Need some help with an elusive oil leak

[Phil C]

My '02 S has about 90,000 miles on it. I bought it in July and have been doing all the maintainence that a 90k car needs. New plugs and plug tubes, fresh gear oil, new oil cooler o rings, replaced rear control arms (front is next), etc. I love this car.
Once in a while I smelled burning oil after brisk drives. Cleaned the engine so I could find the leak. Somehow oil is getting on the right catalytic converter. Every now and then I'll see a cloud of gray smoke in the rear view mirror. Today I changed the aos as a preventative measure. Plus I thought it might somehow cure the leak. No such luck!
The oil pressure switch is bone dry, I've looked high and low on the right side of the engine and can't find any leaks. there are a few drops on the bottom of the cam cover, but no weeping. The blue O2 sensor wire has oil on it, so I'm guessing oil is coming from somewhere in the upper engine, running down the wire and burning on the converter. Could something be creating excess crankcase pressure? I'm at a total loss.
Sorry for the long post, I wanted to give as much detail as possible.
Thanks in advance for any sugestions!

[nicecar]

My 02 S does the same identical thing as you have described. I was really alarmed by the cat wire drip, which is where my search began. 88 k is when cam covers were removed and replaced on this car which is now at 124. Maybe someone will suggest something soon. Thanks for posting in detail, no need to appologize Im sure

[Redboxs]

I also have the same problem. I am going to clean my motor next weekend and then pull it the week after. Hopefully I can find the leak then. I actually have 2 leaks. 1 is as you described, coming off the blue wire. The second is definitely from a botched RMS job from a local repair shop (RMS was done less than 200 miles ago). I'll watch this thread and update if you havn't found it before me. Good luck.

[Phil C]

I've had great success with Simple Green aircraft cleaner. It's specially formulated for aluminum and works like a charm. Removes all the grease and cleans up the oxidation. I'll post when I find the solution. That's what makes these forums work!
Phil C

[biglimited]

Funny thing, also same symptons here with 95tkm driven Boxster S 2004. Not done any repairing yet.. could it be from the oil stick(?) or from the tube that you put oil in..? Possible leak from those upper parts..?

[porsche-land]

It could be the cam shaft cover leaking. You would have to remove it and reseal it to get it fixed. Common issue with Boxsters. It leaks directly onto the cat, and that's when you see the smoke and smell of burnt oil.

[Phil C]

Maybe...
The cover is pretty dry. I'm thinking there's excess pressure under certain conditions and that's causing extra oil to hit the pre-cat. Im going to look at the cam seals when it warms up. My extra garage isnt heated.

[nicecar]

Originally Posted by biglimited

Funny thing, also same symptoms here with 95tkm driven Boxster S 2004. Not done any repairing yet.. could it be from the oil stick(?) or from the tube that you put oil in..? Possible leak from those upper parts..?

I just changed my oil before noticing the 2 drops maybe the oil tube? Has not ocurred since wiping of the floor and 1 drop on the o2 sensor. Just drove the heck out of it to 24hr. race and back, checked floor this morning nothing but the same leak from shift lever thats been there 4 years.