kary993

I track my 993 with many others 993 and no one I know of has leaking valve covers due to tracking, not even due to streeting. Those that I have seen were folks that leave there 993's in a garage and never drive them. Gaskets need use to work effectively.

Warped valve covers could happen, but I have really only seen these in older 911's that had thinner covers, which many just put on turbo covers which were thicker. Have not seen 993 valve cover warping, but I agree with the removal of the engine cover underneath, it releases a lot of heat that would otherwise just be trapped around the engine.

I think these valve covers look very cool, but from a functional perspective I do not see any advantage over the method that has been used for 35+ years. Just my opinion though.....

chris walrod

Although not this year thus far but after lots of tracking and hot climate driving, never had lower covers leak.

I have a brand new plastic valve cover that is far from flat. I have never seen any injection molded plastic part, especially one of this length and minimal section, that is flat or as designed. At least not without post cure finishing

Its obvious Porsche was trying to do a few things with injection molding these covers. One; reduce cost--no post cure machining needed for 993 valve covers, Two; solve typical 911 oil leaks due to warped valve covers.

With the 'nip' that 993 valve cover gaskets (more like o-rings) have, I am really surprised that ANY of these cars ever leaked. It is essentially a preloaded o-ring of a rather elaborate shape Preloaded by a rather compliant cover that should, by design, conform to the surface of the cam tower. Which is how Porsche avoids surface finishing these covers post cure.

I guess the failure mode is this rubber breaks down and collapses over time and heat cycles, eventually losing its preload and subsequent oil.

Its obvious my thoughts are wrong as many have had v/c leaks.

Bull

If anyone wants to see a couple of lower v/c leaks in living color, you can take a look at my current left side and my neighbor's right side. Both will be repaired after VIR in November.

I never had the problem on my '96, which was street driven with no engine cover. My '97, the leaker, sees over 30 track days a year, and has done so for the past 3+ years. My neighbor's is a 90% track car. We both run in PCA Red run groups....when I'm not bumped down to Black for being slow.....

kary993

Are all these cars repaired at the same place?

Bull

Nope. As Technical Co-Chair in our PCA Region, I deal with all of the major independent shops in the region, plus my shop.

Are the cars that have been having only the rubber gaskets replaced, then experiencing multiple failures, being repaired at the same shop? One way to insure repeat business!

KASH '95 993

Currrently on my second set of leaking gaskets...lets get a GB going!

luv2ride

I may be a bit green on this subject but my theory is that most p-cars are going to leak. Like my 74 "Big leaker" fire hazard. But if it is just the valve cover I would rather have it leak at that point than any other place. Like porsche made them disposable so if a leak is going to start it will be at the valve cover and never any other place on the engine. The weekest link yo.

AOW162435

Huh?



Andreas

Alan C.

Just did gaskets on my 95. The lower left leaked like it had an ice pick stuck in it. New gaskets problem gone. That said I think I want a billet set.

Bull

BTW, for those who need this product, the great news about Imagine Auto's new offering is the price. Billet valve covers have been available from other suppliers for a number of years, but I have never seen them at this price. One competitor, who regularly advertises CNC machined billet covers in Pano, has them currently "on sale.....2 lower covers for $499 (normally $599), PLUS $25.95 for gaskets (2) and $17.90 for bolt/washer kits (2).

I have no affiliation with IA......

chris walrod

I have to agree, this is a great price! Trust me, I have had my iteration quoted by a few 'friends' with CNC capabilities. $300 is cheap!

TomF

I just did my gaskets last fall and the fix worked for a while and now I am back to minor leaks. I suspect the covers are warped. These covers have always been a weak link in one form or another over the years.

The craftmanship looks outstanding. I for one will be investing in a set when I get some time to tackle the install. Thanks for posting the pics.

Father of 3

Are you a sponsor?

Bull

If you are asking about Imagine Auto, they are on the Sponsor List "since 1998".

Edward

I had tracked my 993 actively for about 3 years. It had seeped ever so slightly when I first purchased it, and the tracking did NOT make it any worse. If anything, I noticed that it seeped less for the days immediately after an event (purely anecdotal, FWIW). Now that I've "retired" her to daily driving, it seems as if the left vc is leaking *more* than before ...coincidence due to age perhaps, or maybe it prefers being tracked
I think all 993s will eventually develop these leaks, but what do I know. If I could afford the billet covers, I'd get them.

Edward