turbo944

Okay, now that I'm over 500 posts, I get to ask another question

I have been smelling the scent of hot/burned oil the last couple of times I've driven the car and hadn't been able to track it down for sure as sometimes it just smells like a good warm engine. Well, tonight I found it, see the attached pic. Well, I'm at least very close to it. I can see right beside the oil filter that there is a flat machined area with a hexagonal depression in it (almost looks like something would belong there, but I don't guess there is....is there?). That depression has some oil in it. Now, I don't think it's from there as it appears to me that the valve cover gasket and down and around where the header for the 1st cylinder attaches and beyond on the block have what looks like burned oil residue on them and things in the general area are a bit moist where it probably has bounced around some of the drops.

Would this be a valve cover gasket, something to do with the back of the distributor or? The car seems to be running great otherwise, although I am planning on cleaning all the grounds in a month or two and just in general really tuning up the car before I move next year.

Based on what I've found, I will probably want to replace the valve cover gasket....looks like it would require removing the fuel rail to do so. Any special tools needed in this? Anything I should do while I'm there? Anything else I should know?

Okay, that was more than one question....but I'd appreciate all the input I could on tracking this down. Seems like it's coming out pretty good to leak that much.

TonyG

Remove the aluminum plugs, and torque all of the bolts holding down the cam carrier.

I don't have the TQ spec off hand. Make sure you use a TQ wench.

TonyG

Steve Lavigne

The hole you are pointing to is actually a large aluminum internal hex bolt that holds the oil thermostat in the oil cooler distributor (or whatever you want to call that thing). Seems possible that the oil could actually be from replacing the oil filter.

The car has no valve cover. It has a cam housing, that holds the cam and bolts to the head. Replacing the cam housing gasket requires removing the cam housing which means releasing and re-tensioning the timing belt. If you decide you want to do this, make sure you have a long internal hex socket that is in VERY GOOD condition.

As for potential oil leak locations, there are NUMEROUS!

turbo944

Thanks for the info guys....

Hmmm.....I am looking over the workshop manual on this and it looks pretty ugly to take that cam housing off.....looks like you have to take the cam out to replace the gasket underneath that thing?

Yep, I figured out/remembered that it carried the cam after I posted

Ah ha....well, I wondered what that thing was.... I'll see if I can clean it out and drive some more to see if I can tell more about where the leak is at for sure. It doesn't seem to be using more oil than usual, so it's not leaking to any kind of dangerous level. It's been nearly 1000 miles since my oil change or more (would have to double check the numbers and where I'm at now), so I don't know how likely the oil would stay there that long. However with the trail of what looks like dried/burned oil running down the head, it doesn't seem likely that the leak is confined to just oil change drippings.

I have to pick up some stuff from one of the two decent Porsche mechanics in the area this week, so I'll try to have him give a glance at it and see what he thinks. I'm about 2/3 of the way to the next t-belt change, so if I have to remove the t-belt, I may try to see if there is a way to control it until the next change and change it out then.

I have two grandfathers who have done lots and lots of engine work, so having a torque wrench on hand won't be a hard thing to do..... I've been reading how easy it is to over torque those bolts!

Anybody else have a similar leak or other idea/thoughts?

Bones944

Porsches leak......I have replaced my cam tower gasket, the gasket on the rear of the cam tower and I still have oil leaking down the back of the motor onto the crossover pipe. The car smokes a couple of minutes from under the hood after it sits a few days. Must be a rear main seal or some seepage from the pan. I guess yours could be from the cam tower gasket, and it's not hard to replace but does require retensioning the belts. If you decide to tackle the job, the original gasket will be stuck to the head, DO NOT USE A SCRAPER!
It's aluminum and easily scarred. I had great success with a nylon green scouring pad, like a scotchbrite. Only requires belt removal and fuel rail removal. When removing the cam tower bolts (from inside the cam tower) stick the end of the long allen wrench in wheel bearing grease; it will extricate the bolts eaily thru the cam tower openings. Also keep your lifters in exact order, as they have wear patterns associated with their respective cam lobes. You can use a little grease or break in lube to hold them in place when you put the cam tower back on.

BTW it could be your power steering lines leaking, they are in the vicinity...........and ALWAYS leak

Chris Prack

R&R of the cam housing is not that difficult of a repair. Although you have an 86 car which means you will need to tension the cam belt with a belt tension gauge.

I think that you have a leak from the oil galley seal at the distributor console. If you remove the console from the cam housing there is a big o-ring that is the primary seal and there is also a clearish/yellow (originally brown) seal that fits into the back of the console between it and the cam housing. This seal is probably your leak. In the many years I have been servicing these cars this is one of the more common causes for nuisance oil leaks. That little seal has 4-5 bar of oil pressure on it most of the time your engine is running. You might as well get one of those translucent seals and a cam seal as well and do the job completely while you are in there.

I don't have a picture available but bet someone here will.

