Just bought my Boxster S, and now a RMS leak...

[fragdude]

Hey everyone,

I wanna start off by saying I'm very proud to enter the "boxster community" as some Apple people say...haha.

I have been a Porsche man for quite some time with my first car being a 1977 911 (rebuild engine of course) and convincing my brother to buy a gorgeous 1987 911 with 68k miles in the past year. I have also owned a 2001 Honda S2000 (which I loved) and 2004 Mazda RX8 (which I hated). The few times I've driven my car have been great! It has some physical blemishes (the top has some scuffs and there is some small rock damage to the paint on the front nose), but its been a blast.

My car current has 46,400 miles on it and I bought it with about 46,150. About three days ago I noticed some oil on the floor of my garage. Fearful of an RMS leak I took it to my mechanic today (first opening he had to check out the car) and he confirmed my suspicions. I'm assuming that I was sold the car with an RMS leak in its infancey stages (right before it starts dripping on the ground) and since I bought it at an auction, one can't really get a pre-purchase inspection done right there (price you pay for getting your hands on a 2002 Boxster S w/ 46k miles for 21k).

Now for my question:
My mechanic, who specializes in Audi and VW, but also knows Porsches, said it would cost him 700 dollars to change the RMS (not a bad price from what I've heard) and if the clutch was getting worn he would change that for about another $300. Unfortunately he is going on vacation for a week so I am left with a few questions:
How bad would it be if I drove the car over the next week? and is the oil drained when changing the RMS? I would assume so, but I don't know for sure because I need an oil change
Thanks for any help guys!

[AddictionRacing]

$700 for an RMS seems about right, and if he'll change the clutch for an additional $300 you should have it done whether yours is worn or not.

Yes, the oil will have to be drained to do the RMS.

Most people on the board agree that if it's not leaking badly (only a couple drops per day) then you can continue to drive it longer than a week. I personally think you should change it and the clutch sooner rather than later, but you will most certainly get other responses to let it drip, keep an eye on the leak to make sure it doesn't worsen, and then change the RMS when you need a clutch.

[Wret]

Mine has deposited about 2 drops a day on the driveway since I bought it a year ago. It won't turn into a gusher overnight. As long you maintain the oil at a safe level you don't need to obsess about it.

[HammerESQ]

My dad has a '01 Boxster, he drove it for months with it leaving a drop of oil on the floor every couple of days.

Not the best thing in the world, but it didn't harm anything either.

[fragdude]

Thanks guys!

Its leaking more than a couple drops a day, I would say closer to 4-5 whenever I turn the car off. Ill just keep an eye on the oil level and wait till my mechanic comes back from his vacation.

The oil is NOT drained when they do an RMS.

[rick3000]

I would not drive it. You could get way with it, but your gambling with a $10k engine replacement. But it's up to you.

[fragdude]

Hmm... Can anyone confirm if the oil is drained or not? Because if it isn't, I would love to do an oil change. Its due for one. Here is what I found about changing the RMS:

http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/996rms/rms1.php

It doesn't say anything about draining the oil, but wouldn't it make sense for the oil to gush out if the seal, that is leaking oil, is removed?

I dunno!

[NoOxyContin4U]

Hi Frag.

Below is a repair I invented for the RMS problem back when I was UroTrash (before I lost that password.... )

Hope it helps, it worked great for my Box!!!

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8668

[fragdude]

You know thats a very clever solution you got there....but I think you should file suit against Pelican Parts. They seemed to have stolen your invention:

p.s. I also posted a pic of the oil stain from the RMS leak to give you guys an idea of how much has leaked out in the past ~5 days.

[Quickurt]

I wouldn't worry until your garage floor looks like this.....http://www.laphotos.com/LaBrea.html