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I am looking at picking up a high mileage 6MT 997.2 and just had a PPI done. For the most part, the car is in great condition though a few issues were found.
The most concerning would be the discovery of "small seepage of engine oil around the rear main area. Could be seeping from where the cases seal together." Speaking with the shop they said they couldn't discern if the seepage is coming from the rear main seal or the crank but either job is an engine out repair. They did say they don't believe it warrants an immediate repair.
Researching this now, an RMS or crank leak seems very uncommon for the 997.2 and I found nothing online to compare to. This is the image of the seepage below.
I literally found nothing online indicating a similar issue on another 997.2. Has anyone ever encountered this in a 997.2? If so, can you share the cause and solution? Thx
can you share a wider photo of the leak? Personally I can't figure out where this is on the engine.
I struggled with the same thing Torch. I was just googling 997.2 engine pics trying to discern exactly where this is myself.
I wish I had a broader image but this was the full pic taken by the PPI shop. I am remote and don't have access to the car.
How many miles on the car? That is very small seepage. Its hard to say if its over a period of time or relatively new. Either way, if it needs to be address, expect to replace the clutch assm while in there.
How many miles on the car? That is very small seepage. Its hard to say if its over a period of time or relatively new. Either way, if it needs to be address, expect to replace the clutch assm while in there.
83k. The clutch has been replaced at some point already.
I didn't think the RMS was an engine out job. You think they would have done that when they did the clutch.
I believe you may be correct. It appears to be a transmission out job, not an engine out job. Not something I would look forward to either way, however.
Are they willing to negotiate? It may be worth asking. That is not a huge job. My clutch/RMS was replaced without removing the tranny. Just moved it back a bit.
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.
I appreciate everyone's insight here. I have decided to move forward with the purchase.
I just spoke with the dealer who inspected the seepage again and they confirmed it is a very small amount and it appears to not be an "active" leak. It appears to be more residue than anything else.
The car had its clutch changed likely within the last 10k miles or so and I am wondering/hoping it may have simply been some leftover spillage from that. If not, hopefully it is just something to monitor and not something that is imminently in need of repair. From posts above, it seems the replacement on a 6MT is not the end of the world either, should it come to that.
Everyone I have spoken with has said it would not stop them from buying the car, especially one that is in such excellent condition otherwise.
Hope to be enjoying my 997.2 soon. Thanks to all who chimed in and helped me work through this.
Well, "active" is an unusual word to use here. If it IS the RMS, then it's leaking--its just a matter of how much. They seep, then they drip and then they puke. Sometimes it's a fast progression but most of the time it's pretty slow. But, they don't get better by themselves. There isn't anything in there that should drip oil when you replace a clutch so in a perfect world, the bottom of the car should be dry.
I would still use it as a bargaining chip for at least a few hundred bucks off.
If the clutch was recently replaced, with the mileage on that car, it would have been silly for the tech to not do the RMS while he was in there. If the clutch replacement was recent, you shouldn't have to be worrying about this at all.
If you buy it,, get some solvent (like Brakekleen) and clean that spot off thoroughly. Then just watch it to see how long it takes for the spot to reappear. Good luck, and post pics when you buy one.
Well, "active" is an unusual word to use here. If it IS the RMS, then it's leaking--its just a matter of how much. They seep, then they drip and then they puke. Sometimes it's a fast progression but most of the time it's pretty slow. But, they don't get better by themselves. There isn't anything in there that should drip oil when you replace a clutch so in a perfect world, the bottom of the car should be dry.
I would still use it as a bargaining chip for at least a few hundred bucks off.
If the clutch was recently replaced, with the mileage on that car, it would have been silly for the tech to not do the RMS while he was in there. If the clutch replacement was recent, you shouldn't have to be worrying about this at all.
If you buy it,, get some solvent (like Brakekleen) and clean that spot off thoroughly. Then just watch it to see how long it takes for the spot to reappear. Good luck, and post pics when you buy one.
Thanks for the tips. This will certainly be something I monitor frequently, for sure. I was able to negotiate some additional service work into the deal (plugs, belt, brake fluid flush) which were not technically needed but due, which I would have had done myself. Assuming the car is as advertised, I will be satisfied.
08-17-2020, 10:45 PM
997.2 RMS/crank leak
