Im looking before I leap.....
 

Since it's spring time in Chicago, I just spent the past 2 days replacing my cracked plastic window. 2.5hours to get off, 100bucks at the local custom interior/glass shop, and another 5 hours to put back on (shakes fist at contact cement).

Next on my list is a pesky oil leak. Here are the details.....

It developed about 2 months ago. When it drops oil it drops it by the quart. What is interesting is that the oil level in the pan is at the bare minimum for the car to run and that oil isnt really dropping out whatsoever... but if I add 2 quarts, turn the car on and drive it down to the corner convince store and back, it literally drops both those quarts within 4-5 miles.. dropping oil in a goflball-baseball sized drop every 4 ft or so.

I had my buddy check it out the other week (hes finishing up school at WyoTech and is now under contract to work for Porsche.) From what he could see with just the top in service mode and the car on 1 jackstand with a small flashlight was the leak coming from the top of the engine, specifically the valve covers.

I was thinking of going after the leak myself with my father who used to work on his old 60s, 70s, and 80s cars... hes rebuilt a few engines and entire cars.


Right now, Im looking before I leap. Im about to get some dye for the oil to find exactly where the leak is coming from, but it completely has me baffled as to why it wont leak with the oil thats left in it but will if more is added. Is it smart for us to try and fix something like this ourselves?? Im just looking for opinions....

Thanks :cheers:

Not 100% sure, but are you sure the oil is going into the engine? I hear about the oil filler tube cracking or coming off. If it has then the oil is just pooling on the top of the motor and spilling off when you drive. Just a thought.

Can you tell which side it's leaking from? Passenger/right side - might be the AOS. Driver/left side - might be the oil cooler. Both sides? Maybe the spark plug tubes, but I don't see how they'd all break...

Hmmmmm. That much oil sounds like RMS. Could be case or around IMS.

I wouldn't have thought that a RMS would leak out 2 qts in 5 miles (unless there's no rubber seal at all). 944boy's idea that the oil fill tube is cracked or broken is a possibility too.
If it were me, I would clean the engine with chemical degreaser, jack car up in 4 stands, fill up to max with engine oil and run engine (still on jackstands) and observe. If its losing that much oil, it should become obvious pretty quickly, thats a lot of oil to spread about....

If you're leaking oil at that rate, what are you doing running and driving the car?

I second the RMS theory, a catastrophic seal failure is about the only one I know of that would cause so much oil to be lost in so short a time. Good luck!

Cheers!

Well its holding te amount of oil that shows the bare minimum acceptable line on the electronic oil gauge. Its not dropping any oil from what is in there no matter how much I drive it... maybe a nickel size drop every mile or two.

If I add a quart or so to fill it up... then it pours out like rain when the car is running/driving.

Its coming from almost the exact middle of the engine, only slightly to the passenger side.

My thoughts are it is my daily driver and if the engine goes... then I'll just drop a 3.4 with a TPC charger on it.

We're planning on cleaning the engine this weekend and taking a look to see exactly where its coming from.

Was there any results on this problem??

We are going to try and find the exact spot of the leak and whats causing it on saturday, hopefully we can find it :rolleyes:

My bet is on the...
 

... cracked oil filler tube.
That's what I'd check first (from the top of the engine).
If it was a seal issue it would dump oil as long as there was oil pressure.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro