Bad RMS?

[TRIATHLETE]

99 996 C2 Coupe - 39K miles Porsche Certified Pre-owned, purchased 4/04

Thought I would change the plugs today as they are 9K overdue (dealer said they replaced plugs when I bought the car with 23K on it - found out yesterday they didn't). This is the mess I saw under the car. I specifically asked the dealer if the RMS was replaced and was told no. I have reviewed all 13 trips to the dealer by the previous owner and RMS was never replaced.

Where do you think all this oil came from? I suspected a valve cover gasket leak but think this is much more serious than that. The weird part is over the course of one year and 16,000 miles I've only seen a few spots on the garage floor near the drivers left wheel. I can't figure out if the spots are anti-freeze or oil.

Please advise. Somebody please get Orient Express some smelling salts to revive him after viewing these pics. Good thing I have another YEAR on my warranty. :jump:

[Loren]

Try a small version of the image...

[TRIATHLETE]

Here are the pics... not pretty.

[Loren]

Could be RMS, cam cover, Variocam solenoid, or even oil/water heat exchanger. Can you get a pic of where the engine mates to the transmission? If it is clean then that should rule out RMS.

[1999Porsche911]

I suggest you spend a little time cleaning the engine and then take a look at where the oil is coming from. You have many months of oil and buildup on it now. Like Loren said, it could be coming from anywhere and may be a simple repairable leak.

[djantlive]

From the pics, it looks like the oil build up is in center of engine around where engine and tranny mates. Looks like RMS to me but more pics of the leaking area would help.

Cam cover would be from the side of the engine. Didn't see that in your pics.

Since your car is certified, I suggest that you check your dealer's reputation on repairs. JD power keeps a CSI score of each dealer. Check many Porsche forums and ask about reputation of your dealer.

If there is another dealer that has better service, go there instead even if it's 100mi away. Trust me, you want this to be repaired right so it doesn't come back. Your dealer lied to you about service history so that's the first sign of mistrust.

Porsche should give you a rental car for the duration of the repair (1-2 days). Sometimes they'll remove the engine to make sure all the oil leaks are taken care off. Cam cover leaks are on side of the car and hard to see without engine removal.

While the car is in the shop, ask the mechanic to check other fluid leaks such as coolant, power steering, brake fluid, tranny.

Good luck and thank god you have warranty!

[TRIATHLETE]

I suggest you spend a little time cleaning the engine and then take a look at where the oil is coming from.  You have many months of oil and buildup on it now.  Like Loren said, it could be coming from anywhere and may be a simple repairable leak.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the quick response. The last picture in the sequence in poor focus IS of the area in the center of the car exactly where the tranny meets the engine and is the ONLY place I see fresh oil. It could also be leaking down for the top of the motor.

I am afraid if I clean the engine most of the evidence will be removed.

Looks like a trip to the dealer "as is". BTW - this oil build-up is more like six years of accumulation. I live on the coast and pulled handfulls of greasy sand out of the space between the heat shield and coils. What a mess! Maybe I should throw the dealer a bone and let them do the plugs - I don't want to think about getting sand in the cylinders...

Your thoughts?

[TRIATHLETE]

If there is another dealer that has better service, go there instead even if it's 100mi away. Trust me, you want this to be repaired right so it doesn't come back. Your dealer lied to you about service history so that's the first sign of mistrust.

While the car is in the shop, ask the mechanic to check other fluid leaks such as coolant, power steering, brake fluid, tranny.

Thanks for the feedback - to clarify, I asked if the plugs were changed before I took delivery of the car and the dealer replied that the major service was performed. We might be splitting hairs here, but I assumed a major service (30K included the pugs). Turns out the car only had 22,9K on it so the plugs were not replaced.

My intent was to get a years usage out of the car before having to take it in for service because I drive it to work every day - 15K miles this year. Over the year, I've become more confident in my ability to perform routine maintenance on the car myself and avoid the loss of the car and the green stuff in my wallet.

My dealership is one of the top rated by JD Powers. They will do anything to keep that rating - see my other post concerning certified cars versus extended warranty.

I am not sure who pays when it comes to oil/fluid leaks. Guess I better pull out the "Limited Warranty" and start reading the fine print...

[djantlive]

You warranty covers all leaks and has the same coverage as original 4 yr warranty from Porsche. Rental car is also covered.

I'd go get the oil leak fixed asap. This way, if it comes back later, you still have come warranty coverage. Once your 2yr warranty expires, it's really up to the dealer on whether they'll cover any repairs.

During RMS, they'll drain your engine oil and tranny oil. For spark plugs, they aren't that hard and if you are due, get them changed.

[gas-man]

Looks like it is coming from the side where the spark plugs are. Almost looks like what I had before. brought it to the dealer and they changed the spark plug o-ring. Also thought it was the RMS because I also hade oil near the tranny. now after the o-ring change and the engine and tranny cleaned, don't see any oil/gunk build-up. It was a $ 500 + trip to the dealer but as you said you still have warranty so it will not be a problem.

[P.Viby]

Hmm does not look good at all, but as all the other say, try not to worry to much since you still have warrenty on the car.

Just surfed around and found this little poem on Rennlist 964 forum...

It doesn’t make noise, it sings

It doesn’t leak, it exude sweat

It doesn’t break down, it stops for a while

It doesn’t consume fuel, it taste liquid

It doesn’t become dirty, it is less clean

It isn’t a car, it is a Porsche

So remember......

It doesn’t leak, it exude sweat

Good luck with the car.

[TRIATHLETE]

I finally got my car in to the dealer. The oil leaks are covered under Certified Porsche warranty. They were VERY nice and quick to point out the cam cover, cam solenoid seals as well as the oil protection pipe O-rings will all be addressed.

The service manager just called to inform me that the clutch plate was worn and might have another 5-10K miles left. He offered to put a new one in for "free" if I bought the part(s) - $290. Sounds like a steal to me so consider it done.

I'm surprised the clutch is that worn at 39K miles, but the car was bought used with 23K miles on it. Who knows how hard the previous owner was on the clutch...

[djantlive]

Sounds good. Hope you get that engine cleaned up after the leak is repaired. Good think you didn't have RMS.

Clutch tends to wear out before 50k mi on most 996 so you are probly due and at $290, you got a good deal if they used a stock clutch plate.