Oil Leak - Pulling Trans to change RMS, IMS, Clutch, etc

[Paul]

Air Oil Separator.

[Paul]

Here's a picture of when I did mine (even easier with the motor on a lift table)

[Paul]

This tool makes replacing the RMS correctly as simple as unwrapping a stick of gum.

[Paul]

Oil fill tube:

[woodsman]

why would the oil fill tube need to be replaced? what goes wrong with it?

[Paul]

Age and vibration, it is attached to the motor which rocks on its mount when compared to the oil fill cap which is mounted on the firewall. Also a failing AOS causes low vacuum that collapses the tube when off throttle.

In regards to the RMS, I use the sheet metal screw method to remove them.

[woodsman]

Wow that was QUICK!!! thanks for your expertise and the good pictures. I was going to put my tranny back in today but may now wait to install the oil fill tube since mine is leaking alittle- the AOS was replaced about 50 miles before I stopped driving it last fall. Is it a concern about air pressure/vacuum?
PS How the heck did you take the last picture?...mechanics secret third hand?..

[Paul]

When a AOS fails it can introduce high vacuum levels to the crankcase and since the oil tube dumps into the crankcase, the high vacuum levels can make it collapse and ultimately leak.

[woodsman]

would a bad AOS cause a strong oily odour around my car after shutting it off?

[drbodzin]

Have any of you replaced the transmission Main Shaft Seal? Any advice? Thinking I want to do that since I have the transmission out.

And Paul, thank you for posting the pics of your work.

[Homeboy981]

On a 6 Speed… Instructions say to drill a hole and insert a drywall-type screw and then, using prybar/pliers you can extract. I found that part to be true.

The tricky part was putting the transmission seal back in! Make sure you get it in FAR ENOUGH! If you are replacing the Throwout Bearing guide Sleeve, as you should, take the old one, invert it, and insert it FORCEFULLY (up to and including banging it with a mallet HARD). It MUST SEAT very well up against the lip of the transmission housing to seal.

My PO did not seal it well and ruined the clutch/flywheel/Throwout Bearing. There was also a couple pounds of grease mixed with dirt INSIDE the tranny housing…it was a mess!

TEST IT BEFORE YOU INSTALL:
CAREFULLY tip the transmission housing forward so you can test the seal for runs, drips or errors. Also, IF you notice ANY transmission fluid leaking out at time of re-assembly… the seal is NOT SEATED ENOUGH.

Here is a pic of the seal in question.


Again, this is a Boxster S model, with a 6 speed. The 5 speed has a larger flange and is a larger diameter.

Hope that helps you get it together!

Originally Posted by drbodzin

Have any of you replaced the transmission Main Shaft Seal? Any advice? Thinking I want to do that since I have the transmission out.

And Paul, thank you for posting the pics of your work.

[drbodzin]

Homeboy, thanks for that detail instruction on Main Shaft Seal. That will help me a a lot.

[drbodzin]

Today I drained the oil, removed the flywheel and cleaned up the back of the engine to get ready for the RMS and IMS replacement work. I also decided to get a new flywheel. The old one is probably ok, but what the heck.

I was surprise to see the the rear of the engine was not as messy as I had expected. I thought I would see evidence of oil leak, but not so much.

Here are the pics before I cleaned it up. If any of you have any thoughts about what you see, let me know.







And here it is after some clean-up.

[woodsman]

jeez, now I wish I had cleaned mine before I put the clutch and flywheel on again...a car that's loved , shows it

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by drbodzin

Today I drained the oil, removed the flywheel and cleaned up the back of the engine to get ready for the RMS and IMS replacement work. I also decided to get a new flywheel. The old one is probably ok, but what the heck.

I was surprise to see the the rear of the engine was not as messy as I had expected. I thought I would see evidence of oil leak, but not so much.

Here are the pics before I cleaned it up. If any of you have any thoughts about what you see, let me know.







And here it is after some clean-up.

Looks like the leak is from the IMSB flange, so good catch. Did you check the cam deviation before you took it apart? Was there any metal in the oil filter or the sump plate?

Keep the updates coming.

[drbodzin]

Hi san rensho,

The after pictures you are referring too are "just" the cleanup of the engine case. I still have not replaced the IMS yet. But I thought the same thing about where the leak was coming from.

There wasn't any metal in the oil. I plan on removing the RMS and IMS tonight or tomorrow. I will post pics once I do.

However, there is a ton of oil in the bell housing of the transmission. So I am also thinking it could also be from the transmission Mail Seal, as it is much oilier than the engine was.

[drbodzin]

Here is the RMS install I did today.



Here is the install tool with the new RMS on it.

[drbodzin]

Here is the IMSB Install I did today. Of course I had locked the exhaust camshaft on the passenger side with the cam lock tool with the crank at top-dead-center first.

This is the old IMSB Cover removed.



Once I got the cover removed, I inspected the old IMS. It looked as good as new. There was no play in the shaft. It seemed to be just fine so I started to think I would just leave it. If I had not already purchased the new bearing, I would have just left it in. But since I already had the new ceramic bearing, I decided to proceed.







The bearing came out easier than I thought.





Here is the new IMS bearing with the install tool attached. Was in the freezer for a few days.



The new bearing went in perfect. Again, was easier to do than I thought.



And the new cover plate installed.

[ccjazz]

I just love watching these DIY's. You are obviously very particular and it shows!

Great work, beautiful Boxster you have there....worth every minute of your efforts.

So, do you plan to investigate the tranny seal further?

[Paul]

Well done! Using the correct tools always produces a better chance of success.

How much oil was in the IMS tube?