I recently purchased a 996tt and the previous owner had his mechanic perform and oil change before I picked it up. It leaks a bit of oil (enough to cover a $1 bill) after I drive it for 30 minutes or so. It leaks onto the ground from near the driver's side turbo and wastegate, but I'm not sure there the leak originates from. The previous owner said it has never leaked, and I believe him, so I am wondering if a 996tt will leak out oil from this spot if it is overfilled?

I took this picture on a perfectly flat spot in my garage. I've also tried the exact same while on a slight pitch, just to see if the reading would be different, but it was showing as above the top bar. Where does your oil gauge read after an oil change?

Should I be worried and take this into the shop, or is a little oil loss after every drive normal? For what's it's worth, I've driven it 1500 miles since the oil change, and it still reads above the top bar...even though it leaks after every drive.

 

sometimes the filter if not tightened properly can have some slight leaking at the top of the filter. just wipe it down, and keep an eye on it. ( though that wouldn't account for your account ) or possibly the main drain plug is loose. has happened to me. check and if necessary,.. tighten it. oil loss of any kind beyond normal consumption ( up to 1qt per 1k miles ) is NOT considered *normal*, nor is a leak. check it or have someone else check it asap. that would be prudent.

ps.. it *may* have been OVERfilled )

 

Thanks for the info. The nearest porsche mechanic isn't able to see me until Monday, so ill find out what needs to be done very soon.

I'm not sure how accurate the digital gauge is (I am used to normal dipsticks) but , assuming it is accurate, I lost less than 1qt over the last 1500 miles since it hasn't gone down by 1 bar yet.

I want to get to the bottom of this oil leak, but at least your post gives me hope since I have not lost any significant amount if oil. I can only afford to own one porsche at a time, so I need to keep this one healthy

 

It is not normal for these engines to leak after use.

The level may be quite a bit above the max level so a piddly amount of oil leaking out even after each trip will not have that level down much at all. The oil e-level system is not designed to measure much above too full. The tech is not supposed to overfill the engine with oil.

Next, I can't help but think if the shop that the seller took the car to do an oil/filter service made such a basic mistake and overfilled the engine with oil one wonders about the quality of the service the car received...

As for the leak... too late now I guess but the owner is the last person you should rely upon regarding if the engine or the car is leaking fluids. The 2nd to the last is the shop where he has the car serviced. A test drive followed by a PPI would have turned up any oil leak.

The leak could be from overfilling but not likely. Could be an oil fitting at a turbo, or from one of the turbo oil collector drains, a camshaft cover, any number of places.

My advise would be to do, have done, a proper oil/filter service at a shop that knows more about these cars than the shop the seller used. During the service the tech will put in the right amount of oil, double check the proper functioning of the oil e-level system, and if you ask nice should clean the oil off the engine so it will be easier to spot the source of the leak in a few days when you bring the car in to have the leak checked.

If it is not clear I'd have the overfill condition rectified, then have the source of the leak id'd. Now it may be the leak will dry up if the overfill is corrected but I would not count on it.

 

about as accurate as the gas gauge after a *partial* fillup will be but we'll deal with that at a later date

yes.. you do. btw.. the pic you provided ( of being one bar *over* ) along with the report of having driven 1500 mi +/- is the first indication your oil was overfilled. ( i run it at that level also.. 1 bar over *full* ), but i also check it *religiously*..) and also, that you've driven 1500 miles? and it's STILL over limit by a bar..?

that ain't exactly right. the car takes 9 qt's on a quick drain ( give or take ) by just draining the main plugs. always fill 8.5 qt's FIRST.. then check it once it's reached normal operating temp.. then fill another 1/2 qt ( or not, as needed ) it should never take more than 9 qts. at least if you're not draining the turbo's ( don't bother trust me ) or it's a fresh fill/new motor. even then.... i think they got happy with oil. don;'t freak,.. but take it in asap. peace of mind is worth it.

ps... i *bar* is roughly equivalent to 1/5 qt ( or is it... i think its 1/5th lol )

 

All good advice so far, and much appreciated.

In case anyone was wondering why I've driven it so far without having my own mechanic check things out is because ~1300 of those miles are from when I picked up the car in Kentucky and drove it home to Colorado. I have my fingers crossed that having an oil change next week with the proper amount of oil will help out. If not, I'll be chasing the leak until I find the source.

 

you'll be fine. enjoy the car.. and good luck w it.

 

You can always try to extract some of the oil. I think it should be possible through the oil filler neck.

1 bar = 0.26 quarts or 0.25 liters btw.

I'm guessing it was indeed overfilled. The turbo does burn some oil. By now, you probably should've gone through 0.5-1 qt, which is roughly 2 to 4 bars.