997.2 RMS/crank leak
08-20-2020, 10:00 AM
#17
I was under my car last night and took a second look. What yo see in the pic is where the engine an transmission mate up - left side is engine, right side transmission. It is right above the rear subframe. There is a tiny hole there that allows oil to drain out, should there be a leak.
08-25-2020, 04:18 PM
#19
Yes that leakage area is coming from the drain hole that exists between the engine case and the transmission bellhousing - where the engine and transmission bolt together. Difficult to tell if it's an active leak. Best way to tell: Get some brake cleaner (not the non-chlorinated kind), spray it on a rag and use it to clean that area up really well. If that doesn't completely clean the stain away, get some etching mag wheel cleaner, and use that on a rag to clean it, but follow that up with some soapy water so none of it remains on the aluminum. After a hundred or so miles, check under there and see if the stain comes back.
08-25-2020, 04:44 PM
#20
Rear main seal is not an engine out job and I would question the opinion of any mechanic who suggested that it is.
A leak between the case halves would be, although I have not heard of this happening on a 997.2.
A seeping RMS on a manual transmission car wouldn't be a deal-killer for me, although it's a good negotiating point for you. You will eventually have to pull the transmission to replace the clutch anyway and its an easy job once the transmission is moved out of the way. I would be less interested if the leak is big enough to be dripping onto the floor.
A leak between the case halves would be, although I have not heard of this happening on a 997.2.
A seeping RMS on a manual transmission car wouldn't be a deal-killer for me, although it's a good negotiating point for you. You will eventually have to pull the transmission to replace the clutch anyway and its an easy job once the transmission is moved out of the way. I would be less interested if the leak is big enough to be dripping onto the floor.
Fast forward about 9 months and 4k miles, when I installed my Fister mufflers in December last year, I noticed that the seep was just starting to form one drip, but my garage floor was bone dry. I wiped it off then and it still hasn't dripped to my garage floor since then.
I was able to track down some previous maintenance records for my car and got a hold of the shop in Las Vegas that did the clutch job for the previous owner at 42k miles (my car now has 56k miles on it) and they said they did not replace the RMS when they did the clutch job. Why you would not replace a $20 part when you have access to it (especially one that is known to fail) is beyond me. Who knows, maybe it wasn't leaking back then and they didn't see the need to replace it. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.
So I asked my Indy about the leak this Spring when I had my car if for some preventative maintenance items, and he said I shouldn't worry about it. He said if it gets significantly worse to consider addressing it, but otherwise wait until the next clutch change, which hopefully isn't anytime soon.
Overall, a "weeping" RMS wouldn't be a deal breaker for me on an otherwise well maintained car. Like Icester mentioned, you can use this as a bargaining chip.
EDIT: Based on the date, you've likely already purchased the car. Regardless, as I mentioned above, just monitor it and enjoy the new ride!
Last edited by G.I.G.; 08-25-2020 at 04:48 PM.