SAM DACOSTA

Greetings fellow 'Rennlisters' I'm in need of your ideas and thoughts once again.

I have had my 964 on jacks in the garage for the past 3 months, patiently rebuilding the suspension system, and doing some routine maintenance. On Saturday, I had finally completed the suspension re-build and planned on using a local shop to 'align and corner balance' the 964 on Tuesday.



This morning I opened the garage door and saw a puddle of oil (looks like about 1qt.) under the left front wheel and upon further checking it was engine oil, coming form somewhere in the front of the engine compartment.





Where would I start looking for a possible problem and above all, why would I have a leak so randomly?

wellcraft290

Well since it seems to be quite a bit of oil and recent. What did you do last? Anything you had to remove to get in the suspension? maybe moved a line and it didn't go back and once the weight of the car back on the wheels pinched a line? surprised with that much oil you can't see where it originates from

SAM DACOSTA

The main job was the front & rear suspension which was dropped and shipped to H&R, then re-installed on Saturday. All other projects were relatively small and none constituted engine compartment (Momo wheel install, R&R 5pt. harness system, rear brake rotors, pads and sensors, R&R front bumper for 'smile' fix, R&R engine compartment and trunk hood shocks, etc. ...)

I have not jacked the car up to really look for the source of the leak. I was a little disheartened when I saw it, so I've made it my weekend project to at least look and see. I'm looking for a pinched line, or loose fitting. When I looked under the car there was no dripping on any undercarriage parts, it was a drip straight down.

I know it's hard to speculate without a visual inspection being done, I was just frustrated and wondering out loud, to hear what others think.

wellcraft290

the main problem with the pcar is the oil lines go all around the car so you could of pinched a line in the wheel well areas..

SAM DACOSTA

I had to change out oil return and supply lines last year. $#@% hope not but it has to be a line of some sort. I'm inclined to even jack up the car before the weekend and look. I'm very curious.

What could have pinched a line from the repairs I mentioned (really only the shock removal and installation)? The lines I changed out last year were just old and had leaking issues at couplings.

crg53

The leak looks to come from the left side of the car (drivers side) There are no engine oil lines in that area. All you have in the way of fluids, is power steering and brake fluid. I would take a look at the PS fluid level in the engine compartment and see if it is at the right level, and also check your brake fluid level. Just trying to narrow down the possiblities.

SAM DACOSTA

'crg53' - Thanks for your input and thoughts. I cleaned up the fluid leak and I thought it was engine oil not brake fluid. I will definitely look into your suggestion tonight, as it might be a factor. I changed out break lines in early summer due to leaks. I'll keep you posted as I search for answers.

BTW, I also drove the car after installing the suspension (approx. 20 miles.) I never noticed low oil capacity, nor had any issues with brakes or power steering.

stevepaa

wow, strange. somehow a leak from left side valve cover which sealed itself?

SAM DACOSTA

'stevepaa' - I have a small leak from the bottom valve cover gasket and was contemplating a valve adjustment while the car was on jacks but it was not mandatory due to mileage since my engine re-build. I decided to wait for another 5K miles.

The leak shown in the pictures is a small drip, the size of a 1/2 dollar the most, which takes about 5 days to drip that size.





Until I jack it the car up, I cannot say definitely where it's coming from. Why were you leaning to the valve covers?

jimq

The steering boots can hold a good amount of fluid if the rack leaks. It will eat thru the rubber and then dump on the floor.

SAM DACOSTA

'jimq' - I was not aware of the steering boot holding any oil . I will have to examine mine to determine if that's the source of the oil leak. Thanks.

jimq

Its not oil. Its power steering fluid which has leaked past the seals.

SAM DACOSTA

'jimq' - Power steering fluid is what color? This fluid leak was black (like engine oil) in color. I'll look and comment after I examine the boot.

Laker

power steering fluid is Dexron II or III and is red when new. When I changed mine out it was black. Much blacker than the engine oil which was a medium brown.

SAM DACOSTA

That's what I thought (reddish in color) but never knew it would turn black like oil. The steering boot is on my list to check. Thanks.