Oil Leak...Need ADVICE
 

I have a 96 C4S. last summer I noticed that the car had a little sweat on the bottom of the cylinder case(drivers side) and the lower valve cover (drivers side).

I would get the occasional drop or two on the garage floor, but nothing to worry about according to my mech.

This year, when I went to pull it out of storage, I looked underneath and saw nothing, I started it, still no visible leaks....as I pulled out of the parking spot a lot of oil shot out.

I took it to 2 Indies and they both told me that Cylinder O ring needs replacing, possible something else..while u r there, open up the engine and do a complete reseal. 2 weeks later, the car is in my garage and no oil on the floor.

What should I do? Should I bite the bullet now and do a complete engine drop and reseal and "while u r in there", or wait till it gets worse.

Also, one mech quoted me 40 hours x $80/hr ($3200) and the other quoted me 47 hours x $75/hour (3500). plus parts needed. (does anyone have a list of all the seals, gaskets and bolts etc. I will need so I can atleast buy the parts from Suncoast to save some $$$.

I appreciate any insight on car and hours quoted....

Hi

I would not rush to strip the engine down and would leave it until the leak becomes an issue for you, or you need a rebuild due to wear.

All the best

Berni

I finishing a re-seal today. It is not to be embarked upon lightly. Mine was leaking at the o-rings between the heads and the cam towers. Since all that was apart, we did the timing chain guides, tensioners, all the gaskets and o-rings, spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, etc... Also discovered that my alternator needed rebuilding, and the housing was cracked and the fan was bent. I believe as the result of the belt breaking at speed on the track a couple of years ago.
My mechanic sells me parts for cost and a labor rate that is about 1/3 retail rate, and I have $3k in the project as of this morning. Hope to be done this afternoon. It all started with a half-dollar sized oil puddle on the garage floor...

I would do a thorough job on tracking down the leaks before diving in.. leaking wont do damage unless you leak everything - so just keep a good eye on it. What oil are you running? if you are not on 5-w50 then you could try that (0-w40 is a lot thinner).. I have a leak that goes down to my O2 sensors, but it is coming from the timing chain covers. Im going to go with the thicker oil and give the bolts a tighten to see if that fixes it for the next little while. oh, first Q! how many miles?

phil.

If you go this route, make sure your indy will allow this, before you purchase the parts from Sunset or Suncoast.

Only 55,000KM or approx 34,000Miles.
The previous owner did a complete reseal about 6 years ago too.

Terrible advice!
 

If you use thinner oil the leaks will get worse. I was able to put off resealing my chain boxes and a very small leak in my primary oil cooler by two years by changing from 5-40 to Amsoil Z-ROD 20-50 or Amsoil 20-50 motorcycle oil. Do not run anything less than 15-50 in your 993.

Your leak was worse immediately after taking the car out of storage because your seals dried out over the winter. As you drove it, they expanded with use. I'd say that your leak will remain small as you drive it this summer. Like most cars, they don't like to sit.

I'd wait until it gets bad.

I would shampoo / degrease the engine with a water-based degreaser and determine where the leaks, if any, are coming from before spending big coin.

If it is the valve covers, and chances are it would be the lower valve covers, that is an easy fix with just a couple of new rubber valve cover seals.

I'm a big believer in "take a breathe". Clean it off, dry it out, and watch for new leaks before making decisions.

+1 on both.

Who cares about a tiny oil drop in the floor every now and then, you'll buy a lot of cleaning supplies with the money you spend on sealing o-rings.

Drive it.

OMG!!!! A 911 that is leaking oil?!?!?! :icon107:


1 quart oil to replenish the supply + cardboard to soak up the drips << $3500 re-seal + part$ + while I'm in there.

But a big +1 on the comment above about storage and seals drying up a bit. Monitor things while you drive her this summer, THEN decide what you want to do.

Blasphemy, but.....put the engine tray back on and it will catch most drips for ya... :roflmao:
:thumbup:

It's just marking its territory.

Thats what Harley Davidsons do. :icon107:

the 993 is our 3rd air cooled Porsche, both of her older siblings (80 911Sc and 68 912) marked their spots as well.

In 30 years of ownership our mechanics have never worried about small oil leaks nor have they recommended immediate fix. wait until it is a problem, or you have other needs that warrant "while you are in there" fixes.