Scouser

Yes folks.....it's yet another one of those RMS threads.
But this one has a different angle.

You've all read and heard way too much about this dreaded RMS nightmare
and many of you will have already had to endure it. Some of you have
endured it several times over.

RMS = Rear Main Seal.
Porsche AG call it the "Crankshaft Seal - Flywheel side".

The RMS can fail in your 996 C2/C4 or 986 at any time. Your car could
be barely weeks old or it could be an early 1997 model. It doesn't
matter. There are even reports of delivery mileage cars dripping oil
in the dealer showroom! The dreaded RMS failure now talked about on a
daily basis on this board or another, can exhibit itself for no
apparent reason. You may track your car or it may be a garage queen;
it could be your daily driver or just a weekender. It doesn't matter.
Why? Because none of these factors take into account a manufacturing
fault that's persisted since the first Boxter rolled out of Stuttgart.
And that's exactly what this RMS problem is: A Manufacturing flaw.

But Porsche AG won't admit to this fact. Furthermore, if your car is
out of warranty then they will often leave you with the legacy of their
incompetence by asking "YOU" to pay the hefty bill to replace the
engine seal.......and it typically takes 8 to 10 hours to perform the
repair!

If that sounds frightening, consider that it might happen again. And
again. And again. And again. Yes it's happened to my 996 5 times and I
am still counting! But that's not all, how do you feel about having to
purchase a new engine for one of these babies? Ouch! I hear you say.

The worst part about this whole fiasco is that we, the customers just
take it like a piece of cake. We bitch and moan but still go ahead and
pay upwards of $100,000 for one of these tainted automobiles. Gorgeous,
fast, stunning, jaw dropping and as exciting as they are, it is our
pockets that take the hit in the end. Isn't it about time we all
united to get something done about it?

I am asking all fellow 996 and 986 owners to support a cause to get
Porsche AG to acknowledge this fault and do something about it. All
you have to do is display the "Porsche owners RMS Club" in your forum
postings. A good place for it is in your signature. By displaying this
image, it symbolizes your support to bring to the attention of Porsche
AG that as a 996 and/or 986 owner (or prospective owner), you are greatly
dissatisfied with the marque's ongoing RMS problem and that you are
formerly demanding an official statement from them as to how they intend
to compensate and/or provide warranty for past and present 996 and 986
owners, both now and in the future.

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO SAY AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I CANNOT GUARANTEE
IT WILL GET US ANYWHERE BUT WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE.

Please feel free to use the image as you wish, either here or on any
other Forum board or whatever media you choose. All I ask is that you do
not modify it in any way.

Link to the image at:

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/rmsclubfailed.jpg

Don't just wait for it to happen to you. Do something about it NOW!
Your could be the next RMS plagued customer!

Many thanks for your valued support.

bet

I am all for the cause and due to my recent RMS problem will be joining in. However, I have one request...could we resize the image so that it is not quite so obtrusive to the posting? I know the purpose is to bring attention but a slightly less lenghty vertical image (maybe more horizontal?) would be a little more considerate of others. Especially on other forums who don't quite understand the purpose behind it the signature.

Plus it would make a nice Avatar.

Scouser

Good point. OK, I will go work on something.
Cheers for the input.

Scouser

OK, hows this one. Sized good enough for an avatar.



URL for it is here:
http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/rmsclubfailed2.jpg

Same deal folks, use either image.

Tool Pants

Thought you folks would like to see what it looks like when it does not leak.

Nice dry rear case.

Scouser

Yeah thats this week. But what about next week

Thanks Jeff. And for those that don't know it, the RMS is the dark outer circle with little speckled circles all the way around it.
The bottom pic is the Intermediate Seal (IMS).

Jeff a question for you, the crankshaft in that pic above seems to sit
a lot more proud within the bearing than it does in the pic of my avatar.
If you look closely (BTW: this was one of your pics too ) you will see that
the crankshaft is quite deep within the whole. Any ideas?

wilam

what is the procedure to upload the link to my signature? I am joining your club!

roberga

is there oil in the engine?

Scouser

Wilam, Good one mate!

You need to add [/IMG] to the end of your sig as you have it now.

Tool Pants

That very is funny.

That is a 2000 3.2 Boxster motor owned by Chris Murray. It came out of a car that was in a wreck, with 1,500 miles. Chris bought the wreck and made a track car out of it. It has a 3.4 996 motor now. I bought his 3 spoke steering wheel a few years ago. Then I saw him last week at a Porsche swap meet and he still had the original motor.

It has the "new" style seal that came out over 4 years ago. You can tell by the number of dimples on the back of the seal. The seal is a bit recessed as that is how it was installed back then. Now with the new tool the seal is pushed into the bore a bit deeper.

In the original thread someone said the problem was using a hammer to insert the seal into the bore. You cannot install the seal with a hammer so who knows where this misinformation comes from.

A tool came out in 1997 to push the seal into position. It was revised some time ago to push it in deeper. It is attached to the end of the crank after the replacement seal has been placed on the crank. You tighten the bolt on the end of the tool and then it pushes the seal into the bore. No hammer needed.

The old is on the left.

Surf Twang

How about an image for those of us who would like to buy a 996 but won't because of the RMS problem.

rost12

And one for those that did buy and are now scared?

Ucube

I'm a supporter!

Stevo'99

Good going, Scouser. I'm in.

Surf Twang

You know, this whole thing is a crying shame. I'm really annoyed with Porsche. They seem to be well on their way to destroying the reputation of one of the world's great automotive marques.

I feel bad for those of you experiencing the RMS problem (and the countless other 996 faults) and I really feel for those of you who have not yet had the RMS problem but are worried about getting it. That's got to be an awful feeling. Me, I've found a nice '99 Carrera that I don't dare buy. So I sit here frustrated. This really burns me.