MadMarkie

The other day, while I was pulling my distributor out to ship to Steve W. for a belt replacement, I noticed some engine oil seepage from my intake... which seemed pretty weird! A closer inspection revealed seepage from the connections of all the intake runners to the heads, and from the throttle body to the runners. Did the previous owner (or his "qualified" service establishment) over-fill the oil reservoir? I do recall the oil level gauge running pinned for the first week I owned the car, which I cured by changing the oil and filling until the guage ran at 2/3 scale with the engine hot. If previous over-fill is a likely culprit, how hard is it to pull and clean the intake? Any special nooks and crannies to check? Are there any components that may have been damaged and should be checked? Thanks for any input.... Mark.

Adrian

Dear Mark,
Common problem. Yes you must ensure that your airflow sensor inthe airbox itself is not contaminated. You really need to make sure that you get all the oil out from everywhere. The idle speed control valve and the microswitches on the throttle body also cause you problems if contaminated with oil,
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

PS: First indications of problems will be fluctuating idle problems.

MadMarkie

Thanks Adrian, I did notice some idle fluctuation early on, but it went away shortly after the first oil change and proper re-fill. Any special approach to cleaning the microswitches and idle speed control valve (brake parts cleaner OK, or should I just wipe up with a dry shop towel)? The factory air box and air flow sensor have been replaced with a mass air flow sensor (by the previous owner), which appears to be fairly clean inside. Yet another reason NOT to sell the car back to the previous owner, who calls every 4 to 6 months with seller's remorse... Or perhaps see how he breathes with a mouthfull of Mobil 1! Thanks again, Mark.