BIIIIIG problem with gasket?

[ut_cougar]

I accidentaly put gasket in the title, changed it so hopefully it reads "main seal" now.

Well, my 02 box S was in the shop for an air/oil seperator replacement a week or two ago. Went fine and fixed the problem. Then the idle starting going up and down and the car died, this started a week or two after the air/oil sep was replaced.

So yesterday I noticed fresh oil in the driveway and thought it might be the air/oil seperator not tightened, maybe something a bit loose or washer problem... took it to Porsche this morning and found out it was the main seal?

The tech said this is a common problem that occurs after the air/oil seperator is replaced? Anyone know about this? So the main seal is a BIIIIG HUGE deal to replace. The part is $80 and the labor is $2000 DOLLARS!!!!

I tend to trust the Porsche dealer but still wanted to ask on here if anyone knows if this is a common thing after the air/oil seperator goes? And if this might be the cause of my erradic up/down idle for 20 secs and then the engine dying? Or if I have three seperate problems all together- air/oil sep, main seal, and a third problem?

I was thinking about getting the throttle body cleaned, since this can be the cause of the up/down idle and dying... and since the air/oil sep went a couple weeks ago it might have thrown oil into the throttle body? Could that cause the throttle body to need cleaning?

[rick3000]

Is it the Rear Main Seal (RMS)?

You should be glad you caught the RMS leak when you did there the leading cause of engine failures in Boxster. I have heard of it being about $800-1200 to fix, but it can also depend on your location. Just out of curiosity, how many miles are on your Box?

[blinkwatt]

$2k in labor to change the r.m.s. is absurd.

I paid $800 in labor for the r.m.s.,i.m.s.,flywheel and clutch kit from an indy shop.

Check your PCA region for sponsors and get quotes. Don't be afraid to ask places to price match quotes from other rival shops. You'd be amazed to see how much you can save this way.

[ut_cougar]

I'm not sure which one it was... I believe he said something about its one of the "seals" and they can sometimes cause problems with the other seal? So he said he won't charge me for any extra labor and replace the second seal (which doesnt really need replacing but might need it later), all that stuck in my head was "main seal". So I think both seals are being covered here. He said something about the one thats causing the problem is the more expensive to fix or maybe difficult to get to, something along those lines, i can't specifically recall. I can find out if needed, the report is in my car and I can't make it outside right now.

It is $80 in parts plus 15 hours of labor = $2100 ... its covered by a 2 year parts and labor warranty.

As for the milage its an 02 box S... it has 32k miles and has been babied, never wrecked and not one problem.... until now. It was taken to the Porsche dealer for everything.

It was driven carefully and driven hard appropriately throughout the RPM range to keep the engine "healthy". Services were done earlier than usual (i.e. 30k service done at 28k, oil changes done just a bit earlier at each interval, etc).

I am on vacation and came to pick up my car and take it back to Miami. Now I have to deal with this.

If there are multiple "seals", lets assume he is replacing the more expensive one to do, HOW MANY HOURS should I be looking at? Price varies from region like said below. Is 15 hours of labor correct to replace the more expensive main seal. I will get the paperwork when I can get to my car but if someone can enlighten me beforehand that would be great.