Vorsicht

I have an annoying oil leak on the left side of my '95 993. The oil is dripping onto the heat exchanger (I believe - see pix, taken thru left wheel well) and the lower valve cover bolts are weeping. I can't stand the constant smoking which has been going on for some time. I am going to get the car up on stands soon to do a detailed investigation. Some questions:

1. Other than all the upper/lower valve covers, where else should I look for the leak (I will 'follow the trail' but it is a tad dirty.) The top part of the engine seems dry (looking in from back rear above)

2. From other posts it looks like the timing chain cover can be the culprit. Where is this and what does it look like?

3. Are there any good write-ups on changing the valve cover gaskets - DIY?

4. Doea anyone have a good picture on what a warped valve cover looks like? Or can direct me?

Thanks!!!!!

MarkD

lower VC gasket looks like the culprit in addition to the timing cover (3rd pic you posted).

DIY here: http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.ph...-_Valve_Covers

timing cover gasket, not so simple.

Body Roll

I did uppers and lowers recently- here is a bit of what I learned:
- There are a lot of threads on this, so searching will yield a lot of information.
- It wasn't easy to tell whether it was the uppers or lowers causing the leak, so I did them both. Doing the uppers is significantly more work, so you could just try the lowers and see if it works.
- The timing chain covers are difficult to remove with the engine in. Mine were leaking, but I didn't want to remove them. So I just changed the grommets on each of the screws and it really took care of the leak!
- Check if you have any noisy lifters so you can replace them while you're in there. I wish I had done that.
- I used Curil-T on the gaskets as a sealant. This might have been overkill but it did give me more confidence that it wouldn't leak.
- Don't overtighten anything.
- Clean everything after you're done to diagnose anything still leaking.
- Some have said it's a good idea to put grease on the end of the spark plug boot to prevent noise. Can't say I understand this- maybe someone can chime in on it.
- Doing this job took care of a burning oil smell while running. Although, for reasons I don't understand, there is an oil smell after I shut the car off.

Good luck.

Kein_Ersatz

Mechanical or electrical noise?

Hum, on my ContourHD camera I have gets a "buzz" sound picked up by it's mic. I wonder if this could be the culprit.

Vorsicht

Thanks MarkD And psagazio

psagazio - were you able to get to all the screws on the timing cover? Also, where do you get the grommets (bit of a newbie here). Also, thanks, that was great info!

Peter

MarkD

You can get to the lower nuts/grommets pretty easily with the engine in.

The good news is that these are the ones that leak.
This is a good first shot at it. Hopefully the TC gasket itself is OK. If not, unless it is leaking severely I'd let it go intil a clutch is needed and then tackle a variety of other stuff with the engine out.

JPS

Oh, so you just got the lower ones? The uppers seeem hidden deeper than...well, I can't think of anything smartassed at the moment.

C4S993

I once DIY my prior 1995 993 Cab valves covers and only to find that when I changed
to new gaskets, the covers were warped and leaked anew. Now (1996 C4S) I play it safe and buy new covers with new gaskets and no leaks.

I don't think you have the leak my prior 964 had, the green thick O-Ring on the cam.

Patrick

Body Roll

Right, I just changed the lower timing chain cover grommets. The uppers would have been difficult to get to, and they didn't appear to be leaking.

About the spark plug boot making noise, here is the thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/4734020-post21.html

From the way it was described, it would be a mechanical noise from the boot, not an arcing sound.