Oil Leak.....Time to get nervous?

[w00zie]

So i just bought my 87 911 from a dealer in MI, car got delivered last night and this morning i awoke to a puddle of oil under the engine

I wiped away the oil to try to see where it's coming from and i haven't seen any leaks yet

I was hoping my next 100 posts would be about things i've done and changed to the car but i guess i'm starting with an oil puddle

I've posted a couple of pics, it looks like the oil leak is not new, the heat exchanger looks like it's caked on with oil

About 8,000 miles ago the car had upper end engine rebuild: new cylinder sleeves, pistons, hand ground valves, heads ported and polished on flow bench, engine / transmission seal, engine case resealed, alternator replaced along with fan housing, a/c upgraded to r134 specs along with all new hoses and evaporator, wheels have been upgraded to 7 inch front and 8 inch rear, newer tires, H4 headlights, belts, return lines etc.

I don't even have plates on the car yet!!!!

I'm definitely calling the dealer i bought it from,,,i specifically asked if there were any oil leaks and he said no......

Anyways, does the location of the accumulation of oil look familiar to anyone?

i've put a piece of cardboard to see exactly where the oil is dropping from

Bringing it to my mechanic on monday

[Joe Bob]

Likely a bad seal up on top.....

[brads911sc]

Dealer is Full of BS. That is a long term leak. Id check the three main areas on the top of the engine, then the oil return tubes, then the valve covers. Those are the most obvious places...

[JeremyD]

Lots of oil producing stuff up that way -

rear main seal (or flywheel seal)

Oil thermostat - as wall as on engine cooler - and the engine oil breather

The oil thermostat is probably the most likely culprit - especially if it was not replaced when the top end was done.

and yep - that had been leaking for awhile

[Scott R]

Common spot for a leak, 101 projects book covers the stuff in that area. Oil cooler, idiot light, thermostat. Shouldn't be a problem to sort this out.

[w00zie]

The top end rebuild was done by a reputable air cooled mechanic (Bob Farmer @ Farmers Automotive)

Spoke to him for almost an hour on all the stuff he did to the car

[schumicat]

it was leaking that bad without even running? with the oil hot it will be worse. the good news is common leaks at that part of engine are cheap parts (oil cooler seals, oil pressure switch, oil breather gasket/hose, and thermostat). the bad news is most of them are almost impossible to do without dropping the engine.

[MBAtarga]

My guess is oil pressure switch (cause it's one of the easiest/cheapest to fix)

[w00zie]

Car runs great, no smoke, quick start and sounds good

One of the reasons i bought it (other than the fact that i've always wanted an 87/88) was the discussion i had with the mechanic who did the work

Car has 130,000 miles on it, but he re-did everything from the top end, transmission, clutch etc...great guy to talk to

I've had a 71, 96, 02, 05 & 06 911..........this is my first oil issue experience and needless to say it's the one thing that's always made me nervous

just a quick thanks to everyone for the quick responses.....and making me feel a bit better

thanks!

jp

[pete3799]

Could be coming from the top or it could be the oil cooler O-rings or the cooler itself.
A PPI (pre purchase inspection) would have easily spotted that.
My cooler sprung a leak and dripped on the heat exchanger exactly were yours is.
I think we need to know the name of the (obviously blind) dealer.

[Winter]

The dealer lied to you, that's what my '75 looked like, but I knew it leaked oil like crazy and needed tons of help when i bought it.

Most here would suggest a PPI, which you should have done (or at least looked under the car prior to purchase) so you could have knocked a few bucks off the final price.

I've seen Farmer's ads in the classifieds, they seem like the shop in INDY to go to, but others with personal experience can discuss the shop's merits or lack thereof.

You could go to an independent mechanic (not Farmers, as they have been working on the car already) and have a Post- as apposed to a Pre- Purchase Inspection to baseline the condition of the car, just to get another point of reference.

Good luck with this. As others have stated, there are many cheap and fast fixes to different seals that could be the culprits. You may wish to attempt the fixes yourself with the help of the forum. Can't really go wrong with that approach. . .

Post many pictures, ask many questions, get your hands dirty and know it's been fixed right.

Good luck!

[Jetjockey]

You could take off the air cleaner and hold a mirror back there to see if the top of engine has oil pooled on it. This will pin down the leak or eliminate 3 possible sources. Thermostat o-ring and oil pressure switch can be replaced with engine in car. I would personally not try the crankcase breather gasket without pulling the motor. If it is the oil cooler o-rings, I believe I heard of someone changing them without an engine drop (another thread). Rear Mail Seal would obviously require an engine drop. Of course all of these should have been changed out 8,000 miles ago with the engine rebuild. I bet it is an inexpensive fix (oil pressure switch) that the dealer should fix with a couple hours of labor.

