Hi. This is my very first post. If you can kindly help me, I would be grateful.

I bought a 2003 996 TT several weeks ago and noticed that there are small amounts of leak coming underneath the car. It is almost black in color but does not appear to be engine oil (the smell is almost odorless). Here is the picture which I uploaded to this post.

With little knowledge I have, I believe this is automatic tramission oil or fluid which is leaking from the gasket area (I have Tiptronic). I took a look underneath the car and the areas nearby the gasket appear to be "wet". Therefore, it is also possible that the leak may be coming from the top of the transmission and not just from the gasket area.

My concern is that the leak may have been ongoing for awhile (and not a recent happening). I plan to take the car to a Porsche-trained mechanic to check it out, but the immediate question I have is whether there is any way for me to visually check whether there is adequate amount of ATF in the car. (My worry is that I may be driving with dangerously low level of transmission oil/fluid).

Assuming there is no way for me to visually check from the engine compartment, does a warning light in the dashboard go off if the transmission oil/fluid level go down to an acceptable level? Can you offer some insight?

 

I have the exact same problem. Found out today. The mechanic says Porsche North America does NOT sell the gasket to fix the leak. It leaks down from the top and we do not know what to do other than pull the tranny and have a gasket made. That is going to be a huge expense for a piece of paper gasket leak. You can not check your fluid level except by adding fluid from the bottom to see how much it takes before flowing out the top port of the reservoir. You need a pump and fitting to do this along with tools to jack up the car etc...Let me know if you get another opinion that says something else or give me a call and we can work together on this. Sorry situation but at least the car is still mechanically sound.

 

Hi, Brian. My car is in Korea (I've been living here for abour 4 years) so I took the car back to a dealer who sold me the car. He then took the car to a Porsche mechanic who "fixed" the problem by replacing the then current gasket (which was for the 996 Turbo) with a gasket made for the Carrera. After this "fix", the dealer returned the car back to me but the leak was still happening (but the amount of leak was less than before).

I complained to the dealer and the dealer took the car back again. The dealer said that the mechanic then did a more thorough visual inspection of the tiptronic transmission and found out that the leak was also traced to the so-called "transmission housing" (don't know what this means), which the mechanic later supposedly replaced with a new one (or fixed it) along with the replacement of the Carrera gasket with a new gasket designed for the Turbo. The car was returned to me yesterday and so far there has been no leak.

Some questions which the dealer has not yet fully answered or addressed: (1) I still don't know what parts was exactly fixed or replaced (gasket or housing or little parts or components thereof) and (2) I still don't know specifically what was the true source of the problem (they just said the leak was traced to the gasket and the housing).

I know another Porsche mechanic (personally) who recently told me that, in lieu of a Turbo gasket, a gasket made for BMW or other European brands can be fitted into the 996 turbo. He said this is commonly done here in Korea (for Porches in Korea) but such practice is looked down upon. (By the way, this mechanic worked at a Porsche turning shop for several years in Japan so I trust him more than anybody that I know of).

At any rate, if I do get some answers from the dealer regarding my queries above, will reply here...

 

Thanks for getting back. You did very well in that they fixed this stuff no charge . Wow. I guarantee they had 25 hours in that thing cause taking it out of the car and pulling it apart to repair the gasket is a huge job. That gasket at the top that connects the two housings of the transmission togather is my problem and probably the same as yours. Any detailed info they would give you would be a big help to me. There is a possibility that they were able to " lower the transmission down a bit giving them enough room to do the job. If so this would be a huge time and money saver. Let me know what you can and best regards.
BP
I just hope they didnt pour some type of transmission leak repair juice in there and call it good...

 

You can buy gasket material.and cut out the pattern you need.

somethings dont use a gasket they will use a silicone or anaerobic sealer

 

Brian,

Take a look at these two weblinks below (maybe you have seen these already but just in case).

http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/37822-help-leaking-tiptronic-transmission-dealer-says-non-repairable/

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php/topic/19533-oil-spot/page__p__100163__hl__%2Btiptronic+%2Bproblem__from search__1#entry100163

On the other hand, for my situation, I followed up with the dealer. He basically said he does not know what was exactly fixed, but he said the mechanic did some "extensive" work on the transmission. Not sure whether or not I believe him. In any case, he rejected the idea that some repairing fluid was put it to stop the leak (but how would I know for sure). In any case, I plan to take the car to the other mechanic whom I know personally and ask him to check out the so-called repair job. He has seen the leak before and maybe he can add this thoughts. Will post a reply when the chance comes.

 

some of the gaskets you can get from mercedes... some will need to be made for no one makes them... it sucks .. I know... I went thru it myself a few years ago...

 

Exellent info on these web links. Others have had the problem with the same explanations I am getting. Bottom line is its a huge repair for a rinky dink seal leak. I think I will just top off the fluids for awhile and document carefully how much I leak between "top offs". Save up some cash and do it right someday.
Thanks for everything!

 

Help, Someone sent me a link to a guy who actually pulled the transfer case and successfully did the work. He had photos ,etc.. I lost the info. Whoever sent this if you hear my cries please send it again....

 

Was that Alex55?

 

I hope it was him or if not hope somebody will pick this up. The link was very helpful. All these shops are telling me to drop the engine and the guy who did the link did not have to! Major event!! Thanks for the reply.