Serious 964 issues - HELP!

[Plethora]

I picked up an abused (by PO) 1991 964 a few months ago. Runs great, but... serious oil leakage has developed to the point of needing to wash oil grime off of the passenger side rear fender and rear bumper (not to mention undercarriage) about every week. I've already replaced the alternator which failed. The car has the dist vent upgrade, but I need to adjust the valves and solve the oil problems. BIGGEST problem, the clutch is slipping and I do not know if it is from the oil leakage, which covers the rear half undercarriage or if it is from the rear engine seal. Any way to tell without dropping the engine? Spring break starts tomorrow and I have a week to address these issues. Money is, unfortunately, an issue.

Thanks

[kang]

The only thing I can suggest would be to clean up the spilled oil so that you can find where it is coming from. If it is just the oil return tubes or valve cover gaskets, for example, there is little chance that that oil got into the tranny. If you can’t find a source, then maybe it is the rear main seal. 964’s are not known to have bad rear main seals generally, although I’m sure there have been a few. There are well known for other oil leaks, tough. How many miles on the car?

On the other hand, if the clutch is slipping, no amount of cleaning the outside of the engine will help that. Somehow I doubt that the clutch will clean itself up (burning the oil off via slipping) even if you stop all the oil leaks. If the clutch is indeed covered in oil, the oil is probably embedded in the clutch itself and will require replacing. You can (should) replace the rear main seal then, whether or not it is the source of your current oil leaks.

Money is always an issue. I hope you got a good deal on the car. Once these relatively minor issues have been resolved, you should have a sweet ride.

[LeRoux Strydom]

Does your car still have the tray underneath the engine? If so, remove that first to see if you can locate the leak. Wash the engine with a pressure cleaner, then take a short drive, get the car on a lift and see where the oil comes from. There are many possible and well-documented leaks, some are easy to fix, others not. Oil on the clutch is a death sentence, prepare to open your wallet. The clutch may be slipping simply because it is worn, which would require replacement anyway.

Good luck.

[colo964]

Find that leak soon! The oil tank and many hoses are in the front of the pass rear fender. The pipe from the filter to the tank is rear of the wheel. It can quickly drain your oil if they burst. A crankcase leak is annoying but not prone to high volume loss.

I'd clean it as much as possible and remove as many shields as you can. Then run the engine (don't drive it coz the wind will blow oil everywhere and dirt/dust will make it look worse than it is) until it gets to operating temp, then see what's leaking.

If the clutch is oiled and slipping it would probably stink to high heaven and smoke. Otherwise, it's just worn out/dead, can be a bad flywheel too(?). Either way, plan on one in the very near future ($1800 for a clutch and labor). Good luck.

[Don Settergren]

Don't despair. There are locations on the 911 that leak and are inexpensive to repair. And, people are always replacing functional clutches for higher performance models and selling the used ones for next to nothing. I bought one for $12.51 on eBay before I ever dropped my engine - just in case. I'd sell it to you but its running in a buddies car. Borrow tools and ask for help and you'll get her back on the road. Good luck!

[stevepaa]

as colo964 said, Take off the right rear wheel, all trays underneath and run your engine to warm condition and find out where the oil is coming from.

[DustinTarditi]

Try to find a local support group, too - sometimes a helping hand can be a valuable sanity-saver... even if it's just helping point out oil leaks or holding a flashlight.

Don't give up on the 964 if you can manage - they're great when you get everything sorted out... they can, unfortunately, make for expensive "project" cars.

Also, is it a C4 or C2? this doesn't have a lot of bearing on the oil leaks, but some DIY processes are different between the models - some DIY C2 projects are really "have a shop do it" items on a C4 unless you're VERY handy and have a good set of tools including many items not in the typical "shade tree mechanic" toolbox.

Best of luck - ask lots of questions - you can get through it.