Eman_9582

Hey guys, new member, just got my 1st Porsche a few weeks ago - 2018 Cayenne Platinum, one owner, well maintained badge on Carfax (for what it's worth). I was hoping my 1st real post on this forum would be a positive one but I guess it was only a matter of time right?

TL;DR: Please check out these pics and let me know if you suspect a leak from my car, or it's someone else's mess.

1st pic is under the driver side
the other engine bay pics are from front passenger side between the pulleys and fan, I couldn't get the phone down into the driver side to get a good photo but I'll go back and check when it's light out.
Last pic is paper towel I used to pick up some of the fluid on the ground. It's odorless and looks clear so I'm not sure what it could be.


Full story:
I noticed it today as I was pulling up in my commuter. It was dark and my headlights just happened to light up the underside and what looked like a puddle just under the engine driver side. She's been sitting in that spot for about 4 days now and this is the first time I noticed it; I'm still not 100% sure if it's mine or from another car but it did rain quite a bit on Sunday night so I'd expect the previous leak would've somewhat washed away then.

There is no sign of a leak from under the car, up top I could only get photos of the front area. I'll take all the panels off on saturday to get a closer look at the whole engine but in the meantime does anyone have an idea of what could be leaking in that front area and in the rear driver side of the engine? It's a base 3.6.

BrendonSF

Perhaps broken timing cover bolts? Not sure if the VR6 is prone to that issue as well.

Eman_9582

Did a quick google search and found this video:

Car did have a recent oil change, although the fluid color doesn't really instill much confidence in this diagnosis.

reneeweiss

You might want to clean off the engine and then see if you get more of what looks like oil or other fluid. There is a dye that can be put in the oil and a black light used to see where there are leaks if any but that is not always reliable.

Chaos

Mine just this past Friday, was messed up oil filter gasket and wrong drain plug crush washer! 2.5 months and finally super busy Indy figured it out! He did not do it originally.

reneeweiss

You wonder why the original guy didn't run the car and check for leaks before giving it to you. When I watched my indy change the oil they always used a new drain plug bolt that came with a new crush washer. I think I am going to get a scanner to reset the oil time period and change the oil myself.

Eman_9582

You may be on to something here - apparently it is a common problem
https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...oil-leaks.html
thankfully they have a cheap fix now!! Need to get my hands on that SY 210/21 document though

I'll keep monitoring over the next week and see how it progresses. With the cover off it really looked more like a messy oil job than a leak but I'm not ruling out any leaks just yet. My oil level was about 20% below the max line when I checked it last night so that's concerning. Last week it was at the max line, but I remember that was with the engine running so maybe that's the difference.

I also found this dye at advance auto parts but not much info on it. May give it a try if oil level keeps dipping.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...74cs/7010040-P

BrendonSF

@Eman_9582 Pretty sure this is the only TSB that exists for the issue. It's macan specific: