After finally getting my trans off. Note to Self. Listen to what the guy says in the book 101 projects and use a double square bit instead of an allen. I spent 4 hours grinding that darn bolt off!!!

Anyway Here is a Pic of the Back of the Engine. Does this look like the RMS or the IMS is leaking? I'm waiting for the parts to come in to change both. Just curious as it looks to me that the IMS is the leaker.

Sorry no picture just have to imagine it

 

 

Is your car a manual or Tiptronic?

 

With no pic all I can tell you is what I went through with my Boxster and my 996 Turbo. The tech (different techs) told me before removing the transmission that a check would be made to verify where the oil was coming from. An oil leak from above the bell housing cam mimic look like an RMS leak. The techs did confirm there was no oil leak above the bell housing.

I was also told there are a few places under the bell housing that can leak oil that with the transmission in place can look like a RMS leak.

With the Boxster once the transmission was out the word was that it is "impossible" to know if the leak is just from the RMS or it is from the RMS and the IMS bearing end plate. The Boxster RMS was done under warranty and the factory guide lines called for both the RMS and IMS bearing end plate be replaced.

The new RMS must not be installed at the same location as the old one. The old RMS has worn shallow grooves in the crank journal which if the new seal is located at those groves will have the new seal leaking in no time.

You probably can't install the new seal any deeper into the engine block so you'll have to install it a bit less deep so the seal is running against virgin crankshaft journal.

The seal must be driven in square. If you **** it even if you get it straight again this can have the seal leaking.

My impression with some at least who have done this they buy two seals. One to practice with and then remove and throw away the 2nd is the one that then gets installed and left installed.

At the same time you need to/should replace the IMS bearing end plate. The original one that came out of my Boxster was the old style with one measly o-ring. The one that replaced it had a 3 ribbed seal and came with micro sealed bolts. These are needed because the bolt holes are through the block and the bolts can be partially submerged in oil. The oil can leak through the threads and out from under the heads. And then you have another "RMS" leak.

There are special steps that one must follow *before* he removes the end flange! I do not know them but you need to know them and know them correctly and know how to follow them to ensure the cam timing is not affected when you remove the end flange.

With my Turbo there was no IMS bearing end flange to worry about. But once the tech had the transmission out he carefully checked to make sure the oil leak was not from some other place under the area covered by the bell housing. There were no other oil leaks. A new RMS and all signs of an RMS leak were gone and never reappeared.

Oh since you didn't provide a pic let me..

First one is a shot of my Boxster's RMS/IMS bearing flange area.




The 2nd is a shot of my Turbo's RMS.