I found a couple of drops of oil on my garage floor yesterday. So I cleaned them up and drove the car some whatched it at idle for a while and saw nothing but, found a couple more drops today. Must be a leak under preasure. Anyone one else have this problem. Car has only 900 miles!

bummer is the nearest dealer is about 250 miles away!

Any advice other then the obivious, take it to the dealer. I have to admit I've run it up higher then they say in the manuel a couple of times. Any warrrenty issues? How can you not get on it!

 

possible RMS leak...especially if you don't drive the car much...very common for 997 GT3 and GT3RS...should be fixed under warranty...you can't hurt it if you miss redline upshifting cuz the rev limiter will take care of that...to hurt it, you need to downshift into too low of a gear and do a mechanical overrev...

 

Many posts on Rennlist regarding RMS issues.

 

Mine had the same thing earlier this month. Just got it back from the dealer and I'm watching it closely incase it leaks again.
Very common problem with these cars.

 

I was told that the unique design of the GT3 RMS is a result of running a vacuum to the engine case to reduce internal friction. Supposedly good for 8 hp at redline. when engine is running, vacuum keeps seal tight. When car is parked oil just sits aganst the seal hence more likelihood of seapage. A racing thing.

Any truth?

 

I was told vacuum yes for high end HP but that doesn't mean they can't produce a seal that holds under no vacuum - if it is sealed at 8400rpms under vacuum (presumably the most stressful moment for the engine) clearly they could produce a working seal that would work when the engine is off - oh wait they have, it is the TT seal from the 993 or 996 and it works - how do I know? - because it is preventing my car from leaking after 4 OE seal failures

Don't believe any of the factory hype about improper seal install or manufacturing seal defect - the seal is a poor design on s low volume engine that is no longer in production (no fix coming I bet) - if you want a better solution try a TT seal - I can tell you it works so far and the dealer installed it after they gave up listening to the factory

To the original poster - either learn to live with the car the way it is as long as it is only a few drops or if you plan on keeping the car for a very long time just read this board or rennlist every so often (looking for s posting about s new seal) or at minimum notify the dealer that the car is now leaking ( and that you are fully aware of the many many gt3s that are leaking) and that when Porsche comes up with a new seal that will work (a new install tool is BS) you would like to have your car fixed even after the warranty has expired

- years from now if it is on your budget tell the mechanic to use a 996 Turbo seal

- Don't panic, your car is fine
- the engine is not damaged - you can take it to 8400 rpms every time you drive it
- Porsche just needs to hire someone from Honda to fix the problem

 

What's the joy of owning the car and not driving it?????????

900mi ????????? in what period of time???

Do the car and yourself a favor....Get out and DRIVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here is a written response I received from a Porshe North America "Customer Commitment Specialist regarding the factory's policy for dealing with RMS leaks. My car has not or does not leak.

We are in receipt of your inquiry addressed to Porshce Cars of North America. As the person in charge of customer satisfaction in your area, I am responding to your request. I would like to address concerns you raised regarding the oil seepage issue on your 2008 Porsche 911 GT3RS.

Please be advised that GT3 engines have a design which is unique from other 911's because of it's exposure to very high RPM's. The rear main seal of these engines is held tight by a vacum created inside the engine block. If the vehicle is not used for prolonged periods of time this vacum pressure may decrease allowing a small amount of oil to seep past the seal. Due to this special design, oil seepage can occur in GT3 vehicles that are not driven on a regular basis.

Your warranty manual indicated that your responsibility for normal vehicle use is for your vehicle to driven daily over a distance of several miles. Your vehicle was designed with the assumption that it would be used within these guidelines. If it is not, you may experience some oil seepage, however, this is not a defect in the vehicle but simply a result of lack of use.


That letter is the offical corporate dribble, others have received the same response. If the RMS leak is not a defect than why do they repair the leaks under warranty with the same defective seal. If my car does leak I would use th 996 TT seal. But don't look to the factory to come up with a new part to fix the problem many have tried. Good Luck.

 

Why so much concern over a little oil leakage?
My GT3 drips a little... maybe 4 or 5 drops a week. I don't worry about it.
My Mercedes leaks.
My Lotus leaks.
My Boxster leaks.

The only car I have that doesn't leak (yet) is my Nissan Xterra 4x4. Hmm, the only Japanese car I have & the only one that doesn't leak...

I don't see why it's such an issue, as long as it doesn't get considerably worse.

 

let's not lower the standards for porsche. engines shouldn't leak especially a new car with very few miles on it.

period. it's annoying. it is a big deal. tell your non-car buds your $200K car leaks oil. have fun.

i find porsche's note interesting. i'm cool with the expectation that the car gets regular use, but this is ridiculous:

"Your warranty manual indicated that your responsibility for normal vehicle use is for your vehicle to driven daily over a distance of several miles."

you think the typical 911 buyer has time every day to drive his 911? what, no vaca, no travel commitments? maybe they're assuming the gt3rs guys have the cash flow to hire a 911 daily driver boy. lol too funny if that note is legit from porsche corp.

 

I can tell you it is a real letter from Kristina Nyman in Atlanta on Porshe letterhead. One more thing, there are many Gt3 owners who use their cars as daily drivers and they still leak. I don't want to start a big debate or discussions on this issue it was done to death on Rennlist. Bottom line if you have a Gt3 there is high percentage it will develop a RMS leak, Porsche will repair it until the warranty runs out, but at this point the repair will be with the same defective seal so it will most likely leak again.

 

Thanks for all the info. I'm relieved to say the least. The reason I don't drive it more is because I travel internationally extensively with my job. no chance of a daily drive. All my friends will step to drive it I'm sure.

Thanks Tim

 

Which is why I won't bother to mess with it. To me, having the dealership remove the engine & all of the related components necessary to accomplish the seal repair opens the possibility of them creating a new problem while trying to unsuccessfully fix an oil leak, isn't worth the risk.
I'd rather leave it alone, knowing that the oil seal is the only problem, and not worry about what parts they may have not re-installed properly that will be "new" problems I didn't have before.

 

Many owners have taken that approach.

 

That's true. Porsche supposedly redesign the seal so it doesn't have that problem. I'm planning on taking my car in to get the RMS fixed and I'll let you guys know the result in a few months.