How I finally got rid of my annoying oil leaks.

[SpeedracerIndy]

After 7 years of ownership, and several thousand dollars in DIY repairs, I have achieved a new level in Porsche 911 ownership. I have ZERO oil leaks! I never really thought I would be able to achieve this since I bought the car (when I was 25) and it leaked like a sieve. I used to park it on the street when I went to friends houses because I was embarrassed by the mark it would leave on their drive.

Over the course of the 7 years I've had this car I have replaced the following in my quest to a leak free engine and transmission:

-Rear main seal
-oil pressure switch (twice)
-oil cooler seals (all 3)
-oil return tubes
-oil line to the thermostat
-oil breather hose
-crankcase breather oil hose
-transmission input shaft seal
-transmission shift shaft seal
-transmission guide fork seal
-transmission gasket kit
-Carrera tensioners and lines
-cam chain housing gaskets
-valve cover gaskets
-sump plate gasket
-Crankcase breather gasket

After all that, I still had a small but annoying leak when I reinstalled the engine this spring. Yesterday while I was checking the CV joint bolts and re-torquing my headers I noticed that there was a bolt missing at the bottom of the cam chain housing, and it had a drop of oil hanging from it. I re-installed that bolt, went for a spirited drive to get it up to operating temp and then put it away for the night without a cardboard box under the engine. When I woke up this morning, NO DRIPS!!! I actually crawled under the car this morning and just stared at the engine for about 20 minutes in awe.

Sorry for the long winded and pointless post, but I am so happy I can't explain it. My girlfriend just rolls her eyes at me over and over. Thanks for listening!

No (new) spots on the garage floor:


Dry engine and tranny:

[rattlsnak]

I thought you were going to tell us you sold the car!

[Oh Haha]

Sweet.



I think we all aspire to have a leak free engine(those of us that have leakers, anyway.) Mine leaks much less than it had but does leave a mark wherever I park.


Good job, Sir!!

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

I thought you were going to tell us you sold the car!

Heck no!!! Not after all the time and money I've dumped into this thing.

I also discovered this morning white staring at the engine and transmission that I was only getting about 75% of full throttle. I guess when I replaced ALL of the throttle bushings that the geometry changed and it wasn't opening all the way. This day just keeps getting better! Now I'm off to drive this thing!

[haycait911]

enjoy it! it won't last. I find oil leaks a dynamic thing, always changing. reguler driving seems the best fix.

[dentist90]

Yea, got rid of last weep last year with oil thermostat O-ring. Cleaned the engine off with degreaser and it's never been this dry before. Top and bottom of engine are dry and clean.

Weird thing is I kinda miss the sweet smell of hot oil when I garage the car. Now it just smells like burnt Gunk. But I sure don't miss the oil spots on the floor.

[Mia911]

my leak stop....i drain the oil from the car and park it up.....LOL

[pete3799]

Check your oil......It must be out

[Gogar]

I aspire to someday reach the great heights to which you have climbed!

With my engine out, I decided to not refresh the seals on the cam chain boxes. Bad idea.

[wildcat077]

The smell of burning Mobil1 15w50 at traffic lights is bearable but my driveway would surely enjoy a nice leak free engine like yours ... lol
I hope i can achieve that in less than 7 years or else i will have to redo my driveway in two

[RSWiser]

I am a new 911 SC owner and I notice that several of you have "ROW" in your vehicle designation.

I am not familiar with that term. What is that?

Thanks,

[SteveinTO]

If it stopped leaking may be time to check the oil level.

[efhughes3]

Something's wrong....I hope your engine fixes itself soon!

(ROW= Rest of World)

[3rd_gear_Ted]

As I know it, ROW = Rest Of (the) World

[curlesw]

Congrats to you, I now it's a great feeling as I have done the same list and STILL have a 1-2 drops. I know where it's coming from (rear main seal) and just don't feel like another engine drop right now.

Enjoy! I do agree though, I would miss the smell of oil...now how sick is that?!

Wayne

[Bobboloo]

Just so you know...

911's don't leak they just mark their territory

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally Posted by haycait911

enjoy it! it won't last. I find oil leaks a dynamic thing, always changing. reguler driving seems the best fix.

Ya, I know but let me enjoy it while it lasts until the next one pops up.

At this point, if I do spring another leak, I should be able to find it quickly since I've inspected every inch of the damn car with a fine tooth comb. Not to mention all the elbow grease I put into cleaning the engine and transmission while it was out this winter should make it easier to spot. I successfully removed a few layers of skin on my hands doing that. Purple power (and simple green, etc.) are very caustic and not friendly to skin!

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally Posted by Bobboloo

Just so you know...

911's don't leak they just mark their territory

Believe me, I know that. Mine has marked it's territory all over this city.

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally Posted by RSWiser

I am a new 911 SC owner and I notice that several of you have "ROW" in your vehicle designation.

I am not familiar with that term. What is that?

Thanks,

As someone else already defined, it is rest of world. The Germans kept the best 911's for themselves and exported the lesser models to the states (that's a wink for a sarcastic comment, so don't get your pants in a wad if you have a US spec 911).

Do a search on rest of world, or euro, there is a wealth of information on here about the various differences from the US spec 911s.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Enjoy it!

(you know there will be a new leak that shows up in about three days, but enjoy it while it lasts)

They just mark their territory, it's not really a "leak".