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I have had my 997.2 RS at the dealership for coolant hose welding per previous posts.
After reinstalling the engine, they noticed that one of the oil galley plugs had backed half way out and was seeping. They said they have seen this with some regularity in RS 4.0's but never in a 3.8. They applied a new plug with Porsche sealant and it continued to leak. My understanding is that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome.
The factory (well, first they take a week to respond) still keeps telling them to just put in another plug. They have tried this SIX times, once with loctite. Today they said plug it again.
Factory warranty is a turd - if the tech tries to do something out of the box (ie: actually fix the problem) they wave the "we'll void your warranty" card, as per my previous experience when I requested they tighten cam actuator bolts. They have come up with nothing else.
Mike J on the 993 turbo forum explained he put his in with the normal sealant but top dressed the outer seam with JB Weld.
It seems crazy to me that such an important plug (it's sizeable and oil could dump pretty quickly it seems) is a press fit and not threaded (well, it is crimped with a centrifugal force using a special tool). I suppose tapping the hole runs some risk of filings entering the oiling system.
I searched online but haven't come across this problem in other GT3's.
Any thoughts?
They've had my car 3 months now - I go by the prison weekly for visiting hours.... it was fine in the winter as it was like free heated storage but it's driving weather now!
I had the same issue on my 997.1 GT3. Initially, the dealer used the JB weld but no dice. Mine was seeping a drop here and there. The shop foreman told me Porsche doesn't make replacement plug, but he was able to source one out. He used Porsche sealant with the new plug and it's been perfect ever since it was fixed over a year ago. I'll try and take a pic for you if you'd like.
I would have thought the blocks on the 3.8 and 4.0, as far as the oil galley plugs, would be identical. Do you have the recall procedure TSB?
Porsche is totally screwing around Mark, it's unbelievable how much back and forth there is - I have been in the loops behind the scenes and as Mark says, they just keep doing the same thing over and over again. The design is different than on the older cars (which is a solid aluminum plug, not crimped), but after that many tries, you got to figure either the hole has issues (like scoring, out of round, etc..) or the sealing/crimping process is crap.
I vote for getting the dealer to provide a new engine ...
Mark, here's what the fix looks like. I believe it's a brass plug but I'll have to double check on the invoice. No more seeping and it's been almost 2 years now. Best of luck to you.
Mark, here's what the fix looks like. I believe it's a brass plug but I'll have to double check on the invoice. No more seeping and it's been almost 2 years now. Best of luck to you. Terrance
Thanks Terrance! That's quite different. I wonder if dissimilar metal helps to galvanically corrode itself into a stable position
Dealer reports no leak today for first time. Tech took car home to get longer heat cycle into engine, so will see tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
The service reps at Porsche get it as bad as the customer - stuck helpless in the middle between shop and factory.
Time to send Elon Musk in to streamline their procedures. Oh you can't do it? Fired.
Mark, here's what the fix looks like. I believe it's a brass plug but I'll have to double check on the invoice. No more seeping and it's been almost 2 years now. Best of luck to you.
Good, bad, good news. Tech took car home last night to get some decent heat into engine. This morning, galley plug has not leaked but clutch fluid was all over his garage floor. Replacing clutch slave &/or accumulator. It's covered by CPO. I now drive a Cayenne this wkend. Cheers Mark
Good, bad, good news. Tech took car home last night to get some decent heat into engine. This morning, galley plug has not leaked but clutch fluid was all over his garage floor. Replacing clutch slave &/or accumulator. It's covered by CPO. I now drive a Cayenne this wkend. Cheers Mark
Delayed gratification but you'll want it done right!
Ahh yes, just noticed that I had not wrapped this up.
It wasn't the clutch slave after all, but rear main seal (no prev issues). I'm not sure if that can get damaged during engine in/out, but they replaced under CPO with added advantage of seeing clutch still has good life (65,000 km!).
All good since then. Thanks everyone for the advice.
04-21-2016, 01:31 AM
Leaking Oil Galley Plug
