daltvater

I'm looking to buy a 95' 993. Thw owner claims it had the rear main seal replaced because of smoke on start-up. Does that make any sense?

daltvater

Plenty of pics to come if the purchase works out

flankenspeil

he sounds confused

daltvater

Damn, that's what I thought. He said there was smoke on startup but it was fixed. I'm starting to get a bad feeling. How do you get smoke on start-up unless the engine needs work or you over filled the oil?

AOW162435

Smoke on startup is not abnormal for a 911 - the cylinders lie horizontal so oil can work its way past the rings. My car smoked a little the day I purchased it in '05 (from sitting) and maybe two or three times since. Drive it every once in a while and this should not be a problem. If I take mine out once a week or so, no smoke.
The rear main seal has nothing to do with this.


Andreas

Robin 993DX

The owner obviously is not a car guy. He is probably confusing the rear main seal with valve cover gasket. As a leaky valve cover gasket will cause smoke while the engine is running.

Garth S

+1 .... and no fault in that, for mechanical issues can confuse many ( of us) . Perhaps the charitable way to clarify is to ask permission to either see the work orders, or to talk to the servicing shop.

J.PELLEGRINO

I am not sure how a leaking valve cover would cause smoke upon start up....From the tail pipe?...Jerry

Robin 993DX

No, from oil burning on top of the heat exchanger.

Garth S

Agree that it is confusing: any external oil leaks can find a way to drip onto the heat exchangers/headers to cause general 'smoke'; however, my first thought was that perhaps it was valve guides that were addressed - were the smoke coming out of the pipes.

Robin 993DX

Smoke coming out of the tail pipe does not always indicate a bad valve guide. The nature of the flat engine design will sometime cause smoke on start up. The fluids that will find their way to the heat exchanger can be from upper, lower valve cover, power steering reservoir, and gasoline. Rear main seal is all the way in the front of the engine between the transmission.