4retr

Hello:

I just got my 08 RS back from service after a 2nd attempt at 2,460 miles - It didn't leak when I got it home from the shop yesterday, but after taking it out this morning when I got home after less than 100 miles I see oil coming from the same spot.

I'm truly concerned at this point because when it went in for its 1st oil change at 1,500 miles oil had never made it to the floor but the tech recommended it be changed ("new" part was not available at this time - January 2008). It started leaking oil the 2nd time around 2,300 miles.

So the question is should I even try again or just live with it knowing that the oil may affect/damage the clutch over time only if I put extensive mileage on the car.

At this point I decided not to put much mileage on the RS (2,000 max/year), which is sad because I bought the RS to drive and limit use of my Ferraris.

OldGuy

I hope you documented all this and its time to start writing letters to PCNA? I wouldnt give up on an RS
since they are so hard to get but geesh three times?

todinlaw

I did not fix my car for the second time, Yet. I am planning on watching to see if the posts hear start reporting they have come up with a fix that fixes it. So far, all the posts I have read say the fix does not work.

What assumptions or information are you relying on that the RMS is getting to the clutch and that it may cause other damage. this is the first I have heard of that. My assumption is that oil is leaking down the outside of the case and just dropping on the floor, no involvement with the clutch?

4retr

Hello:

The service advisor at Porsche stated that there is a possibilty of damage based on that oil will get in the clutch "causing slippage and deterioration."

I am by no means an expert so I am just following directions while the car is still under warranty.

Targa Tim

I'm no expert either, but don't settle on the leak on a car with full warranty. Limiting the drive won't settle the problem, and you'll feel bad daily not driving such a great car in your garage.

Bluehinder

I'd sell the car. I just don't deal well with these kinds of things.

On the other hand, my F430 has an F1 hydraulic fluid leak.

Hang in as long as you can.

flash1034

Id sell them both...cheap....and to me. I'll deal with driving those pieces -o -chit.

Flast

bprzekop

I just had the RMS replaced at 7500 miles this past weekend by Hennessy Porsche. They followed the factory-recommended procedure including the use of the spacer ring, which was not on my car before, and a "new" seal. The part number for the "new" seal and the "old" seal was the same, so my hope is that Porsche knows what it is doing with the spacer ring, and that along with proper installation this holds for quite a while. As this car is my daily driver, I will be putting around 12K miles per year on the car, so I will know in a few months if this will be a periodic "maintenance" item on this car or not. As I have a Certified Pre-owned (CPO) warranty, my car is covered up to 100K miles and 2013, so I am not going to panic, but one would like to feel that this is not going to be a routine occurance. If I had to pay for it (engine and tranny drop, etc) it would not be an insignificant outlay, and thus could affect resale situations down the line.

WSH

I had the leak at ~ 800 miles.
Had Jim Ellis Porsche here in Atlanta replace last year (11/1)
Now leaking again
As Frank/todinlaw said, I will not take it in until they have a definitive answer on how to correctly fix the issue.
Engine has already been out twice (RMS, Water leak), not having them pull it again
Also have windshield washer leak (been in twice for that, still leaking)

Bill

todinlaw

This is what Peter Smith Just posted on PCA's tech section on rms

You are subscribed to the 911 (2005+) from the PCA.org Technical Q&A Section


Classification: Engine
Subject: oil seepage
Model:
Year: 2007
Total Mileage:
Car Use: Street

Question:
I recently purchased my GT3 from a dealer with a history of a minor oil seepage from the rear main seal which was replaced. I was told that Porsche had issued an updated RMS which was used. However, shortly after getting the car home I noticed 1 to two drips a day of oil coming from the mid rear of the car. It is back to the dealer service and I am told that the leak is still coming from RMS. After the price of the car I am a bit upset with this. How ofter would this be expected to happen and what c ould be the possible cause for this happening twice in a short period of time? Thanks for your reply.

Answer:
I have been told that if the car is driven hard you might get a small leak from the rear main seal. And also if the car sits for a few days it might leak also. So if you drive the car every day gingerly, you should not have any leaks. I have not heard of a new seal on the horizon but Porsche is pretty good about rectifying issues with cars.



Peter Smith - PCA WebSite - 7/28/2008

Bob Rouleau

A local dealer tech says that the seal and spacer don't seem to cure the problem, even after they follow a new procedure which requires that the installation tool be left in place for a few hours to allow the seal to settle in place. he expectsd Porsche to come up with a better fix since the problem is endemic to the new GT3s.

I am going to try using 5-40 oil to see if it helps while waiting for PAG to coome up with a better fix. I continue to track the heck out of my car and enjoy it. I can live with a minor leak.

best,

mooty

PM sent

997gt3north

- this should be interesting - keep us informed
- i'm on seal number 3 and it started leaking on day 3
- i will wager 1$ that we will all end up using the 993/996tt seal

- if all that has been posted is 95% true, then with no internal oil check valve like the tt and a seal that only seals under vacuum and if you can believe this is in order to get added hp at high rpms it would appear that you are either going to have to give up a few hp or have a leaking engine

- the real question that we need to know is how much oil leaking is going to kill the friction disk / clutch - my guess is that cars that are driven very, very little are going to need the 993/996 rms to prevent exessive oil on the clutch and those that are dirven can get away with the current solution (still leaking yes) but any oil will be burn off the clutch as the car is used regularly

- or, in about 6mths after 1000's of engine pulls Porsche will assign a engineer to solve the problem as it is costing them $2000 each engine pull and with a few 000 gt3/rs out there under a four year warranty it is going to cost them $2000 * 4 (1 each year) * number of cars = maybe (10 million)

- $10 million is nothing to Porsche but someone somewhere at Porsche will figure out that $100grand of an engineer's time is worth saving $10 million

sjgreco

I would like to know how many RMS repairs will it take for Porsche to finally address the problem. So far they seem content to fix the leaks even knowing the fix doesn't work. Perhaps there is no fix with the current motor/crank case so the fix means replace all of the motors with the Turbo crank case or some other design. For me I would give up marginal power for a leak free motor.

P.S. Maybe our follow Rennlister Pete would consider this topic for a feature article in Excellence.

mental dental

RMS on my 997 RS was found to be possibly leaking again after two previous replacements.

Car went in to local Porsche centre, who spoke to Porsche GB. They arranged for a diagnostic kit to be sent over from Germany. The process involved removing the gearbox, cleaning off the leaked oil, applying a dye to the area around the RMS, then driving the car for 25 miles. My RS was then left for 2 days after which the gearbox was removed and a UV light shone on the area around the RMS.

Showed my leak was not from the RMS but from the joint between the two halves of the crank-case above the bolt above the RMS ( see phote below )

Porsche GB have advised Porsche centre to split engine and apply sealant to joint. 40-50 hours work for the dealership. Thankfully just inside 2-year GB warranty.
Not entirely thrilled at this fix, but will go with it for now. Track-day in three weeks should be a good test of their skills.

Below are views of my engine I wasn't planning on seeing