Hi, guys... Started my 944 turbo today and noticed a bit of smoke coming out from under the car. There appears to be oil leaking from somewhere (rear main seal??) onto the exhaust and the smoke is coming from this.

1. Does it sound reasonable assuming this is the rear main seal leaking?

2. How long can I drive this without taking care of the problem, assuming I top up the oil every so often?

Let's see if the picture attachment works.

#1 is the general area



#2 is a close-up of where the oil is burning

 

Oops, thos pictures were HUGE. Just fixed it and made them smaller.

 

Check the rear of the cam tower gasket and the end ring on the balance shaft. I must have change every gasket and seal on my car and still get oil leaks because of running higher boost. Stay under 14 lbs and see all your leaks magical disappear.

 

My car does exactly the same thing. It is very difficult to tell if the leak is the rear seal or the rear hump part of the oil pan gasket. It kind of comes and goes on my car. I plan to pull the pan when I get the chance to replace the gasket. If it's the seal, I'll wait till rebuild time.

 

Keep an eye on the volume. I have similar leaks that smell bad, but are inconsequential.
The cam tower gasket let go once (read - volume) and voila! Flames. This is bad.