Hello!

I'm new here. I have been here reading for a while but this is my first post here.

Well two months ago I bought my first Porsche, a 996tt 2001. I'm very happy with the car. Mint condition

Immidietly when I bought it I i took it to a Porsche Center to do the big inspection with additional brakefluid and all the other extras.

The car had two faults; the clutch accumulator and wheel allignment. When I picked the car up at Porsche after the service a mechanic showed me the car underneath and it was dry and nice. And he booked me in for a new time two weeks later to have the accumulator changed.

Two weeks went and Porsche replaced the accumulator without any complications as far as i know.
I drove the car a couple of times after that and the clutch felt great.
But when I was in at another company to do the wheel allignment I saw that oil was coming out from under the car. I called Porsche about this this morning and they said that the job of changing the accumulator is a little bit messy and that the mechanic could have spilled some oil.
I have a small oilmark on the floor where the car is standing, I looked today but it seems dry/old. The floor is very dusty so it absorbs quite good.

Porsche says that there is nothing to worry about. That propobly the mechanic spilled oil when doing this and that they always clean upp below the car after this type of job but some oil may have got stuck on the gearbox and when I drove the car the oil started to blow down from the gearbox because of the wind.

I have a small noise, like if it was from the steering pump, when i park the car in narrow spaces. And when i am standing still at idle and using the servo. It sqeels all the time, no matter if i turn the steeringwheel or not. But as soon as i drive away it dissapears. The car has had this noice since i bought it. And it is exactly the same after replacing the accumulator. Porsche did not say anything about this when doing the service.

Do I need to be worried? Or are they speaking the thruth?

I have searched the forum but havent been able to come to a conclusion.

 

Here's the issue with the accumilator... It's basically a bladder that stores the additional fluid required to actuate the slave cylinder AND the powersteering unit at the same time.

A pic of the accumilator
http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/me...de=996ttengine

This is where things can get screwey... The two systems, the clutch hydraulics and the steering, are tied together and use an oil called PENTOSIN:

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/me...de=996ttengine

My guess they did not top off the power steering reservoir properly, when they replaced the accumilator. You lose a fair amount when replacing the unit. Also you should know that pentosin is flamable at a very high flashpoint and can cause fire. There are several 996TTs on record of catching fire due to the clutch hydraulics failing. Your manual outlines how to top off the power steering fluid properly. With the car COLD, start the car and let it idle for 25 seconds then turn it off. Check the reservoir at the rear of the car. It will be low, I guarantee it.

I'd check the unit at the front as well, and it wouldn't hurt to take the car by a car wash and take the wand and stick it in under the driver's suspension and spray the area down with the unit set to "RINSE"... Flush out any more of the Pentosin... that sfuff also eats rubber and has cause a number of water hose failures, so don't wait long... Do it soonest!

Report back on what you find, and Welcome to the 6!

Mike

 

Thank you for your reply.

You made me feel vere worried about the pentosin everywhere and also on the water hoses. It is two weeks since i hade the car in at porsche.

My engine compartment is dusty. Is it safe to wash it? Ofcourse when cold.

But to sum up Mikelly, you believe in Porsches version that they haven't cleaned up after them selfes and I don't have to worry as long as i dry up all the pentosin?

 

Rinse it with the motor running and don't use high pressure on any electrical connections... You don't want to force water in past any weather seals. You should be fine, but I'd check the pentosin fluid level and top it off ASAP, as well.

Mike

 

So I'm back

I drove the car yesterday to try out my new tires and wheel allignment. What a difference
Well I also checked the Pentosin lever and it was perfect.

There were no new drips of oil under the car when I started it. But after I have driven it and letting it be parked for about 30 minutes I found one drip of a light yellow oil, nonsmelling, under the car. Could this be Brakefluid??

I drove it again, harder and longer this time and then parked it for 2hours and then I went for a drive again. Before driving this time I found another 2-4drops of oil. The car was very slightly tilted when it was parked, but I don't feel to good finding out about this.

So what to do now? What can it be?

 

You need to get it in the air to see where it is coming from. It could be something as simple as the crush washer on the drain plug on the oil tank or the bottom of the block, or a crush seal on one of the turbo oil drains... Could be something more... You won't know until you get under it and look.

Mike

 

Hmm, it doesn't sound like it is pentosin that is leaking since it is a greenish color. It is also very light and slick. Can you get your car up on ramps and take a look underneath to see what it is?

 

Good write up Mike. +1!

 

I called my Porsche Center yesterday and they told me to come in today. So I will be going there in a couple of hours and they will look under it for me.

 

I just arrived back to the office from Porsche.

The mechanic told me it was the oilplug to the gearbox. So we changed that and did an oilchange on the gearbox also.

I hope this was it.