Likely an RMS/IMS leak - or something else?
 

Seems my Boxster smelled where my 914 leaks and wanted to mark her territory. My first oil leak at 75k miles. It looks like it's coming from between the transmission and engine. I'm pretty much sure this means the RMS or IMS leaking - or is there anything else that can be causing it?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1441324369.jpg

There's a trans bushing that can leak trans oil into the bell housing, but my (poor) cash says its RMS. No matter, it's coming apart. That RMS can totally fail and DUMP oil.

Really? I've been reading and a lot of people continue to drive and not worry about a few drips.

I replaced my oil filter tonight and checked for metal - nothing. So if the IMS was failing nothing is showing yet.

You may not notice IMS failure until the engine grenades. Magnetic oil plug will show the debris before the filter will. There's an oil seal on the outer IMS cover that can leak. The RMS is a rubber main seal that is gently pressed into the opening in the block and really just sits in place. If it's leaking I wouldn't trust it.

No oil leaks are good news, and some are definitely worse than others. An oil leak from say a cam cover could be tolerated for a period of time without major consequences (we often have to point them out to otherwise oblivious customers), an oil leak in the bell housing area is an entirely different subject. Two things can leak in the bell housing: Your RMS and your IMS. Neither will get better with time, and both are potentially shortening the life of your clutch and dual mass flywheel. Add in that an IMS leak could be an early sign of its pending demise, particularly if the leak is from the center bolt rather than the flange seals. With a clutch disc and pressure plate retailing for around $500, and the flywheel nearly $1K, a leaking $20 RMS seal can get very expensive, particularly if you have to add in shop labor to replace them.

That doesn't look like a small drip-type leak. That looks like oil is getting flung everywhere. I would clean the entire area and assess the severity of the leak over the next 100 miles or so and go from there.

I had an RMS leak which resulted in a new clutch and, while I was in there, a new LN IMS bearing. I enjoy the car too much to risk a grenaded engine.

So it hasn't leaked since Wednesday night when it left a puddle the size of a quarter. Not one single drop at home or at work.

How's that for a head scratcher?

on my first boxster i owned i had the same leak and it mysteriously stopped . it was only a very small drip when it did leak .

Check if it is not coming from above the bell housing. In my case it was a failing aos apparently dumping enough oil in the inlet that it dripped down on the bell housing.

+ 1

I could swear that my valve cover was leaking when the AOS was the culprit.

The second time a couple of years later, the leak was caused by a crack on the lower accordion hose that connects the AOS with the crankcase vent valve...

Funny that I responded to this thread, and then the exact same thing happened to me. Same area-ish wet with oil. Contorted my body and traced it to the rubber bellows hose that connects the bottom of the AOS to the crankcase. If your leak is obviously not coming from the oil pan gasket or valve cover, check the accordion looking tube on the AOS. I guess the crankcase oil 'mist' escapes and coats things until they drip.