Arne Klinge

Hello guys, today I noticed something horrible.

I saw that the oil level had dropped since I put new in six months ago when the IMS, RMS and clutch got replaced. So no biggie I just have to give it a dash of oil, I thought. Opened up the oil filler cap and this horrible sight appeared.



I do know my way around cars and I do know what can cause this, water mixed with oil. But I cannot understand how this could have come about.

Car description:
2002 911 Carrera, 3.6 with full service history.

Symptoms:

• thick gooey mass at the top of the oil filler pipe, right under the cap itself, could not see anything further down
• the colour of the oil from the dipstick is normal, dark translucent brownish, simply good oil colour
• the oil level has dropped about to the half way mark since October, I have done about 5 000 KM
• there are particles of rust in the goo
• there was also a bit of water remarkably, like a small tiny puddle in the goo, can be seen in the picture at the bottom
• I noticed that the oil filler cap was not tightened correctly when I opening it
• cleaned all the goo away, took a long drive with lots of revving, coasting and on idle, no goo produced that was visible.
• no smoke other that the normal amount at start up, typical of boxer engines
• normal engine temperature, about 80C

I do hope that this is caused by the filler cap not being correctly tightened combined with it staying outdoors all winter with lots of rain.


Any thoughts and advice on what to do about this?

terbiumactivated

It could be, (I could be 100% wrong too) but it could be due to coolant and oil being allowed to mix which if true could indicate you have a head gasket leak somewhere.

Arne Klinge

I have searched around a bit and found that there are others having or have had the same issue.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...r-oil-cap.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...er-tube-2.html

As this was not present at summer until the end of October, and I live in Norway with cold temperatures and lots of rain. Also use the car as a normal car with lots of short driving. I hope it is because of this. Will borrow a friends camera to take a look down through the oil filler pipe.

DB's997

When I left my oil cap loose once, it threw a Check Engine light. Took it into dealer and they told me if the oil cap is not on properly, it will throw the CEL.
I have heard that short drives will cause goo you see, drives where engine temp does not come up to normal operating temp. Never take your Porsche for 1 - 2 mile drives.

terbiumactivated

It's hard to imagine that kind of aggregate would occur from a loose cap and any resultant percolation that might have caused but those threads say otherwise.

Gonzo911

A fairly common and harmless issue. Usually happens when your car sits for awhile and you only take it out for short trips. The oil never gets hot enough and condensation forms causing the goo.

The best solution is to drive it more often. Drive it longer, and get those revs up!

Good luck.

DBJoe996

I hate to be a spoiler but this is such a common occurrence I'm surprised. Even a quick search on Rennlist or Renntech yields many threads regarding this. OP - nothing is wrong with your oil, engine, cap, etc. It happens in any make of car. Take your car for a long drive of 30+ miles at full engine temperature and that will all go away. Cars were designed to be run, so a spirited drive will clear this up.

halik

intermix

LexVan

From last week:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...owish-goo.html

roadsession

Hi, allow me to help here:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=yellow+deposit+oil+filler+cap#

I mean there are 367,000 hits on google.
Affects all sorts of cars.

fpb111

Look at post 9 in the thread referenced above. This happens to air-cooled cars also.
I drove VW bugs as DD for a number of years. Some winters the air-oil emulsification would completely block the oil filler and breather.
Yours is a little more then most folks find in their 996 oil filler, but most don't live in Norway's type of climate. If your reservoir doesn't look like that and your oil is clean you probably do not have a problem.

Ahsai

I think we should compile an FAQ list for 996 and put it as a sticky.
- goo in oil filler tube
- IMSB and the 20 different bearings and solutions
- Smoke on startup
- N2 tires and alterntatives
- OE transmission fluid and alternatives
- OE coolant and alternatives
- how to open locked frunk
- ......

kromdom

+996...long overdue IMHO. And what FAQ can be complete without a topic on....TADA: OIL

Ahsai

I'm afraid that topic itself will take 10 pages

DTMiller

I actually started one on a sleepless night. I'm game to help organize one if people will help.