Massive oil leak near OPRV

[Eskozki]

Hi,

Does this look like a oil cooler leaking oil externally? I read that oil cooler has coolant on the outside, so should it leak coolant? I replaced the crush washer on the oprv because at first it seemed to be leaking. But now its dry and oil still comes pouring down the engine. If its the oil cooler, is it possible to reseal without dropping the engine? If someone had paid someone to do it, how much would it cost?

[Eskozki]

Well, my smartphone has trouble focusing on the tight spot. Red arrow points at an oil droplet right before the leak will start flowing on the engine block. Hope this helps.

That is the area i can see the oil leak. Camshaft leaks a bit too on the hose from the heater core return line but that doesnt seem to be the oil I'm seeing here as it is a slower leak.

[Eskozki]

Best I can do.

The two 13mm bolts are for the balance shaft I think, but the leak seems to come from further back, because if I clean the area, it takes several seconds before I get the river of oil.

[Eskozki]

Been there done that, impossible to see so my bet is the oil cooler. Oil appears on this exact spot. These are screnshots from a video after cleaning up and shortly aftet starting the car. I quess I'm just trying to fish for a less expensive/time consuming alternative answer

[Eskozki]

*double post*

[djnolan]

Check for loose bolts? Clean it off and apply rtv externally over leak area?

[Eskozki]

Bolts were tight. It must be the cooler housing as the leak is dripping down the OPRV shaft "housing". I'm going to ask local porsche shop for a quote on the job as I dont have all of the tools and skills to do this myself.

[djnolan]

Is that crush washer good and tight? Back off and retighten?

When oil cooler seals fail it is usually internal O-rings and this will cause oil in coolant.

[wwdwgs]

Have you done any work on front end, camshaft housing prior to this leak?

[Eskozki]

OPRV is sealed with generous amount of RTV and an extra o-ring after getting desperate as 2 new crush washers later the leak was still there. I haven't touched the camshaft housing, but cant see how the leak would drip past the headers without smoking. Under the OPRV is where I can see oil dripping. Camshaft itself leaks too a little inside the belt cover.

[djnolan]

I have found that the newer crush washers are not pure copper and are harder and need to be over-tightened to seal.

[Eskozki]

I torqued the OPRV with the extra O-ring and RTV to 45nm. Dealer quoted 1240 € for the job...

I'm thinking I might not see where the leak actually comes from because if it would be the seal that seals the OPRV slot to the block, it should drip below the whole housing. On red I marked the path I can see the oil leak from the engine.

[walfreyydo]

Clean the entire area of any grime, oil or sludge (brake cleaner, a pan below the work area and a long soft bristle brush works well). You will never be able to trace a leak if everything is dirty. Cleaning the area needs to be the first step in tracking down any leak. Clean the area above the oil cooler housing as well in case the leak is originating from the front cam seal or other area.

Add UV dye to your oil and use a black light (usually sold as a kit) to identify if leak is coming from anywhere higher than the OPRV/Oil Cooler housing location. This can be incredibly helpful.

I would be careful doubling up crush washers on the OPRV as now the valve is not fully seated and could have unintended consequences. Same goes for the RTV sealant. It wasnt RTV'd to begin with, it probably shouldnt be added as a band-aid solution.

The oil cooler housing has a gasket which should be replaced. As you indicated, it can mimick a OPRV leak due to the proximity of the OPRV and the housing. (Be sure to use an alignment tool or the old OPRV when reinstalling the housing so the OPRV doesnt bind). Looking at your photo, yes there is oil coming from below the OPRV, but look above the OPRV and I see a tremendous amount of oil above that point - likely the housing or some other seal higher up. It is likely flowing past the OPRV bolt and draining below it making it seem like its the OPRV. Again, UV dye and a black light (after a good cleaning/spray of brake cleaner) will tell you if the oil above the OPRV is actively leaking.

Again, I would highly recommend replacing the oil cooler housing gasket if not done already as this is a common leak point and also do some deeper investigation of your front cam seal and see if you can get a peak behind the rear timing cover.

With these cars, youre likely not just chasing one leak/seal but multiple - I went through this journey myself. Only way to get it taken care of is to just replace them all, or replace each at a time and assess of the leak is gone. Again, cleaning the area can help tremendously.

[walfreyydo]

Originally Posted by Eskozki

OPRV is sealed with generous amount of RTV and an extra o-ring after getting desperate as 2 new crush washers later the leak was still there. I haven't touched the camshaft housing, but cant see how the leak would drip past the headers without smoking. Under the OPRV is where I can see oil dripping. Camshaft itself leaks too a little inside the belt cover.

It could be coming from the front of the engine and flowing around to the side (front cam seal/cam cover gasket possibly)

[djnolan]

after cleaning it off using a small mirror to look for the leak could help.

[wwdwgs]

I need to add one more comment:
it's obvious, but, still needs to be addressed/checked - mating surfaces of housing and crush washer/gasket (for oil pressure valve) must be clean, without scorch lines, threads must be relatively clean (clean them with carb cleaner and a cotton swab or a thin enough rag). Sometimes I gently sand a washer (in circular motions with fine grit sandpaper - like 600 or higher (wet)).
Big metal/rubber gasket, that goes between oil radiator housing and an engine block must also seat on clean surfaces. It doesn't seat perfectly in housing groove and moves around when you try to install it - to be patient.
In theory, I think, the installation of oil cooler housing is easy, if the engine is out.

[djnolan]

Use a mirror to find the leak first, you don't want to go through an oil cooler reseal with the engine in if you don't have to. Did you check for oil in the coolant, otherwise know as a milkshake, indicting an oil cooler seal problem?

Also from experience, the oil cooler reseal is easiest if the waterpump and the power steering pump are also removed. So evaluate the situation and think about doing the oil cooler seals, resealing the ps pump, replacing the water pump, and the front of engine seals and timing belt and rollers as a single job.

[walfreyydo]

I am almost positive, looking at those photos, that the leak is not coming from the OPRV

[Eskozki]

Thank you from all the help and suggestions. I removed the PS pump for better access to the cooler housing and it was the front side of the housing that leaks. I loosened and retorqued the two bottom bolts I could access. Cleaned up the front of the housing with brake cleaner and wd40. The leak seems to have stopped. I'll run the car up to temp and see if I fixed the leak. I'll drop the engine during winter and reseal it. Car is at my parents place during winter so I need to negotiate if they allow my engine to sit in their garage.

[djnolan]

Nice Job!