After 47k leak free miles, I spotted my first oil leak last week.
Drove it last Wednesday for the 1st time in about 2 weeks. Spotted a small drip (size of a quarter) about 6 inches behind the drivers side rear wheel, between the exhaust and the engine. I cleaned the drip and check the floor the next morning....nothing. Dry.
I drove it again on Friday. Oil on the floor again. After another clean up...no oil drip.....drove it yesterday. Oil drip is back but now is a bit larger (2 quarters)...oil level or pressure look fine.....before I call the dealer, do you guys have any thoughts....cam cover?

 

Probably the intermediate seal or rear main seal. Go get it checked out regardless if it under warrenty have it fixed. It not then I wouldn't worry about fixing it unless you see a lot more oil of the floor. Then wait untill you do your clutch and get the seal replaced at the same time. Saves you a lot of money when you do them both at the same time.

 

Not RMS or intermediate seal based on description. Probably solenoid cover above the number 3 plug. Common. Try snugging the 2 bolts that hold it on.

 

Welcome to the Club

 

IF driver side rear(tire) sounds like a cam cover leak-get it checked out. Mike

 

NinetyNine996: A small leak from the solenoid cover is very common and does not need dealer attention. Most often, just snugging the 2 bolts a litte is enough to stop the leak. Most of them will sweat a little (not drip and if you get an occassional drip, I wouldn't worry about it. Or you can go to the dealer and have the gasket replaced for a few hundred dollars and wait for the leak to start again.

 

Could be the oil separator. That's what my car had. Go get it checked.

 

It could be a cracked engine block or a blown oil line or oil coming up from your garage floor. Stop with throwing out suggestions that are not even close to the symptoms he is having. The oil seperator does not cause an external leak, the RMS would be at the center of the engine and not near the wheel. It is likely that the oil came from the solenoid cover. The only other likely possibility is that one cylinder on bank 1 had an extremely bad leak of the "O" ring on the plastic sleave and that can be easily diagnosed by looking at the block around the coils on that block. The solenoid cover can easily be seen from under the left side of the car.

 

I have to agree.....

-Eli

 

Your probably right.

 

Crawl around with an extending pivot mirror and a flashlight....

 

Take a photo for the post..... it's the least you can do....

 

Seems we are holding Porsche to quite a high standard to make a leak-tight engine. I am a Marine Engineer, operated Nuclear Power Plants, rebuilt many engines and there is no such thing as leak free.

A few drops is no big thing. Maybe just cosmoline.

 

1999Porsche911: I disagree. Ninetynine996's description of his car's problem is very similar to what I experienced with a cracked oil separator in my vehicle during breakin period. Oil was accumulating just outside of the separator and slowly finding its way to a location as he describes, with similar quarter size drips, and no apparent changes in oil pressure (plus CEL light never came on -- in my case). Separator was replaced and the engine has been bone-dry since.

 

I'll make a note not to buy any engine you have built unless I want it to leak oil. Did you skip over seals/gasket and torque specs when you got your degree? Making a leak-tight engine is not a high standard; it is standard, common and expected.