Oil Leak on Shutdown

[PrairieSnpr]

I drove my 1980 911 SC yesterday for about 15 miles came home parked in the garage
and shut the car down. I immediately smelled oil and saw smoke from the rear, looked
underneath the car and there was a oil spot approximately a foot long and four inches
wide. It was located beside the right rear tire, and looked like it had ran off the heat
exchanger.

I started the car and looked for leaks and couldn't find any. I have driven the car three
times since then all 20-30 mile drives and no sign of leaks are evident, either while
running or after shutdown. The oil level is good, I tried moving hoses while it was running
to no avail. Any ideas what could have caused this? I'm somewhat grateful that it
stopped, but I'm not sure what to think. I don't want it to get worse.

I have had this car for three weeks now, so I'm green when it comes to Porsches, all
previous cars have been domestic.

Ryan

[ossiblue]

Your initial leak may be from too much oil in the tank. Excess oil can be pulled into the airbox where a drain is located. The drain exits by the front (firewall/transmission side) of the engine, above the approximate location you describe for the leak. Since you see no more leaking, this may have been a one time thing.

What is the oil level of your thank, according to the dipstick? Are you checking the oil correctly--engine running and at operating temp, on level ground? Ideally, the oil level should be at the half way mark on the stick. If you filled the tank too full, on curves the oil could have traveled to the airbox and then to the ground.

Since this is your first Porsche, remember the oil system is different than a domestic car, and the checking procedure is described above.

[PrairieSnpr]

I had checked the oil level with the engine at temp, idling, and on level ground. The oil
level on the dipstick read just below max. I'll take it out this afternoon and check it again
when I get back. Will anything over half be enough to cause an oil leak?

Ryan

[tcar]

If it's just below max, it can smoke.

I keep mine at halfway maximum, sometimes a little lower. Not a big deal, there is a LOT of oil in there.