Oil leaks

[MaSnaka]

Recently took on the challenge of eliminating oil leaks. Front seal kit, rear main seal, oil pan gasket, what a lot of work!! Oh, found my clutch (not original) was about 100 miles from grinding rivets into the flywheel so replaced with a new clutch kit. Pilot bearing felt like a ratchet. I really wanted to share that the old "O" rings were all rock hard and brittle, all were squared off. 1986 na 944 est. 150k miles. First thing I did was replace the oil pan gasket. Now after a 1hour drive there would be no drips. Then 24 hours later a drop of oil would turn into a small puddle and keep growing as days passed. So became the need to continue. Glad it's done. Should be good for another 36 years fingers crossed!! Pelican Parts had everything I needed.

Thanks,
John

[Chalt]

Did you do engine-out or leave engine-in to replace the seals and gaskets?

[dme]

Originally Posted by MaSnaka

Glad it's done. Should be good for another 36 years fingers crossed!!

Thanks,
John

Not to be a downer, but that may be optimistic. Sometimes I think these cars were designed to leak. That way you know there is still oil inside.

[OK-944]

My two cents? That the way to keep a 944 from leaking after a reseal (assuming it was done properly), and to keep it happy generally - is to drive it as often as possible - far enough each time to get everything warmed up and circulating...and to keep driving year round. (gotta say that Blizzaks are awesome!)

[MaSnaka]

Hi guys,
Holiday travels have kept me away. Thanks for your responses. My car has been sitting two weeks and no new drips!!!

Chalt- Yes engine in car. Pulling would have been a good option but I was chasing each leak one by one. Now found the intake gasket has a leak too, so...

DME- I realize the truth you speak.

OK944- Not sure what blizzaks are but I do plan on driving. Not a daily driver but cars and coffees and canyon runs with buddies. I have a Cobra roadster that will have to share the attention. We will see who gets more. Lol.

Happy New Year!!

[TibetanT]

MaSnaka:

The Porsche 944 should NOT leak oil ever, period !

These cars were designed by engineers with that in mind, not to mention the other wonderful features such as a "balanced" drivetrain making it almost impossible to flip when driven under stress conditions.

YOU DID great with the reseal of the engine front end, and the oil pan gasket. Hopefully, you also addressed the oil cooler and resealed that area with new replacement gaskets. If not, it may be on the list of next projects to attend. Good job getting the clutch taken care of now too!

Anyway, do post a picture of your car at some point. We, Pelicans, love to see how other owners customize their relationship with their respective vehicle. It does keep us aware of what we can update or change along the way.

Good Luck with your 944, and "Enjoy the ride!"

Ed

[walfreyydo]

Some other common oil leak locations that you may have not addressed:
Rear main seal (can look alot like oil pan gasket, change this when you do your clutch)
AOS upper/lower o rings (also can mimick oil pan gasket, often leak when adding oil to engine)
Upper/lower balance shaft housing seals (this is the seal for the entire housing for the balance shafts - lower = huge pain, best to do along with engine mounts)
Upper/lower balance shaft rear seals (you may have done the front but the rears also leak sometimes, they are allen head shaped caps)
Front/rear cam seals
Oil cooler housing seal (as TibetanT mentioned)

[Monkey Wrench]

Originally Posted by dme

Not to be a downer, but that may be optimistic. Sometimes I think these cars were designed to leak. That way you know there is still oil inside.

Oil quickly degrades rubber but it's great for keeping the rust away ! I sometimes wonder how often people spend thousands on a mechanic to save less than a quart of oil per year.

[dme]

Originally Posted by TibetanT

MaSnaka:

The Porsche 944 should NOT leak oil ever, period !

Good Luck with your 944, and "Enjoy the ride!"

Ed

I know that we'd like them not to leak, but some cars are tougher than others to stop leaks and I think this car (as much as I love it) is not great in that department. There are just too many opportunities in too many places.