Perry 951

I don't think you have a leak.. chances are that the oil there is from your last oil change. Clean the area with some engine degreaser and hose it down. If the oil returns, you have a leak, if not, your nose is a 'lil too sensative.

turbo944

Thanks for the info guys.....Chris, I think your idea about that seal (I take it that's right behind the distributor? I'm at work and can't look at anything at present in the PET/workshop manual) is probably what's up.

LOL....that may be very true Perry. I usually park in the garage at home and lift the hood after a drive to help things cool off quicker and don't remember smelling it much right after the oil change, but I won't swear that it wasn't there then. Better to be a bit too sensitive than not sensitive enough though!!! I usually do the Danno suggested method of dropping my filter into a plastic bag as I pull it off, which really does minimize the spilled oil in there, but there is still usually some before you can get it into the bag.

1989_Turbo_944

Easy fix, Buy a new engine. LOL

Try cleaning it and if it re-appears then do the seals. Just like everyone else said. just taking some credit

PS check your power steering lines for leakes. They tend to go quite often.

Dave E

I've pretty much given up on trying to keep up with small oil leaks, I particularly can't seem to fix the one at the oil pressure sender, maybe the leak Chris mentioned is running down to there on my car too. I found a beauty with my current car though. The P.O. had the engine rebuilt and the tech stripped the threads in the block for the pass. side balance shaft housing, which consequently dripped all over the place and cooked on the crossover pipe while moving. you should have seen how hard it was to rethread that with a 7mm tap with the engine still in the car and the crossmember in place!! I'll have to do a couple more when the crossmember is off as I can't get them all to 7 lbs/ft...Any leaks at the rear of the cam cover should be done right away though, the oil can find its way to the clutch sometimes.

turbo944

Well, this one has just cropped up in the last little bit, most of the seals on the engine were done a few thousand miles ago. I haven't found any leaks at the rear, but I'm betting it's coming out of this one right behind the distributor. It's a bit moist there with oil and I can see that it's run down and been pushed around the side of the block by the air coming through the engine compartment and it gets up onto the base of the header on 1 and I'm betting that it's burning there, enough to smell but not enough to smoke as even when it's running and I stop, I see no smoke at all and I figure there would be some. May not be much, but I dislike smelling oil that is burning. It's very localized (my sensitive schnoz ) to that area right near the distributor, so I'm watching now to see what's up with it. I double checked the oil level last night to have a point where I can watch the level and see how much of this is coming out. I don't suspect much since the mess is no bigger than it is, but I want to be sure..... That is so far the only oil leak I've seen on the car at all, primarily because of the replacement of many seals just a few thousand miles ago.

I'll be watching it to see

turbo944

Confirmed.....I drove the car today and looked at lunch and there was a wet spot again at the front of the cam housing, right below the distributor. Left the motor running and revved the engine a bit and I can see an oil bubble even around the top passenger side (about 10 o'clock) bubble in one spot a bit. That tells me that seal is D-E-A-D and needs to be replaced ASAP. May just go ahead and put in a new cap and rotor at the same time and be done with it--will look at those tonight and see if they need it. Dang it.....if it was a bit closer to the belt change interval, I'd just change those out while I'm in there....but if I get into a "while I'm there" I'll be changing out the whole front of the car

I have ordered several seals and the o-ring from Sunset Porsche (local dealer didn't have it in stock and would take 4 days to get it so shipping from there will be about the same and MUCH cheaper like $32+ shipping versus 55+ tax), anything else I might look at while I'm in there? I'll look at my PET this evening and see myself, but anyone who's done this might know a bit better.

Thanks again guys.....

Bones944

read all above, this will mean removing the belts and the cam sprocket. You'll need the bit to remove the cheesehead bolt, make sure it (the tool itself) is a new top quality one. Might try snap-on for that. I've done it on both my cars, the biggest PITA to me was the distributor cap on the 951.....didn't think I'd ever get it back on. Might as well do the belts tensioners and rollers while you're "in there", waterpump, maybe balance shaft and main seals too. I replaced my waterpump, all belts and related rollers etc, dist. cap and rotor, and all front engine seals, I think parts were a shade over $600.
Buy a flywheel lock while you're at it, you'll need it to remove the crank pully

nyda

This sounds and looks like the exact same leak I have right now. I have been putting off getting it fixed because I've been a little busy. My mechanic said that it was most likely the seal behind the distributer and that it would cost $150-$175 to fix.

turbo944

That's about right based on about 3 hours of labor at the rates around here. My mechanic said it was about 2-3 hours work. Replacing all the seals in there can be about $55 at the local dealership.

Bones, I very much thought about doing the belts, waterpump, etc. while I'm in there, but I thought I'd run a bit further since I only have a short afternoon to get this whole thing done at his shop (he's going to make space for me there). Next year I'll coordinate better with him before I move and do just that depending on how many miles I get between now and then. This is kind of a learning session for me anyway on getting in there. Having space to work in his shop is great as it gives me access to all the tools I could possibly need