intermediate shaft seal and cover

[rodsnhawgs]

Now we're down to it. With the flexplate (flywheel on standard cars) removed, the offending RMS is exposed. This is the old style seal - if you'll refer to the Renntech link, you can see and read all about these and how the newer Cayenne style seal is the latest replacement. My personal opinion on the seal failures, based on limited knowledge here...:

The material of construction (MOC) appears to have been incorrect for the application. However, this is secondary to the design flaw of the crank support (or lack of) at the rear of the block. I think these two issues are what cause the RMS leak issue. W/ the crank unsupported, the rotating mass and associated harmonics make it impossible to maintain a straight axis through the crank centerline. Lots of heat is generated as the seal "rubs" on the rear crank causing the seal to become less pliable over time. As the seal hardens and the harmonics continue, oil naturally finds a path out. My/our hope, given the fact that Porsche has decided to ignor the unsupported crank issue, is that the new seal MOC will maintain its integrity and thus eliminate/reduce the number of seal failures we're seeing. It's a bandaid fix, but if it works....

OK, on to the show: Here you can see the leaky seal ( 2 pics). With the seal removed, the pics show the wear mark on the crank (please excuse the out of focus pic). In my case, the seal did not wear a groove in the crank, but only left a score mark. My guess is that some failures are a result of an actual groove left in the crank - check this closely. Part of the recommended r & r is that the new seal be set deeper into the block (see thread below). I concur... I also followed the recommendation that the four block bolts and three intermediate shaft bolts be replaced. This is cheap insurance if you're this deep into the project. With the seal replaced, the reassembly is again straightforward. If you go to my first post in this thread (int shaft seal...) you can see the new seal installed in the pic. I replaced all eight flexplate bolts w/ new ones (once again as cheap insurance @ $1 each). Use locktight blue on them as Porsche bolts don't use any type of lockwasher. Please refer to the links below for more details.

[rodsnhawgs]

A few items worth noting. Apparently Porsche uses two different size fasteners on the inboard half-shaft hubs. The dealer tech cautioned me (and I you) to be sure to torque these to the correct specs. On the tiptronic cars, the starter must be removed to access the torque converter bolts - be sure to use a suitable retainer, as shown in the Bentley, on the torque converter so it doesn't fall out when removing the transmission. I also stuffed a rag in the starter/trans opening so I wouldn't drop a torque converter bolt down in the trans bellhousing when going in or out with these bolts. I had all the parts in-hand before I started so as to avoid untimely delays.

One other thing that bears noting. I didn't use the go/no-go tool to measure the opening. I didn't use the Porsche seal installation tool either. Because I've worked on cars most of my life, and have a good selection of tools and measuring devices I was able to do this without these specialized tools. Use your own judgement as to your abilities. Be honest with yourself - you may want to opt for these tools - again, probably a good investment.

So far, so good...as noted below, total parts cost was less than $150 US. If you attempt this yourself, go slow, refer to the good folks here and on other sites often, and be safe.

[NickCats]

rodsnhawgs, thanks so much for sharing this !

How long did this take total ? Did you finish in one day or spend multiple days ?

[rodsnhawgs]

NickCats: Because I was in a learning curve (Boxster is a new animal to me) it took longer than a Porsche tech of course... but even so, I did it over about 3 days and probably 18 hours total. I lost a lot of time w/ the intermediate shaft problem (recall the original post on this thread). I'd say if I had to do it again in the near future (let's hope not!), I could probably do it in 10-12 hours. I'd be interested in knowing what the Porsche flat rate calls for... anyone know?

[NickCats]

I was quoted $951 for the RMS. At $130 an hour I figure 7 hrs of labor...