Oil on exhaust=fire?
 

My latest concern- I have a very slow leak from my RH head cover gasket (I think) which occasionally drips onto the O2 sensor prior to the cat. I think it is a pretty common area for a leak, since I have read of others in the same place.

I just went for a long, fast drive on the autobahn (110-120 for over an hour) as soon as I pulled off the road, engine fan was blowing smoke from the RH vent. Not a lot, but enough to see from the driver's seat.

Can oil on the exhaust get hot enough to burn? Is this something which needs immediate attention, or can it wait a month or so?

I've seen oil spilled on many different exhaust manifolds over many different models and years, all it has ever done is smoke & stink. Put it this way, 50% of the cars leaving pep boys would be on fire within a block from their parking lot rush oil jobs.

Guess you're right
 

Thanks for the insight ( and the great visual) That's what I figured, just needed someone to back it up. All I could see in my head was a burning hulk with a Porsche emblem :eek:

About 20 yrs ago, I had to fly out to New Mexico to reposess a 924 and drive it back to NYC. Trip took about 34 hrs of straight driving. Making a late night stop at a gas station, I checked the oil and noticed the exhaust manifold was glowing red/orange hot. If it was my car, I would have been worried but as it was, I was a repoman in a repocar and the car was now the bank's problem. Plus I was in a rush so I topped off the oil but I forgot to put the oil fill cap back on. About an hour later someone passes me screaming something about smoke so I pull over, open the hood and everything is covered in oil, manifold still glowing red hot, but thankfully nothing was on fire. Oil cap was exactly where I left it, put it back on and kept going. Got more oil at the next station.

I had the same symptoms. Turned out to be my valve seal was leaking oil onto my exhaust on the back right of the car.

Independent Shop quoted ~$500

Porsche fixed it for ~$270 and I got a loaner. Total fix was less than 2 hours.


It only happened once every few weeks and I let it go on for 4 months before fixing it

Mine leaked for almost a year before I finally replaced the seals. Every time I pull up to a stop after a "spirited drive" smoke would be coming from under the car. Never any fire. Repalcing those seals ended up neing a simple DIY and cost is $30 in parts. plus a couple hours of work including cleaning the engine.
I should have done it earlier.

Motor oil's flashpoint is high, thus, no combustion in the situation you describe. :cheers: