Hugh

So I've been chasing some nasty oil leaks in my '84 Carrera for a good long while. My mechanic has replaced valve cover gaskets and planed the valve covers a couple times, to no benefit. I'm sick of taking it to him. I'm determined to solve it myself. Today I replaced the lower valve covers and gaskets with all new. To no benefit. Of course the oil is dripping off the valve cover nuts because that's the lowest part of the engine. But today I noticed that there's also oil on the sheet metal pan that goes around the engine, mainly toward the back. Now I strongly suspect the little hoses that feed oil to the cam towers... the ones that terminate in metal hex fixtures that enter the tower at the end of the upper valve covers.

So, my questions: What is the most likely cause of these things leaking? Do they need tightening? O-ring? Do I need to replace them completely? Looks pretty hellish to get at them. How long a job (in hours) is it?

Thanks in advance,

bds1

two places to look
1- returm tubes you could easiely see this from bottom of car.

2- way in the front (toward front) there are two oil senders. They are very hard to see, you will need to drop engine a little to replace these. This was my oil leak from hell.

I will e-mail where to look. I had taken my engine out to fix this. I also replaced all seals for my oil cooler. Hey wait I see upload photo??

Bill Gregory

[quote]<strong>2- way in the front (toward front) there are two oil senders. They are very hard to see, you will need to drop engine a little to replace these. </strong><hr></blockquote>

You don't need to drop your engine to replace these parts. A partial engine drop will allow you to get behind the intake and replace them. There is an article on <a href="http://tech.rennlist.com" target="_blank">http://tech.rennlist.com</a> under 911 engines on how to do a partial engine drop. You may need to remove the blower fan from the left hand upper part of the engine, for better access to the back.

Parts that can leak oil on top of the engine are discussed in the CIS airbox replacement article, also on <a href="http://tech.rennlist.com." target="_blank">http://tech.rennlist.com.</a> Note part numbers should be verified for non-911SC's.

Hugh

Thanks guys. I get "front" and "back" mixed up with the rear engine layout. The back of my engine is clean. I'm pretty certain it's the oil lines with the banjo bolts that go into the cam towers on both sides at the "front" of the engine (toward the rear-end of the car, thank God). It's these lines & banjo bolts that my questions concern. It looks like I can get to them by removing some of the accessory components - distributor, AC, belts. But I'm wondering if anyone's gone through this and what I should plan (and budget) on replacing.

Cheers,

yellowbusman

If you are not sure where the leaks are coming from, you can buy a leak detector kit.
Basicaly you clean your engine (then you will have nice fresh oil) and then pour a dye into your oil, run the vehicle and then check with a UV light.
<a href="http://www.ontool.com/store/product/3109" target="_blank">http://www.ontool.com/store/product/3109</a>
This way you will know where the leak is coming from and fix the problem at the source.
Chris

Hugh

I am certain that the cam oil lines are leaking. Is anyone familiar with this job?

Thanks,

Carrera51

Hugh:
Sounds like you need to replace the lines that feed the chain tensioners. Having done this I can tell you they are some of the rare few Porsche parts that are not expensive. Not sure how to describe doing it, but it would easy to show you. Since I am in MD, maybe another of the CA guys or girls could do that.

When you order the parts make sure you get the little braces that were added post 1984 model year. Over time the crack at one of the connections. You will end up with oil all over, even on the underside of the motor.

JBH

Before you get into this job, take the advice from an earlier post to clean you engine and isolate the leak(s). Driving the car while it leaks puts oil everywhere. Once the engine is clean run it until it is hot, put it up on jacks/lift and run it again. With a good eye, a few q-tips, and/or paper towels you can figure it out.

My C2 Turbo had a terrible leak between the chain tensioner housing and the cam tower. Found oil everywhere you described. A $0.50 o-ring cost $500 to replace.

KLehmann

Replacing the cam lines is easy when you can get to them. The lines are sealed at one end (toward centerline of engine) with cap nuts and a what's called a ferrule. The ferrule is like a little crush sleeve. You don't want to overtighten the cap nut, which is VERY easy to do. I did it on both of my lines. The other end of the line at the valve covers is easy to seal. There's just a couple of aluminum crush washers on the top and bottom of the fitting, then you insert the hollow bolt and refrain from overtightening this one too.

Your leaks at the cam lines are most likely the rubber-to-metal joint failing. These lines are in the neighborhood of $20 each plus the necessary nuts, washers, ferrules, and the updated feed lines to the tensioners along with the necessary brackets to hold them in place.

Like I said, not a bad job when you get all the other stuff out of the way, in order to get at the lines. My car is sans-A/C so I may be overstating the ease of replacement.

Hugh

Thanks Kevin. Did you have to remove your distributor to remove the line on the driver's side?

This morning I checked the banjo bolts at the valve covers and found that they were not quite snug, so I snugged 'em with a long 17mm wrench. Now after your comments I'm a little leary of having overtightened them (my usual flub). Digging under those accessories and doing a complete replacement is probably the best course.

Cheers,

KLehmann

Hugh,

I don't think I had to remove my distributor to replace the driver's side. I think I only removed the dist. cap and rotor and maybe the plastic heater ducting around the fan housing/shroud. A good way to tighten those banjos is with your ratchet. Just grab the head of the ratchet and turn tight. Easy to overtighten when you get the extra torque/leverage at the end of the ratchet handle.

Mine leaked when I reinstalled the motor after doing a clutch job and all sorts of other stuff. Started it up and let it run a little while. Shut it down (quite pleased with myself at this point) and started putting some tools away. Came back over to the car and saw a green (Kendall GT-1) pancake-sized puddle under the car just below the rear of the motor. What the h.........? That was kind of a bummer, but at least an easy fix!