I toss and turn, I can't sleep

[5ickride]

Because this leak is bothering the hell out of me and I want to fix it but have no idea what is leaking and I have no wrenching skills to do it. But I feel confident since fixing my laundry washer recently after replacing a busted coupler...that qualifies me right?

Oh, hey guys! New guy here, kind of. Haven't really introduced myself to all so apologies for the informality. I purchased my first Porsche about a year ago. She's a 1984 Carrera in good shape. I drive her on the weekends.

I spent some good money recently at all the maintenance and typical stuff. Come home the other day and saw a small little puddle of liquid underneath...my worst fear confirmed...a leak! So I snapped a pic. Need your expert opinions...how do I tackle this?

[patz]

What I do is clean and then look for new oil. But that looks like the main flywheel seal. Unless you can trace it back from above and under the alternator

Do a search on "triangle of death".

[timmy2]

Looks to be coming from above. Hopefully just a "Trinity" leak or worst case, a rear main seal is what you want to research.

[grant lyon]

Search on "triangle of death" at PP. Get a flashlight and look around at the top of the engine to see if you've got oil leaks that are in the triangle (breather hose, oil pressure switch, or oil thermostat). 3.2 L has good access if you pull the Air flow meter (AFM) and air filter box (removed together, not separately to save time).

[5ickride]

You guys rock! But "Triangle of Death" doesn't sound pleasant.

[911SauCy]

This is very unlikely to be a leak making it's way over from the triangle of death.

As prescribed, clean and look for new oil, my gut say it's rear main seal.

[T77911S]

dergease the entire engine. top and bottom.
could be the rear seal. if lucking its coming from the top. other option is oil cooler seals.
clean the top back of the engine. there is a pressure switch, Tstat housing and the triangle of death. there is also a vent hose that is connected to the top of the death. if you overfill the oil it could leak there or it could jsut be blowby.

but it has to be clean to find it.

[CCM911]

Does it smell funky like transmission lube? If so, it could be your pilot shaft seal in the trans. I am betting on the rear main seal, but until you clean the area and chase down the leak, all we can do is guess.

[Bergo]

Who needs sleep!

https://youtu.be/K4pqqzFWedc

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by 911SauCy

This is very unlikely to be a leak making it's way over from the triangle of death.

Beg to differ. That looks exactly like my '84 when the pressure switch was leaking.

The "triangle of death" is a misnomer for those of us with 3.2 cars. On an SC or 2.7 you have to either remove the intake and injection, or do a partial engine drop. Hence the forbidding name.

On a 3.2, a decent mechanic can do these items with the engine in the car, after removing the airbox and air flow meter. Not saying it is then easy, but it is doable. When I did mine, I replaced the leaking switch, the breather cover gasket (which was crumbly), the oil thermostat o-ring (brittle and came off in pieces) and both breather hoses. Doing the thermostat o-ring is the worst mess, it spills enough oil in there that you will think that the leak is still there for quite some time. Took several weeks for all that oil to drain and drip off in my car.

[Duc Hunter]

I had very similar leaks on mine. Turned out to be the seals for the engine mounted oil cooler. Mine had been leaking for long enough that the cooler was not working efficiently. We cleaned it all up, fixed the seals, and my car also runs noticeably cooler now.

[Jdub]

Have you changed the oil recently? If so, what is the true level (hot; parked level)?

The TOD should be addressed regardless. It is just good to remove all possibilities as you hunt things down.

[911SauCy]

Originally Posted by Arne2

Beg to differ. That looks exactly like my '84 when the pressure switch was leaking.

The "triangle of death" is a misnomer for those of us with 3.2 cars. On an SC or 2.7 you have to either remove the intake and injection, or do a partial engine drop. Hence the forbidding name.

On a 3.2, a decent mechanic can do these items with the engine in the car, after removing the airbox and air flow meter. Not saying it is then easy, but it is doable. When I did mine, I replaced the leaking switch, the breather cover gasket (which was crumbly), the oil thermostat o-ring (brittle and came off in pieces) and both breather hoses. Doing the thermostat o-ring is the worst mess, it spills enough oil in there that you will think that the leak is still there for quite some time. Took several weeks for all that oil to drain and drip off in my car.

That would be an ideal situation, which is why I started with the clean and check recommendation first

[Targalid]

I'm with Jdub on this one. OP just had "all the maintenance and typical stuff" done on the car and now he has a leak? I'm thinking overfilled oil. Check oil level to confirm.

[gshiwota]

My 2 cents in order of easy-to-hard.

1) Use a flashlight and look at the front of the engine (toward front of the car) to see if you have any oil near the triangle. Take a pic with your phone as it's often easier than sticking your head back there. If you see oil or wetness there, it could be the triangle. It could also be spilt oil from a careless mechanic.

2) Clean up the top and bottom of engine. I'd run degreaser (orange citrus works well) around the perimeter and back of engine (from top) and hose off liberally.

3) Wait a week and see if there are more leaks. If so, check again at the top. If you see any oil behind the intake it's 99% the triangle. I had this problem on my '88 and it turned out to be the oil thermostat seal and vent hose. It was a relatively easy fix especially since you don't need to remove the engine. You can do a partial engine drop to make life easier. Also be thankful to the Porsche gods that you don't have a 3.0 CIS car as the 3.2 Carreras have much better access behind the intake.

4) If it's still leaking and you don't see oil on top. I'd try the oil cooler seals next. This can be replaced without removing the engine. Search forums for this as it's doable DIY but will take a couple of hours on your first try. Don't believe the folks that insist its an engine out affair as I did this without removing the engine on my '88.

5) If its not the triangle or oil cooler, it's probably the rear main seal. I'd take it in to a shop or live with it until you need a clutch or major service. They'll have to drop the motor and remove the clutch / flywheel to do this. If you're ambitious you can DIY but it's more than a weekend job for a newbie. There's also a bunch of "while you're in there" to do if you go this far.

Good luck and enjoy as these types of fixes are one of the joys of owing these cars. And Yes, if you can fix your washing machine, you can fix one of these cars! Unlike other cars, you can fix nearly all 911 problems with just a screwdriver, socket set and the occassional BFH.

[sballard]

Agree that it could be any of the above, but in my car it turned out to be the oil cooler seals.

[sugarwood]

OP, as a beginner, I can say this is a great place to develop your wrenching skills, if you're willing to invest in some tools, as you go.

[5ickride]

Thanks for all the input, I'm keeping your suggestions in mind should I have to go down the list to check. I went in today and snapped a few pics. Cleaned the area where I saw the drip. I noticed however that it wasn't leaking anymore so I'm wondering if that leak I saw was right after I had a long drive. I started her up and let the engine run for about 15 minutes to see if anything would happen but it didn't. Weird right? Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure

[gshiwota]

Mine only leaked when the engine was at full operating temp. Since the amount of oil in the engine fluctuates greatly depending on engine temp, be sure to go for a long drive and see if your leak has really gone away.

[5ickride]

Interesting, will do. Thanks