red67vert

1995 C2 87K mi Oil leaks everywhere timing chain cover, valve covers. Etc . The guru from local Porsche says that the only way to properly fix them properly, is to remove the engine. I don't doubt his word, as he is a very reputable mechanic. Just wondering if going through all the trouble(expense) removing the engine, should I be doing something else like a top end rebuild or something? Or should I just live with the leaks until something major happens. What would you guys do. It's not just a little leaking, even dripping on the mufflers members with experience in this topic please offer advice. Thanks

theporscheguy

I would have the leaks repaired.

sugarwood

What is the estimate of the cost?
How many hours?

NYC993

yes and no, it depends. I believe you mean heat exchangers instead of muflers, which is addressed by replacing lower valve cover gasket, which is a simple diy.
Upper cover gaskets a bit tougher, but they may be fine and don't leak that bad.
Timing covers are harder and usually left until engine has to come out for something else
Your air intake probably leaked some oil as well on top that can make through the head fins.

Do you need new clutch? You could justify dropping engine and tranny together. Add new wires, clean up, and other while in there things.

I personally would just do valve covers, clean up and see what else leaks. Remember sipping is ok, I have a bit of oil on various parts but no drops (engine tray is off).

DiegoR

Chain covers gaskets can be done with engine installed no big deal whatsoever. Upper valve covers might be tricky to do it with engine in it's place, I never tried it, perhaps others has done this before?

NYC993

Once tins are out upper valve covers are easy.

I never heard of timing chain covers being "no big deal" with engine in.

DiegoR

I did it. No big deal IMO time consuming though. In my case only the timing chain covers were leaking so engine stayed intact in it's place.

mmporsche

Pulling the engine is not a big deal in a 911. That is not to say it isn't somewhat expensive but that is a relative term. You could easily spend $2k to $5k if you go crazy. That would include a ton of common wear items and upgrading to a new lwf and clutch, shift rod, etc. That doesn't include a top end rebuild which could add significantly to the aforementioned cost.

Mike J

Fix the leaks with the engine in place. Upper, lower valve covers and chain covers are not big deal. If the car is leaking at the base of the cylinders, that means you need to take the top of the engine off, but that its unusual that is so bad you need to go that far

You can do a clutch with the engine in place as well - done several now, C2 and C4's, don't matter. I liked doing that because you do not lose your alignment, and it's actually faster (for me at least, but I have a full lift and a large transmission jack) ..

Cheers,

Mike

Foxman

Talk to your reputable mechanic and ask him what else he recommends doing while the engine is out. Have you replaced the clutch yet? LW flywheel may be problematic for your MY 1995, but if youre still in first clutch it may be a good time to replace it. You're 1995 also has no CEL light when SAI ports get clogged, but if the engine has never been pulled they're likely clogged and in need of cleaning. Might also be a good time to consider doing a valve job and replacing all 12 lifters as well (see current thread). I would not defer this maintenance any longer given the mileage of your car and the substantial oil leaks.

Mike J

I would not jump from oil leaks to a top end just based on mileage - there is not enough information from the OP to conclude that would be necessary, even at 87K. I have also seen plenty of 993's that have been leaking for years, no issues other than polluting the roads - so it's just really a personal choice to defer the repairs. Its very rare that the oil leaks are so bad that it impacts the actual running of the vehicle or the immediate oil levels.

orangecurry

Advice as above - basically unless you want to throw money at it, you need to find out exactly what is leaking - if it's just the top covers, then it will flow down and look like the whole engine is leaking.

Personally I'd do the bottom two gaskets, which is really easy (and the ones which seem to go first), clean up the engine/heat-exchangers and monitor any more leaking.

IME the actual OE covers do not warp - just take them off, clean them up, check that they are still flat/true, fit new gaskets and also replace the bolts as the bolt-heads will have corroded.

95_993

Valve cover gaskets are known to leak and when they do, it can be considerable. Easy DIY and inexpensive. Took me about 2 hrs. It may not eliminate ALL the leaks, but it may eliminate most. The remaining leaks may be minor and it may be quite awhile before you need to pull the motor.

il pirata

You might want to consider doing a leak down/compression test before proceeding.

stace

I did upper and lower valve covers myself on my MY 95 with similar mileage. only concern is being very careful not to strip an allen head bolt - the heads are soft....in my case the uppers were leaking worse than the lowers. that stopped most of the leaking... my chain covers seep slightly (i snugged the bolts and replaced some of the small donut gaskets) but nothing I can't live with until I need a clutch. I would do that first and then see if you need anything else. Take it one step at a time... good luck