Oil leak near Left side of engine(Driver Side)

[spine911]

i have a 01 2.7l. I noticed today i have some oil drips on the Left Side of the engine(Driver's side). I tried locating the exact source of the leak but i havent had the chance to take off the plastic engine belly cover- i noticed oil is leaking mainly from the Left Side of the engine/ i think it may be coming from one of the bolts from the valve covers--- --- is this a possible RMS leak or just oil coming from the valve covers?....Any Thoughts?....Thnx

[Brucelee]

Cam cover or Valve cover gaskets. RMS is usually seen in the middle of car towards the back.


That would be my guess.

Keep us posted.

[spine911]

i did some research regarding possible oil leak reasons/areas aside from RMS(RMS leak is usually in the middle where the tranny meets the engine, LESS likely to have a oil burning smell unless its a HUGE leak since the leak is often well below the exhaust)....1. Valve Cover/Cam Cover Leak- OFTEN will some degree of oil burning scent since it is above the manifold. Leak located on the sides of the engine(either left or right). Remedy: re-torque cam/valve casing bolts(simple) or replace gasket/bolts/reseal....2. Spark Plug O Ring Leak- easy to locate under the spark plug boots either on both/any side of the engine . Remedy: Replace Spark plug O- Rings.....Are the info above pretty accurate??(pls. add. to the above info)......What are the symptoms for a Oil Filler Tube/Oil Separator Leak/Oil Pressure Switch Leak??....Anyone has an idea about the cost of repairing and the complexity of these leaks(Valve Cover/Spark Plug O Ring/Oil Separator, etc).......THNX!

[deliriousga]

The oil filler tube goes in the block on the right side of the engine so it's probably not the source of your problem since I don't think it wouldtgravel all the way across.

I don't know about the valve covers, but I'd imagine the spark plug o-rings (don't know if it has any or not) would be pretty easy since the plugs are directly behind the rear tires.

I have a similar leak, but it's not bad. It does not leak oil on the floor and it does not leak enough to change the oil level in the last three months. There's just some oil visible on the left side of the engine and an occassional burning oil smell. Heck, it could be from a previous oil change getting out of hand at the dealer so I haven't checked it out completely since the oil level does not change.

[RandallNeighbour]

ditto here. I've got a tiny valve cover gasket leak. Nothing large enough to worry about according to my mechanic, and very typical for Porsches. I hate oil leaks though and wish I didn't have it.

[Adam]

oil leak? why does this have to happen to our cars?