple checked to ensure it was straight before tapping it in. It almost flush but not quite, the tool seemed to not let it go past this point. (has a ridge inside)

I also have a extra enring seal and tested it out first, but the Porsche seal seemed to fit much better. I used a very small amount of Yamabond on the last few ridges of the outer perimeter and what you see in the pics in what I put on after the seal was in. I'll let it set for 24 hours than dump a quart of oil in and tilt the engine back overnight to see if its sealing. Yelcab 1, I agree I don't think the seam is the issue...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1642371163.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1642371176.jpg

Looks good,

I have the Porsche seal ready to go, just too cold out. Like the idea of testing the seal by tilting the engine. not sure about the Yamabond. I have some, game day decision on using it....Any downside?

Chris
89 Carrera

Quick update. I didn't like the fact that the seal wasn't sitting flush and would not go in any further so I decided to remove it and order another one.

I may be overthinking this but after two engine drops, I want to make sure its perfect.

As far as the Yamabond, I don't really think its necessary and I only put a super thin amount on the very last 2 ribs just as an extra measure because it looked like the seam may have been leaking in that area.

I also wanted to see if the Yamabond affected how tightly the seal was installed, and it was quite difficult to remove. I may use it again and I may not. I'll keep the updates coming.

Update....Success!!! New Porsche seal and I installed it outer edge dry. After looking at the seal I really don't think its necessary to put anything on the outer perimeter, this is why it has a rubber coating.

I think I may have not lubed the previous seals properly which caused them to burn out on initial start up. This time I filled the entire inner portion of the seal with a good amount of grease. I also greased the crankshaft along with a small amount of oil being careful not to get any lubricant on the outer race.

I also JB welded the case seam along with the plugs. I ran the engine for a good 30-45 minutes getting it up to 190 degrees and no leaks at all. Shut it off and zero leaks after sitting...bone dry.

Very happy this is finally behind me, and I'm happy to send out to tool to use if anyone needs it.

Congrats,

Going to follow your procedure and hope for the best. Just too cold out her in VA right now.

Chris
89 Carrera

you did the right thing. The seal needs to be installed just past the flush point.

The bi-composite ELRING seal is better than the "Porsche" (KEKO) seal.

The Elring has an outer compund to better sit to the sidewall.
The Elring has an inner seal lip that does not fall into the groove of old seals that cut into the crank shaft head.

Change my mind

The Porsche seal feels heavier then the one I originally installed (was not VR). I hear ya about not riding in the groove but I am going to trust Porsche on this. And the original, Porsche seal was not leaking (should have left it alone)

Chris
89 Carrera

I didn't like the way the Elring fit. It went in way too easy. I basically pushed it in with my hand and barely tapped in the last bit.

I agree with Chris, the Porsche seal seemed to be beefier and just a higher quality. It was really tight going in which implies a better seal on the perimeter.

I didn't have a groove on the crank so I think that's a non issue for my car. I'm just happy its fixed. No leaks at all, 100% bone dry.

For whatever it's worth, the supposed "best" seal that was included within all the yummy bits in the super duper Wrightwood Racing seal kit was the black and brown Elring seal. That was supposed to be a pick-and-choose collection of the best seals and gaskets available.

Back then, it was said that the Victor Reinz seal was NFG and the Porsche dealer seal wasn't much better. Maybe times have changed and the Porsche seal is the top. Regardless, Rod's worked.

Hi guys. I did a full crankshaft out rebuild last year on my 89 3.2 and was so proud that I had done my first rebuild with no leaks. Not a drop anywhere. This fall noticed I’m leaking pretty badly from what seems to be RMS. I too had the brown and black seal that was supposed to be the right one. I too experienced very little resistance on install. I of course wasn’t paying huge attention at the time, but from what I remember, was able to push in with my thumbs. I had my wooden block and mallet ready but never needed. Installed with lube on the shaft and dry on the OD from what I remember. I would have followed most recent conventional wisdom, as I did every step of the way.

I went months without posting my experience as I was honestly pretty deflated, and a little embarrassed. Now seeing this thread, I’m feeling some solace in that I may have done everything properly but didn’t have the best possible seal to start with.

The car is totally drivable, but I really want to resolve this. Please if others can continue to post success or failure stories with the Porsche seal vs VR or Elring, I’d greatly appreciate it. This will be my third engine drop, but it’s still scary and stressful for me.

It’s only 20 to 40 bucks, but I almost feel like I shouldn’t have to pay for a new seal. Again big picture the cost rounds to zero compared to total investment in the rebuild, but the principal of the thing irks me a bit. And of course if there was a way to confirm that there is a bad batch of seals floating around out there would be beneficial to the community…. I notice another 89 on the thread here. Any chance there was a non trivial difference in the block seal area dimensions?

Thx

Mark

My RMS is also leaking I believe. For as long as I've had the car it's been bone dry.
Just noticed it last month.

Engine/Tranny was dropped for Clutch and other work in june 2020. didn't replace the RMS then...

Should I go with Elring or Porsche?

you don't want to JB weld the case seam... happy (unnessessary) grinding if case must be split

you maybe could JB weld the plugs, though as well will be shut for alll time.

Porsche has a sealant recommended for that, same as the one in the tech bulletin for sealing the oil-line case crimp

Well...I bought the Porsche OEM Seal and the Elring one. Took it to my indy mechanic who used the porsche tool to put the porsche seal in......guess what, it was still leaking.

Dropped the engine again and put the Elring one in.....didn't leak. I will keep an eye out after my next drive. What a waste of time and money doing the job twice...

Stick to the Elring one folks.

Florian,

Could you provide a link to the tech bulletin above, please? Or the sealant?

Thanks

My last 2 Elring have leaked..any suggestions?
What about not using the installation tool and putting the seal in when the case halves are going together? Anyone?