R...M...S...nooooooooooo!!!!
06-09-2004, 05:47 PM
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R...M...S...nooooooooooo!!!!
Three letters that strike fear in a 996/986 owner's heart. Sadly, I'm the latest member of the RMS leak club.
I noticed a few black spots on my garage floor while washing the Carrera Saturday, and the dealer confirmed it was a RMS leak. They use a tool to test if the crankshaft is concentric to the opening for the seal, to determine if a new engine is needed. Mine passed the test, so they just needed to replace the seal. Here's a few pix for those (like me) who had heard of this evil thing, but weren't sure what it was.
The transmission, clutch and flywheel are removed, exposing the front of the engine:
Close-up showing the crankshaft (silver circle at center, with 8 small holes for the flywheel bolts). The RMS is the black circle around the crankshaft with a bunch of dimples in it:
The culprit--the rear main seal:
Rector in Burlingame once again providing excellent service.
I noticed a few black spots on my garage floor while washing the Carrera Saturday, and the dealer confirmed it was a RMS leak. They use a tool to test if the crankshaft is concentric to the opening for the seal, to determine if a new engine is needed. Mine passed the test, so they just needed to replace the seal. Here's a few pix for those (like me) who had heard of this evil thing, but weren't sure what it was.The transmission, clutch and flywheel are removed, exposing the front of the engine:
Close-up showing the crankshaft (silver circle at center, with 8 small holes for the flywheel bolts). The RMS is the black circle around the crankshaft with a bunch of dimples in it:
The culprit--the rear main seal:
Rector in Burlingame once again providing excellent service.
Last edited by Poursha; 06-09-2004 at 10:37 PM.
06-09-2004, 07:27 PM
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Sorry to hear about your RMS problem, mine happened at 10K. My car failed the tolerance test and "qualified" for a new (remanufactured) engine. The dealer tried to comfort me by telling me to think of the new engine as I would any other part. Nice, but what happens when I sell the car? Not sure. I am thinking about a lease on my next P-car, and if it is as plauged with problems as the 996, I will turn it back it-- before the warranty expires.
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06-09-2004, 07:48 PM
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Originally posted by Poursha
'04, 7,000 miles, I bought it new in September.
'04, 7,000 miles, I bought it new in September.
06-09-2004, 08:13 PM
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I am picking up my first ever Porsche (used '03) at the end of the week and I must admit that reading about these failures was a BIG factor in why I picked a car from a dealer instead of a private sale.
Does anyone have any information on what %age of cars are affected with this problem? Is it worse on cars that are used hard, track days, or in traffic?
Does anyone have any information on what %age of cars are affected with this problem? Is it worse on cars that are used hard, track days, or in traffic?
06-09-2004, 08:41 PM
#10
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Actually the big silver thing in the center is the crankshaft, not camshaft. The 4 camshafts are in the rocker boxes/cam towers on either side of the engine.
06-09-2004, 09:13 PM
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Originally posted by Geoffrey
Actually the big silver thing in the center is the crankshaft, not camshaft. The 4 camshafts are in the rocker boxes/cam towers on either side of the engine.
Actually the big silver thing in the center is the crankshaft, not camshaft. The 4 camshafts are in the rocker boxes/cam towers on either side of the engine.
06-09-2004, 09:53 PM
#12
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houldsworth,
It can happen to any 996/986 irelevent of how its used. In fact the RMS
can be a problem in any car no matter its marque. But it seems to be
a real common problem on the 996/986. Let me put it this way, you have
more chance of your RMS failing than your tyre blowing out.
My car from new has never had a problem until 24,000 miles. Since then
its had 4 RMS's and the 5th goes in tommorow!
Even if they give youy a brand spanking new engine, it could happen
to that engine too......the bad news is that its very likely it will!
Just in case you want to know: I have NEVER tracked my car. It gets treated like a baby. It's been meticulously serviced by the Porsche UK dealer network. Two weeks out of warranty and bingo the RMS goes. I had to pay for it (although some pitance of help through good will).
And I haven't told you about my gearbox problems......
It can happen to any 996/986 irelevent of how its used. In fact the RMS
can be a problem in any car no matter its marque. But it seems to be
a real common problem on the 996/986. Let me put it this way, you have
more chance of your RMS failing than your tyre blowing out.
My car from new has never had a problem until 24,000 miles. Since then
its had 4 RMS's and the 5th goes in tommorow!
Even if they give youy a brand spanking new engine, it could happen
to that engine too......the bad news is that its very likely it will!
Just in case you want to know: I have NEVER tracked my car. It gets treated like a baby. It's been meticulously serviced by the Porsche UK dealer network. Two weeks out of warranty and bingo the RMS goes. I had to pay for it (although some pitance of help through good will).
And I haven't told you about my gearbox problems......
06-09-2004, 09:57 PM
#13
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Originally posted by Nick Psyllos
Sorry to hear about your RMS problem, mine happened at 10K. My car failed the tolerance test and "qualified" for a new (remanufactured) engine. The dealer tried to comfort me by telling me to think of the new engine as I would any other part. Nice, but what happens when I sell the car? Not sure. I am thinking about a lease on my next P-car, and if it is as plauged with problems as the 996, I will turn it back it-- before the warranty expires.
Sorry to hear about your RMS problem, mine happened at 10K. My car failed the tolerance test and "qualified" for a new (remanufactured) engine. The dealer tried to comfort me by telling me to think of the new engine as I would any other part. Nice, but what happens when I sell the car? Not sure. I am thinking about a lease on my next P-car, and if it is as plauged with problems as the 996, I will turn it back it-- before the warranty expires.
-Eli
06-09-2004, 10:09 PM
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Originally posted by eli at P
What's this tolerance test you speak of? Is there a tolerance test on all 996 models that is offered by Porsche? If you don't pass do they swap out your motor for FREE? What is the cut off? Any info you have would be great!
-Eli
What's this tolerance test you speak of? Is there a tolerance test on all 996 models that is offered by Porsche? If you don't pass do they swap out your motor for FREE? What is the cut off? Any info you have would be great!
-Eli
You should read the grief Scouser went thru to get the repair. The fifth install is absurd..