[w00zie]

Originally Posted by pete3799

Could be coming from the top or it could be the oil cooler O-rings or the cooler itself.
A PPI (pre purchase inspection) would have easily spotted that.
My cooler sprung a leak and dripped on the heat exchanger exactly were yours is.
I think we need to know the name of the (obviously blind) dealer.

I've already contacted the dealer, i'm giving him the chance to make this right.....we'll see what happens

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by w00zie

The top end rebuild was done by a reputable air cooled mechanic (Bob Farmer @ Farmers Automotive)

Spoke to him for almost an hour on all the stuff he did to the car

yeah??? well hes a FREEKING MORON! and a POS! that is a real long term leak. ask me how the hell i know? just tore my eng. tranny apart its an 87. and guess feeking what???? not ONE DAMN LEAK WEEP SEEP DROP of oil.



i would not only hang my head in shame...................at that abortion, i would be mad as hell and start kicking major feeking azz. at 6'3" 215, i tend to get my way when provoked by 1/2 azz wrenches! im not asking for balanced and blueprinted perfection but i am asking for NO LEAKS!



the ONLY way you will achieve absolute perfection is:


1) pay thru the nose for a quality shop.


2) or be LAK ME and BITE THE BIG GIANT DONKEY WEENIE SUCK IT UP LIKE A MAN, BEND OVER...............................AND DO IT YERSELF!


200 miles on mine now and NOT ONE DAMN DRIP LEAK WEEP SEEP and its 113DEGREES F here!



i would be mad as hell and their would be azzholes flying every which way after i got thru with those morons.



my humble opinion. but then WTF do i know?

[MH911]

If they want to stick you with the cost of repair, get out there and do it your self. It's not too difficult to fix and can be done with the engine in the car. You might have to lower it, but it's all doable and for cheap.

This is coming from a self proclaimed klutz that did it him self.

Playing Oil Leak Detective

[ODDJOB UNO]

yeah yeah we know you dont want to hear this crap from US! and its a TOTAL DEPRESSIVE EPISODE and there aint ENOUGH BEER ON THE PLANET TO DROWN YER SORROWS......................but:



this is coming from a guy who used to werk for porschen here when he was 16. i do not call my self a porschen wrench. and i have ALSO been bent over royally if not flat out lied to and paid extreme peso dollars for werk that WAS NOT DONE! or it was a total abortion and 1/2 azzd by (2) count'em so called uber elitist shops here. and i am STILL PISSED OFF ABOUT IT and WILL BE FOR THE REST OF MY FEEKING LIFE!


and the best part.................its all documented with 8x10 glossys w/pictures and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one. and ..................I HAVE A BIG MOUTH! and i tell it like it is. so in the event of someone EVAR asking me for a recommendation.............you can bet yer azz i will bad mouth them ROYALLY until the cows come home or the FAT LADY SINGS!



so with that gem in mind, start talking to people around you that know the shops, or BE LAK ME and a HELL OF ALOT OF OTHERS ON HERE and suck it up and do it yerself and JOIN THE BROTHERHOOD!



THERE IS "NOTHING" BETTER THAN HAVING YER PICTURE TAKEN SITTING IN A EMPTY ENGINE BAY!



it really iz a RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE tearing them apart and spending days if not weeks of yer life, cleaning every damn nut bolt fastner part so YOU KNOW ITS DONE RIGHT!



you really cant BUY THAT WARM/FUZZY!

[JPM540]

w00zie, I am in MI also..South East.

I have been working on correcting an oil leak on my 87 911 over the past few days. Your pictures look similar to the mess I have (actually your's looks a bit words). Oil was coming from one or more of the 1) Thermostat, 2) Oil pressure switch, 3) Breather, 4) Oil cooler seals. So, I have replaced the oil pressure switch, gasket for the breather, o-ring for the thermostat, and seals for the oil cooler.

I did not drop the engine nor did I lower it. Parts will be less than $125 (including new oil and filter).

If you want it I can give you a step by step procedure. That said I would try and get dealer to pay.

[Driver_X]

Lets have cooler heads prevail here. Most likely this is an inexpensive fix, and not likely to lead to a major engine failure. If you don't already have Wayne's book, purchase one. I would start with the $6 oil pressure switch. It shouldn't take anyone more than an hour or so to replace. Even if you pay for someone else to do it, the bill shouldn't be more an a couple of hundred bucks. If that's not it, then try the thermostat o-ring. I had both of these leaks, parts cost less than $15.

I would absolutely email the seller with the photo's you posted here and follow up with a phone call. This should not, I would think, be a deal breaker. But the seller should pony up the cost of the repair, especially if it's the most likely culprits....

[w00zie]

Here's a pic of the drip since last night at 9pm

put a piece of cardboard to see where it's coming from

[eastbay]

Must have been a pretty rough 8k miles since repair by the looks of it. Post up a pick of the 'new' jugs and heads.

Who even knows if it is the same motor the mechanic worked on? Doubt everything.