snakepitt1

I have a 1973 911T, 2.4L MFI. I have a leak on the left (drivers) side at the cam seal that the MFI pully is attached to the cam at. I tried to remove the seal but short of dynamite, it would not come out. So, to stem the flow of oil, I managed to cram a second seal into the area designed for a single seal. This worked for awhile, now the leak is back. Has anyone ever pulled one of these seals while the engine is STILL IN THE CAR? Is there a special tool? I just finished putting a replacement NOS engine oil cooler in and bolted the heat exchanger up as well. No leaks on that side of the engine, just the drivers side.
My e-mail address is snakepitt1@aol.com. I am located in Bessemer, Alabama. Between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
Thanks,
Scott Harris

Peter Zimmermann

Yres, with the left heat exchanger off the repair can be done in the car. It's tricky, and requires care & patience...
Pete

snakepitt1

Peter,
I have tried to remove the seal in the past and found it would not come out. Is there a special tool available just for this job?

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Scott:

LOL,..I'm not Pete, but I've done this and I'd offer some advice based on your original post,.....

The old seal(s) can be removed but it takes some tools, a whole bunch of patience and a healthy dash of experience to prevent ruining the cam housing seal bore.

Although you are not going to happy with what I'm going to tell you, my BEST advice is to have a pro who has done this before dig out both seals and properly install a new one so that you are not forced to replace that cam housing.

snakepitt1

Steve,
I wish there was someone nearby to do this, but, the closest place is in Memphis, TN nearly 300 miles away. Plus, since money is always tight, I like to do the work myself. But, who knows. Anyone know of a good Porsche repair shop in the Birmingham area?

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Scott:

I'm sorry to tell that I do not know anyone well enough to recommend in your area.

I fully understand the satisfaction of working on one's own car and the obvious economic benefits, but the "Peter Principle" doesn't exempt any of us and there are times when its prudent to leave something to a professional, given the consequences.

I would also tell you that if you root around in there to extract the old seals and happen to put a scratch or gouge in the cam housing, a trip to a Porsche shop to fix the ensuing oil leak will get damned expensive,....

Just my opinion, tho.

Peter Zimmermann

Scott: Steve's correct, it seems like it should be easy, but it's not. You need to devise a way to remove the seals without nicking the housing. I know what you're up against, I've actually found two seals while doing the job in the past. I've used a long, strong, thin-bladed screwdriver to get under the lip of the seal and pop it out. You might even want to use a bench grinder to modify its tip into a hook of sorts. Of course, you have to protect the housing at the screwdriver's leverage point, bacause you don't want to harm any of the surrounding area. Cardboard, duct tape, little pieces of wood - anything, just so you don't scratch the aluminum.
Have you tried to contact Porsche Club of America in your area, they are usually a good resource for referrals.
Pete

pjc

Scott,

Just a thought - if you DIY your 911 have you taken the engine out? If so then that's the way forward, it saves mucking about with the engine in-situ.

PJC

snakepitt1

I was going to tackle the job this weekend, but the combination of a childs birthday party and the possibility of 3-7 inches of rain from the first tropical storm of the season have caused me to put off until next weekend the seal replacement. So, going into this knowing how difficult it will be to remove the seal, I need to ask, what causes the original seal to be so difficult to remove? Is it a press fit? Or, does it swell after installation? I will be removing the exhaust manifold to give additional clearance, is there any additional advice out there before I "dig" in?

snakepitt1

Well, I got the old seal out and installed a new one. I pushed it all the way in until it bottomed out. Then, fearing leaks, shoved a second sal into the cavity. Figuring that if one seal was good then 2 had to be better. Thoughts?

snakepitt1

Any draw backs with 2 seals in the MFI cam seal cavity? Both are brand new, and cavity inspection did not find and surface defects in the cavity.

ron mcatee

Scott, I went to the PCA directory at www.pca.org and found there is an independent shop called Eurasian Auto, located at 2831 4th Ave South in Birmingham. Owner is Bill Mitchell and number is 205-251-9263. No e-mail was listed. Hope this helps.

Spider911

snakepitt1

Hey spider911, I called the guy in Birmingham. This guy tells me he has worked on Porsches for 40 years, but, when I told him I had an MFI motor he asked me what I was talking about. I told him I had an 1973 911T with the MFI (once I explained it to him what MFI was) and he promptly told me that I did not have a "T" because the MFI was not available on the "T" motor in 1973, only CIS. My VIN is 911311002

ron mcatee

Scott, I went to the web and got on goole.com. www.adelgigs.com/911vin%20numbers.shtml is the 911 SC site, but when you scroll down past the colored area for the SC vin's, there are references to several years vin's. Your car is a 1973 T Targa, vin 9113110002 and is an early T with MFI. The late 1973 T Targa vin's start at 9113510001 and have the CIS. You might want to pull up the website for more info.

snakepitt1

Hey spider911, thanks. It appears that my little leaker, I mean, my 911 was the second US Targa T produced in 1973. I didn't see on the site where it caled out the type of injection system for that year though.