Help!! 915 output shaft seal leak
 

I just resealed the gearbox on a 1981 SC. I've done this several times over the years on various other 911's without ever having any issues. But... on this one, I replaced the two output shaft flange seals with elring part number 999-113-183-40-M30 45x68x10. I was stunned to discover a profuse leak on the PS and a minor leak on the DS after a 5 mile test drive. I removed the PS seal and replaced with another brand new elring seal.

After a 3 mile run, it's leaking again. The PS is set exactly straight and 2mm recessed below the case cast and the DS is at 3mm. I tested the seal point where it rides on the flange after replacing the seal for the second time and is sits exactly on the shoulder where the original seal left its mark. Like I said, I've never had an issue with these leaking in the past. Is there more than one size option? Ever heard of elring having an issue with this? I've always used these seals and never had issues.

Thanks for your input!

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UPDATE... I drained about 8 ounces of oil out since both sides are leaking and it made no difference. This isn't rocket science! I just can't believe this happening!!

Seals normally have size markings on them to indicate OD, ID, and thickness. Any chance you have the wrong size? Leaking at the ID I assume?

No, the markings are correct, and yes leaking at the ID. I'm wondering if they are just a bad batch. I have nothing left to try other than get some expensive OEM seals I guess.

Not good news. I just replaced the seals on my Carrera with Elring seals, same part # as part of my functional refresh. There were no leaks before replacement. Engine and trans still out. Should go back together in a couple of weeks. Living in Maine it will be several months before I will take it out on the road. Who is the oem supplier? Is it Elring per chance? Unfortunately, thanks for the heads up.
Please keep us posted.

I have a few seals here that are probably from a job 2 years ago if you want I can send. Like you said maybe a bad batch

I quit using the seals in the gasket sets, and use only Porsche purchased seals. I’d use Kaco seals if I could get them.

Hard to tell if they were the OEM supplier on these. If you compare the photos between elring and OEM Porsche on the Pelican site, they look quite different. I will keep this post alive until I figure this out! As a point of reference, the first seal I bought was from about 2 months ago and the second one was two days ago, both from Pelican. Stay tuned!

I bought these separately and about two months apart from Pelican. They were not part of a set.

Thanks Jim... I may take you up on that. Are they elring, or?

what is the oil you are using also ..it has been seen lately the quality of seals no matter which kind are getting worse..do try to reduce the length of the garter spring inside the seal..like this
start with cuttin about 3-4 mm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q83YRYcSpDE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYxcT40i700

Mach925, I should of said Elring gaskets sets have Elring seals, doesn’t matter how u get them, in a set or separately.

Slip it on the seal ring of the drive flange to be sure it's a decent fit before installing it in the case.

That's exactly what I was thinking today... I needed to tighten up the spring. Thanks for the video... that helps. Thanks! Using Kendal 80-90 gear oil.

I did... and it felt reasonable. I ordered the OEM seal and will have it tomorrow. I'll check the the fitment against the elring and report back. Thanks John.

OE seals I have here say Kaco.

Agree with John, they have to fit well, no gaps.

Be careful if you shorten the spring. Excessive seal friction won’t do your flanges any favors.

OK - Problem solved. I received the OEM Porsche seals today. I took some photos of the obvious differences. The OEM seal has a double sealing lip and the elring has one. The OEM fitment on the shaft was slightly tighter than the elring. To be absolutely certain, I shortened the springs by about 3mm. Does not leak a drop. I've used the elring seals here before without issue, so there seems to be some quality control issues with the current batch at Pelican. It's obvious that the OEM seal design is far superior, so my recommendation is spend the extra $15 and forget about the elring in this application.


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Bill - yank out those elring seals and replace them with OEM. It's worth the few extra $$ to avoid the aggravation! See my post with comparison photos...

Caleb

good investigation..i`ll go look at my stash tomorrow ..what seals i have...the quality sucks lately elring use to be the seals to go to..no longer....

Ivan

Back in post #7, see what I mean. ��

I'm a believer!!

You'd think the Porsche OEM seals would be available from some other source. I mean, Porsche isn't manufacturing the seals ...

Vaguely interesting topic! I haven't had a problem with the single-lip Elring seals, either in their kits or as individual parts. The double-lipped version is a nice bit of insurance, no argument, against debris getting in. However, looking at the design of the outer lip, it is for debris and not oil sealing. The inner lip with its tighter design and gaiter provides the oil sealing.

I make a practice of checking the condition of the shaft where the seal lip rides. Often I will find they have a groove worn at that point, and that can cause seeping. This is especially common with the input shaft. There are a couple of fixes for this. One is to locate the seal at a slightly different depth, so its lip rides on an undamaged bit of the shaft. Another is to install an SKF Speedi Sleeve on the shaft, pretty cool fix.

When assembling, be sure to pre-lubricate the shaft where the seal rides. I use a transmission assembly lube, but a smear of gear oil will do the job. Cheers,

Great timing as I'm about to replace these seals. I guess I'll pony up for oem

Thanks Kevin, good information... I suspected the extra lip might actually serve another purpose as it does not fit tightly around the shaft. In any case, my leaks were completely eliminated when I installed the oem seals. I'm wondering if there was simply a bad batch of the elring - I went through four of them and they all leaked and were purchased at the same time. Seems like other folks have had similar problems in the past, but who knows. I carefully inspected the output shafts and they were in excellent shape - only 61k miles on the car. Thanks for the Speedi Sleeve suggestion... I think I'll order just to have in inventory.