How often do you open up your sump plate?

[spyderman]

I have a 80 SC that has not leaked a drop of oil since I bought her 3 years ago. I'm reluctant to change that by opening up the sump plate. I change the Oil regularly whether it needs it or not, but I haven't opened up the sump plate. My question is, do you open up the sump plate with each oil change, every other, not ever...? I feel like I'm neglecting my car by not getting in there and checking it out, but she is running great, and more importantly is LEAK FREE.
Now that I say that she is going to piss all over the floor, but I digress.

[moneymanager]

Use a torque wrench to tighten evenly and two gaskets (one on either side of the screen) and you shouldn't have any problem. I open mine all the time; I can't drain my oil without loosening it. That said, I'm not sure you ever need to open it unless you suspect there are some extraneous pieces of plastic or metal at the bottom of the sump!

[Grady Clay]

I inspect the sump plate and screen at every opportunity; oil changes and more. This is an important ‘window’ into the machinery of our 911s.

The cost is insignificant in the overall scheme of things. Two gaskets, some Nyloc nuts and sealing washers. You can tolerate some seepage or go back and seal up any leak. If you are “seep free”, I suspect someone glued the gaskets in place – makes for more difficult changes.

There is also another important ‘window’: cutting apart the oil filter and examining the filter element. There is a ‘can-opener’ like tool to open the filter. You want to rinse the element into a coffee filter as residual oil can mask engine debris.

If you do this regularly, you will recognize any impending problem. I am a strong supporter of preventive medicine. Repairing a broken engine is a too-expensive alternative.

Best,
Grady

[James Brown]

I never open mine but I, too, open up the oil filter and look at the elements for junk. The filter is the last defense before it heads back to the engine. And it traps finer particles than the oil screen.
Also, look at both mag. plugs on the engine and oil tank for ferris metal. and water (yes water collects at the bottom of the oil tank).

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Opening the oil filter and spreading out the pleated element--it's many feet long--and looking in the folds of the pleats is an absolutely routine part of any aircraft-engine oil change, done as automatically as cleaning the ferrous dust off a magnetic drain plug.

[KTL]

I agree 100% that opening the sump plate is good practice. I opened mine in May to do my every-other-race-weekend oil change and all was good. Recently opened the sump, simply because my Autospeed aftermarket sump drain was seized/wrench hole is partly stripped. I found the oil pump screen & baffle plate was separated.





So I removed the screen and planned to replace it with a new used one from a generous Pelican (thanks Dave (dtw)) upon receipt of it. Since the earlier cars ran without this sump screen, which I believe was introduced in '82, I ran the car without it.

Well I think the screen shed some pieces upon separating itself from the case flange. So there went my engine....... Oil temps shot up shortly after putting an at-speed load on it during lap 2 of qualifying session. Oil pressure warning light illuminated solidly upon throttle lift and engine power went kaput.... Will have to tear it down and see what caused the failure. Doesn't sound bad mechanically or audibly. No knocking sounds or funky exhaust note.